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I'm currently working as a middle school English teacher and have done so since graduating from college in 2012. I enjoyed my work for the first year but have known since then that this would not be a lifetime career for me. I've especially realized in the last three years that I'm working on borrowed time. My personal philosophy is that no kid should be taught by someone who doesn't enjoy teaching, and I know I'm approaching the point of bitterness.
I've been actively applying to jobs outside of education for the past three years with no success. I have my B.S. in English Education with a minor in sociology, all of which seems to be working against me. I think my skills and interests would best translate to something communications based. Basically, my dream job is one where I work set hours, don't have to take work home, and am not responsible for adolescents. Oh, and I'd love to be able to go to the bathroom as I need to.
Any suggestions or insight into how to make this transition success and where/how I should be looking? I'm particularly looking for insight from those who have done this already.
The good news is at least you have a college degree. The bad news is your major is English Education. Not much related you could do other than teaching.
There are other jobs that would fit your requirements. Pretty much anything working in an office. My wife only had a high school diploma when she started as a secretary in the insurance business working for Travelers. She worked her way up to supervisory positions over the years.
Either that or go back to school to learn about something you want to do. It seems you're still pretty young, you have plenty of time to start over. I did the opposite, I worked in industry for 15 years before teaching. I found out I did not like working in the corporate world, teaching is more independent, and more rewarding if you want to try to make a difference in kids lives. But I teach in high school, don't think I could deal with middle school kids, still too immature, I would hate that.
If I left teaching, I would start my own business. I would never want to go back to working for some company.
The good news is at least you have a college degree. The bad news is your major is English Education. Not much related you could do other than teaching.
I disagree. The OP is basically an English major, with and education-degree component in the package. S/he could conceivably work in journalism or editing, or other writing fields. OP, as a teacher, you have summers off. You could look into the possibility of getting a summer internship, possibly as an assistant editor to a publication, something along those lines. If you enjoy writing, you could do some freelance writing for magazines that cover topics that interest you, if you have some specialized knowledge or experience in other fields. You could work in web marketing; there are quite a few jobs in that field, though not all of them fit your "set hours, no taking work home" criteria. Some involve doing more or less round the clock twittered for businesses, as well as maintaining/updating their web presence, handling their social media sites, etc. But it would be doable for you, having an English background.
The good news is at least you have a college degree. The bad news is your major is English Education. Not much related you could do other than teaching.
There are other jobs that would fit your requirements. Pretty much anything working in an office. My wife only had a high school diploma when she started as a secretary in the insurance business working for Travelers. She worked her way up to supervisory positions over the years.
Either that or go back to school to learn about something you want to do. It seems you're still pretty young, you have plenty of time to start over. I did the opposite, I worked in industry for 15 years before teaching. I found out I did not like working in the corporate world, teaching is more independent, and more rewarding if you want to try to make a difference in kids lives. But I teach in high school, don't think I could deal with middle school kids, still too immature, I would hate that.
If I left teaching, I would start my own business. I would never want to go back to working for some company.
Thanks for the feedback. That was my concern about the degree as well, though I'd like to avoid going back to school at this point purely for the financial cost. (My job will only pay for other education degrees, and my husband and I are currently paying out of pocket for his Bachelors degree, which is did not finish when he was 20.)
I appreciate hearing about your wife's experience too--I'm wondering if this will be an option I need to consider.
I have put in for a transfer to high school, but my district does not have high school openings right now. I'm thinking I will still want to leave teaching, but I wouldn't mind trying high school if the opportunity was available. My husband and I are also looking to move to either Utah or Washington, so that is a possibility as well.
I disagree. The OP is basically an English major, with and education-degree component in the package. S/he could conceivably work in journalism or editing, or other writing fields. OP, as a teacher, you have summers off. You could look into the possibility of getting a summer internship, possibly as an assistant editor to a publication, something along those lines. If you enjoy writing, you could do some freelance writing for magazines that cover topics that interest you, if you have some specialized knowledge or experience in other fields. You could work in web marketing; there are quite a few jobs in that field, though not all of them fit your "set hours, no taking work home" criteria. Some involve doing more or less round the clock twittered for businesses, as well as maintaining/updating their web presence, handling their social media sites, etc. But it would be doable for you, having an English background.
That's how I view my degree as well, but the impression I've gotten from the options I've explored is that the perspective on my education is totally subjective. I know part of the game is finding the right employer who is willing to try out this experiment, but I know a lot of my skills will translate to the corporate world and I'm very motivated and able to learn quickly and efficiently.
Those are really good ideas about internships for the summer, especially in something writing or editorial based; I'll look into it! Thanks!
Considering the OP just graduated from college in the last couple of years and you just retired from the Navy i'm pretty sure you'd have a leg up anyways regardless of teaching or no teaching. Just saying haha.
I'm currently working as a middle school English teacher and have done so since graduating from college in 2012. I enjoyed my work for the first year but have known since then that this would not be a lifetime career for me. I've especially realized in the last three years that I'm working on borrowed time. My personal philosophy is that no kid should be taught by someone who doesn't enjoy teaching, and I know I'm approaching the point of bitterness.
I've been actively applying to jobs outside of education for the past three years with no success. I have my B.S. in English Education with a minor in sociology, all of which seems to be working against me. I think my skills and interests would best translate to something communications based. Basically, my dream job is one where I work set hours, don't have to take work home, and am not responsible for adolescents. Oh, and I'd love to be able to go to the bathroom as I need to.
Any suggestions or insight into how to make this transition success and where/how I should be looking? I'm particularly looking for insight from those who have done this already.
Thanks!
With an English degree I'd think you'd be able to find work as a writer. I have science and math degrees and just got hired as a technical writer. In my case they need someone who understands science but I can see lots of companies needing someone to write instructions on how to use their products.
I do have to admit that I started looking 5 years ago. I had given up when this company found an old resume of mine on a website I haven't used in years. Keep at it. The more places you post your resume the better the chances someone will find you.
You could do one of those boot camps and learn a tech skill. They are cheaper than going back to school. Bloc.io, Iron Yard, General Assembly are some examples.
I'm currently working as a middle school English teacher and have done so since graduating from college in 2012. I enjoyed my work for the first year but have known since then that this would not be a lifetime career for me. I've especially realized in the last three years that I'm working on borrowed time. My personal philosophy is that no kid should be taught by someone who doesn't enjoy teaching, and I know I'm approaching the point of bitterness.
I've been actively applying to jobs outside of education for the past three years with no success. I have my B.S. in English Education with a minor in sociology, all of which seems to be working against me. I think my skills and interests would best translate to something communications based. Basically, my dream job is one where I work set hours, don't have to take work home, and am not responsible for adolescents. Oh, and I'd love to be able to go to the bathroom as I need to.
Any suggestions or insight into how to make this transition success and where/how I should be looking? I'm particularly looking for insight from those who have done this already.
Thanks!
I thought I'd responded when you first posted, evidently not. Or might have posted as a battery died, etc. Anyway...
I got my bachelor's a long time ago in English/Sec. Ed. I was never totally sold on the realities of teaching, versus the ideals of teaching, and basically was an English major who added a teaching credential as a "just in case" tool in my toolbox, kind of insurance. Student teaching did nothing but reinforce this perspective. After I graduated, I applied my skills to a few different fields, looking for the best fit.
I worked for an inner city nonprofit, initially, which allowed me draw from my skills and background to set up and run a fledgling youth outreach program heavy on tutoring and mentoring. My writing background helped a lot in "marketing" and informational materials and informational sessions, and my youth background was obviously helpful in designing programming for our target audience. For me, I preferred the hands-on working with the kids, but it also would have been totally possible for me to set up programming that relied heavily on staff and volunteers to do the hands-on.
After that, I took a position that was very writing heavy...print journalism, where I did all aspects of publication...reporting, writing, editing, page design, etc. I did a lot that was education specific, but also a lot of general news.
After that, I explored the legal writing field a bit, to see if a bid at law school was of interest. It wasn't, but my time working at a Legal Aid firm did make good use of my interviewing and writing abilities.
Then I got back into education for a bit, in a highly specialized setting, working exclusively with students with developmental and psychiatric issues. I added a special ed endorsement to my credentials during this time, and did a lot of case management in addition to instruction, which relied largely on my writing skills. In the course of doing this job, I became interested in more heavy involvement on the psychiatric counseling angle of my work, and decided to get training on that, which lead to a master's in counseling psych...where, it should be noted, skill in the area of writing is an enormous asset.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teeens77
That's how I view my degree as well, but the impression I've gotten from the options I've explored is that the perspective on my education is totally subjective.
And, it will be.
But just know that prospective employers who poo-poo your skill set right out of the gate are employers who are ultimately not going to be pleasant to work for, in the long run, so it becomes a "bullet dodged" situation.
If you can sell your skills and experience well, it will benefit you to work for an employer who recognizes the usefulness and applicability of your past experience, and to avoid those who don't see the connection.
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