Career Change

[Onkel Neal]

Most of you know I worked in the chemical industry for many years, starting out as a lowly hourly operator and I worked my way up to Plant Control technician, where I ran a Caustic process plant. I moved to the Marine Dept and manual labor again to make more money (unlimted overtime). I did that for about 7 years, then went back to college and got a degree in accounting--then took a job in the Houston office.

At the 30 year mark, I left the chemical industry and went back to college to get a degree in hospitality management, based in part on my activities with the website and dealing with people. I thought a job as a hotel manager would be interesting and rewarding. I graduated in Dec 2010 and was fortunate to land a role as the Manager on Duty at the Crowne Plaze Hotel, under an excellent GM, a man I have a lot of respect for.

How different things can be in concept and reality! I found the job challenging but I was not prepared to fill in as a front desk agent for 10~12 hours a day. I could handle the guest issues and complaints, in fact, I think everyone thought I did that very well. I was getting excellent feedback from guests in the surveys. But 6 months after I started, the front office manager (who had a lot of pressure on him to work with reduced staff) quit. They asked me to fill in his role as well as mine. Which was fine, I would learn more and get some additional experience. Unfortunately, some of the people I had to work with were unusual, severe, and challenging. Can't say it was just me, the hotel as a body had issues with the other managers in question. I kept it to myself and did my best to elicit cooperation from my employees. Just as the previous FO manager, I was expected to do the FO manager job, MOD job, and work as a front desk agent, with reduced staff. What does reduced staff mean? It means you have 1 or 2 front desk agents, when you really need 3 or 4 to get to guests in a timely manner and not rush them. There were routine times when the airport would dump 40~60 guests on the hotel from a cancelled flight, in addition to the guest with reservations, and we would be working without pause, including constantly answering phones two or three calls at a time, for literally 6 hours without pause.

That was not what I signed up for. I could not give my guests the star treatment we routinely promise them in our mission statement and PR. In addition to the grief the other managers were dealing out, I decided to try my luck either at another hotel, or another industry. I am pretty bad about having too many interests and not enough focus on one, so I knew this would be a task. What to do?

First I took a few weeks and spent time with my kids, who were at the point of telling me I looked a lot like their father. I also was happy to point my motorcycle in other directions that the 45 minute commute to north Houston every day.

After some serious thought, I have decided I want to teach. I have dreamed of this idea in the past--originally when I went to college for accounting, I was going to go for history and science so I could teach. But the Ms Stevens at the time screamed a fit when she realized my earning power would be greatly diminished as a teacher, so I went with accounting.

I have completed two of the biggest hurdles, 1. I have been accepted into a Teacher training program, and 2. I passed my Content exam in math, science, language, and social studies. Believe me, that was pretty daunting. This test was a killer, but I got my scores today and I did pretty well. The math and science refresher work will continue through the summer, though. Cannot be too prepared.

So, barring anything terrible, like not being able to find a job, I should be in the classroom this August, with the responsibilty of educating young students, helping them learn classroom procedures, and inspiring them to enjoy the process of learning and becoming educated. I suffer no illusions, the final outcome of this latest venture will be determined as time passes, but I am excited to finally get into a career where I can talk about the Battle of Gonzales and the Tokugawa isolationist policies now.

Tak, I know you're a teacher, any advice? Any other teachers out there?

[August]

I am.

[Penguin]

Though I am no teacher, which makes many kids happy I guess, I wish you good luck for your next career step!
I like the spirit to start something new and fresh and not stick to the trade one has learned even if one is not happy with it. Also it's good to "stand on a second leg" like the Germans say, so in case of an economic downfall of one industry, you have something else to get the dough.
I am in a similar sit now, will lose my job in the TV industry soon, with switching my career hopefully into a more IT-related field.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Wow, good luck with it - what age range do you want to teach?

My wife's a teacher - at my old school - so I know how much time they can put in, it's not just 9-3 and 20 weeks holiday (although I do constantly rib her about those). Her working is the reason I get so little online time.
She loves it though.

Again, good luck -

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Unfortunately, some of the people I had to work with were unusual, severe, and challenging.

Your time in General Topics should have prepared you very well for that.

Good luck on your career change...it's like they say, do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

[stoppro]

Both my parents were teachers- mother taught elementry shcool and my dad high school lots of highs and lows dealing with administration being the worst.JUst before he retired my dad broke-up a knife fight and got himself stabbed in the process(not too serious) but it confirmed his decision to retire.my mother is retired too but she would go back anytime.long as it wasn't middle shcool(she calls it the pits) too many smart-asses I guess. try and find a private school. I is a big step. be careful. again Good luck in your new adventure!

[Garion]

I was a computer science lecturer for 10 years teaching everything from special needs basic numeracy to Postgrad lets create a doomsday device

Teaching is not for everyone and the dream can be shattered if you let the bureaucracy and internal academic politics get yoo down. I stayed well clear of them, just smiled politely and walked away when they reared their ugly head.

If you have a passion for your subject and can get the knowledge across to your students in an interesting way then yoo are off to a good start.

Your sanity, will of course take a tumble at times though, 'That's Guaranteed'

Cheers

Garion

[kiwi_2005]

I would say go for it Neal Teaching in NZ is an underpaid stressful job but NZ ain't the USA.

I change my job every couple of years have been doing this for about 10yrs now and this is the way I like to work. My new job is working for the Kiwifruit industry night shift work 6pm to 3:30am as the lab technician checking for deformities in the kiwifruit, pay is not that great but the work environment is, our staff is a combination of different nationalities - Vanuata, Chinese, Spanish, German and even a Puerto Rico family. The Vanuatu people think the pay is fantastic as they get near to nothing in their homeland compared to what we pay them here. These people come here every yr to work in Kiwifruit (runs for 8months of the year) to make some money then they head back to their country, that's why we have different nationalities working and its the best part of the job meeting these people. During our smoko breaks its a culture shock with all the different languages. Oh and Puerto Rico woman are beautiful!

[STEED]

Neal, the only advice I can give you is this..

If you got any common sense don't come to the UK and teach.

I mean it!

[Dowly]

Good luck, Neal!

Something tells me you're going to need it...

[Skybird]

I were teacher in two functions, but only in a wider sense, not an academic teacher. First it was meditation, and second combat trainer for security personell (which went terribly wrong).

From the first, this: the real important things to learn, people do not learn if you give it to them in advance, on a silver plate. Let them come to ask the right questions first. In other words, don'T teach in advance so much, but answer questions. It is important for a student to find the right questions first. You can form a library of blueprinted answers and prepared solutions when being given learning content on a silver plate, and memorising that - but that does not automatically mean you truly understand the matter, and any problem for which there is no solution in your memory has a good chance to throw you off your tracks. True understanding of a matter always is a systemic approach. By the way you answer the questions raised by your students by themselves, you can influence the focus of their attention on what you think is important for them, you can inspire their confidence and increase their competence. Do not mark the target for them. Let them discover the matter themselves.

From the second: I overestimated a trainees' capability, and accidently almost killed him, injured him very badly instead. Terrible experience for him, and for me as well. Lesson to be learned from that: do challenge your students, but do not overcharge them, and do not take skills as granted - make sure they are there before basing on them. Else you at least waste your time, and the good preparation for the next lesson that you spend all night over, will be wasted.

I currently read a book by Monty Roberts, the guy with the horses, From my hands to yours. I read it just for curiosity and interest, unfortunately I have nothing to do with horses. There he answered a question somebody asked him, the question was something like what he has learned from his work with horses, and he replied with "What I learned from horses is to be friendly with horses and humans alike".

For most situations that probably is good advise.

If you want to build a ship,
don't drum up the men to gather wood,
divide the work and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

Antoine de Saint Exupéry

P.S.

I'm probably hopelessly idealistic there, but then, I lack the experience of having taught in an academic context. But I knew several teachers, and my diploma paper was on teachers' motivation (amongst others). The sister and the husband of a good girlfriend of mine, my grandfather, several people I had some contact with from university times, and a good friend of my mother all were teachers, or still are - and they all died of cancer and before their time, or were or are cursing about the sad reality in schools.

I thought I charge your idealistic immune system a bit before shooting you down with the sad truth about teaching!

[Stealhead]

Both my mother and my sister are teachers (mom retired after 35 years) they both enjoy it my mother taught mostly 7th or 8th grade English later she had 6th grade reading.My sister did special education a very hard field no matter what but if you have nack for working with and helping these types of students it can be rewarding now she teaches 4th grade.

I would agree that alot of it has to do with administration you have to be under the right people to do well/enjoy the work.Of course I have heard many teachers admit that it took them a year sometimes two to be sure they where cut out for the job or not.Of course both my mother and sister had very good first administrators and that helps greatly because you build a reputation that way which is good.

In the end though it is one of those jobs you really have to work in for a year or so before you know for sure if you will enjoy it.My mother said she really felt like she had made a poor choice most of her first year and then one day it just kind all feel into place and she enjoyed it they basically made her retire actually she was in the state DROP retirement program and they got tired of her extending year after year.

Also you get the summer off not shabby.

[nikimcbee]

Neal, try and find a course on "education and the law." That will give you some great prep for your legal responsibilites as an educator.

Second, I learned the hard way, that history teachers are a dime a dozen, so diversify your certification. Certify in math or science and you'll be a shoe in. Maybe even Spanish.

Be ready to be forced to teach things you're not certified in. You may sign up for History/social studies, but you may wind up teaching other things you won't enjoy.

One of the ways to get your foot in the door is to substitute teach. If a principal likes you, they might hire you on if they like you or need you bad enough.
I saved all of my textbooks on teching/lesson prep, but they are for foreign languages.




Oh, wait, just thought of this. With your background in petrochemical industry, you would make a great chemestry teacher.
Build on your work experience and background.

[sharkbit]

Best of luck in your career change.

I've entertained thoughts of a career change at times but I've just never had the kahones to do it. It is a scary thought with a house, wife, and two young kids.

[RickC Sniper]

Neal, you are one of the most diplomatic and best "conflict resolvers" I have ever encountered.

You will be great at this.