This is a rant by someone who feels somewhat "unemployable." Please read it (interviews, payment)
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I do think it's important to follow your dreams but the only problem with being a dreamer is it gets to be a double edged sword. Like KMB I'm a constant daydreamer. I come out of those dreams wishing they were real. When I watch a television show I really like..I'll be happy when I'm absorbed in it but then I get really sad when I "come to". I can't stop this if I tried. I've been like that all my life as well. I know I have because my mom said that before I knew how to read I would take a book and make up stories. It's like I'm destined to live vicariously through other people.
I understand your perspective. That said, I think that the world is filled with dreamers who are able to channel their creative energy into viable revenue streams...However, in order to do so they fully embrace their creative side. You want to be a novelist, you have to devote yourself to writing a novel. The same with acting...That means if you have to self-publish, create your own projects, and market all-by-yourself, then that's what you do.
Now, if you just want "fame and fortune" for its own sake, that's another story...
If I were getting the level of respect I think I should get, I would be working from home as a private tutor, using the latest education technology and techniques, and making $20-$30 per hour.
Well, mine is, too, but people certainly don't pay me what I think I'm worth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmb501
The only reason I don't have the experience and / or training is because no one gave it to me.
I see a pattern of entitlement in your posts. No one is going to give you something just because you think you deserve it, including respect and good pay. You have to prove your worth.
I don't know your story but it sounds like you have some challenges. Don't let your attitude compound those.
I see a pattern of entitlement in your posts. No one is going to give you something just because you think you deserve it, including respect and good pay. You have to prove your worth.
I don't know your story but it sounds like you have some challenges. Don't let your attitude compound those.
I mean, "it feels like no one has given me a fair chance." Sure, they've allowed me a chance to play by their rules, but how successful is a man going to be playing basketball on a regular court if he has no legs?
1) I just skimmed these pages, but it sounds like you really need professional help for whatever mental problems/illnesses you are going through. Yes, most people daydream and wish they were doing something else - it is truly rare that people get some sort of greater fulfillment from their day jobs, but if it's impeding your life to this extent, it's abnormal. Until you learn better coping skills, it's likely you're going to fail in most fields.
2) Did you pass/take the PRAXIS test or whatever else you need to be able to teach at a K-12 level? That may not be "where the money is," but you'll earn considerably more than you are now and have more job security.
3) Apply to anything that leads to a pay raise. $20k per year is not even $10/hr. I live in another low wage state and retail/fast food work could get you $10/hr.
4) Get out of south Alabama. Immediately. Half of your problem is that you live in an impoverished area with a weak job market.
Yes, I passed and got certified for two areas, English and ESL, but the openings are in math and science. That's why I'm currently going back to school and studying to get certified in a third area, math or science. Hopefully, they will overlook my deficits and focus on my qualifications, then.
I'm pretty surprised that this job is the only thing I could get with a master's degree, but there really aren't that many jobs available in my area of certification, and I'm happy to at least have this. I'm someone who has been fired from so many "unskilled labor" jobs that this looks good. I know I want to make more money, but I seriously lack skill and assertiveness. I've heard "soft skills" are even more important in larger cities, so I kind of feel "stuck" here. I've considered leaving, but then a picture of some furious authority figure telling me to get out and never come back pops into my brain. The last thing I want is to be fired and lose my respect (or worse, be accused of some heinous crime and lose my teaching license; students are crafty and cruel) in a strange place where I can't crash on a friend's couch or rely on an old co-worker for job leads.
Yes, I passed and got certified for two areas, English and ESL, but the openings are in math and science. That's why I'm currently going back to school and studying to get certified in a third area, math or science. Hopefully, they will overlook my deficits and focus on my qualifications, then.
I'm pretty surprised that this job is the only thing I could get with a master's degree, but there really aren't that many jobs available in my area of certification, and I'm happy to at least have this. I'm someone who has been fired from so many "unskilled labor" jobs that this looks good. I know I want to make more money, but I seriously lack skill and assertiveness. I've heard "soft skills" are even more important in larger cities, so I kind of feel "stuck" here. I've considered leaving, but then a picture of some furious authority figure telling me to get out and never come back pops into my brain. The last thing I want is to be fired and lose my respect (or worse, be accused of some heinous crime and lose my teaching license; students are crafty and cruel) in a strange place where I can't crash on a friend's couch or rely on an old co-worker for job leads.
I certainly don't think it's the only thing you can get, especially if you are ESL certified. I know math and sciences are the preferred flavors these days, but I don't think opportunities otherwise are zero - I personally know several English teachers who are recent graduates and working in the field.
I don't know how much student loan debt you have, but DO NOT go back to school to get, at best, a $40k year job starting out.
I understand the difficulty, I have some ASD symptoms myself and can be difficult to get along with, but ultimately a lot of life is about "grinning and bearing it," behaving the way society says you should, even if you're chewing nails on the inside.
I mean, "it feels like no one has given me a fair chance." Sure, they've allowed me a chance to play by their rules, but how successful is a man going to be playing basketball on a regular court if he has no legs?
But you do have legs... you even completed a masters. By all metrics, you are able-bodied. You are looking for something that isn't there. You are not disadvantaged or in any way hindered from success. You have as much or more "chances" at success than most people.
But you do have legs... you even completed a masters. By all metrics, you are able-bodied. You are looking for something that isn't there. You are not disadvantaged or in any way hindered from success. You have as much or more "chances" at success than most people.
If he has ASD, you are wrong. I have a grandson that suffers from it, and I have known a woman all her life that suffered from it. She had a degree in Business Administration but could not hold a job that used the degree due to the ASD.
The average ASD sufferer is above average in intelligence, but cannot put it together in the work place. Study up on ASD, and you will realize the problems the OP suffers from. He can do well on a chat line like this, but operating out working with people he cannot make things happen as they should. That is why he gets lots of reprimands, and is fired from all the jobs he has had. No matter how many degrees he gets in the teaching field, he will never be able to be a teacher. No matter how much he wants to be a success and get a high pay job, the ASD will keep him from being successful.
Remember he has a low paid job working with young people today, and he is constantly getting reprimanded as he is unable to handle the work duties, and actions.
Just Google ASD and learn what his problems are, and why he has them.
I feel your pain, as I have a lot of student loans also, and it can definitely feel like a cloud looming overhead. But, can't you get rid of those loans with certain teaching jobs? I'm also wondering why you chose Education, if your issues seem to be with working with people, etc. I have similar issues, as I was in school for years, changed majors a few times, as after a while, I would realize I wasn't interested enough in something, until I found something that really interested me, Philosophy. I found it was perfect for someone who was always thinking about things, life, and I realized I had always been philosophical, years before I even knew what it was, or even took a class in it. To repeat what others have said, I would say it's really all about realizing what your strengths are, and what you enjoy doing, because what you enjoy, you will want to do good at...so I would say to figure out what those are, and then find out how to do them. Since you like daydreaming, think about that. And, or while you're figuring that out, just try out different jobs. There are plenty of jobs, that by society's standards, aren't "good" jobs, like fast food, production line or other menial jobs...but if you enjoy it, then it's a great job. When I thought back about all the jobs I've had, my favorite have been the fast-paced jobs, as in fast food, or farm work...physical work, where I'm totally absorbed in the work, and where "daydreaming" isn't an option. Which is probably why I was always active when I was younger and loved playing sports, as I could just turn my brain off and "act". Maybe something like that would be good for you, something more fast-paced, where you need to utilize your other senses, and can't let your mind wander. Like a production line, or warehouse. Talk to vocational rehabilitation also, they've been helpful so far, if not just helping you figure out what your strengths are, what your goals are, and how to get there. They can do a psychiatric evaluation, which is helpful for that too.
I feel your pain, as I have a lot of student loans also, and it can definitely feel like a cloud looming overhead. But, can't you get rid of those loans with certain teaching jobs? I'm also wondering why you chose Education, if your issues seem to be with working with people, etc. I have similar issues, as I was in school for years, changed majors a few times, as after a while, I would realize I wasn't interested enough in something, until I found something that really interested me, Philosophy. I found it was perfect for someone who was always thinking about things, life, and I realized I had always been philosophical, years before I even knew what it was, or even took a class in it. To repeat what others have said, I would say it's really all about realizing what your strengths are, and what you enjoy doing, because what you enjoy, you will want to do good at...so I would say to figure out what those are, and then find out how to do them. Since you like daydreaming, think about that. And, or while you're figuring that out, just try out different jobs. There are plenty of jobs, that by society's standards, aren't "good" jobs, like fast food, production line or other menial jobs...but if you enjoy it, then it's a great job. When I thought back about all the jobs I've had, my favorite have been the fast-paced jobs, as in fast food, or farm work...physical work, where I'm totally absorbed in the work, and where "daydreaming" isn't an option. Which is probably why I was always active when I was younger and loved playing sports, as I could just turn my brain off and "act". Maybe something like that would be good for you, something more fast-paced, where you need to utilize your other senses, and can't let your mind wander. Like a production line, or warehouse. Talk to vocational rehabilitation also, they've been helpful so far, if not just helping you figure out what your strengths are, what your goals are, and how to get there. They can do a psychiatric evaluation, which is helpful for that too.
I CAN'T do those jobs you described. My executive functioning is too poor. At the fast food job I've held, I burned food, lost track of customer's orders, inadvertently insulted people and made them walk out, allowed people to walk out without paying, and generally have not been a good employee. I need things that constantly keep my attention. Menial work is not good for me, because my brain tries to go on "auto pilot." I then start to try to blindly do activities. I need work that is constantly changing and constantly bringing new challenges. In this respect, teaching is good, but even it isn't dynamic enough to always keep my attention.
OP: If I were you I'd seek professional help to become classified as disabled. If you can do that perhaps you can get those loans discharged.
Working for $20K per year trying to pay off $120K in loans is hopeless.
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