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WWYD? (Long)
Fair warning -- I may DD this at some point.
***
As you've heard me talk about, I currently have two jobs: one as a tutor (about 20 hours/week) and one as a part-time community college professor (in class 6 hours/week; take home work 20-30 hours/week). The tutoring job I actually really enjoy. Since it's actually part of a center, when I'm not with tutees I get to work on other projects (research, design, etc.). I make about $800/month here.
The teaching job...I like 6 hours a week. I love being in the classroom. I love lecturing and working with my students. The other 20-30 hours I hate. Not just "deal with" or "like less than the other 6 hours." Absolutely hate. Grading, e-mailing, lesson planning, dealing with administration...it's misery to me. I know it's no one's favorite part of the job, but I have LOTS of friends who are teachers, and none of them seem to actually HATE the tasks, especially not to the degree I do. Plus, it was never a "career" in my mind. It was a way to make money until I figured out what I really wanted to do. Teaching pays me $1200/month for 9 months out of the year. Right now, I have two classes lined up for fall (starting at the end of August) and two for Spring (starting in January).
I've been putting out feelers and sending out resumes for other jobs to get me out of teaching, but as everyone knows, the economy sucks butt right now and most places where I'd be qualified/want to work aren't hiring. On top of that, I'm still in graduate school -- I've got one semester left (God willing). My tutoring job is student employment and is dependent on me taking at least 6 units of course work while I finish my degree.
So, now here's the question/situation...
I really want to make a career change. I want to get out of teaching and move into something (hopefully) more permanent. DH thinks I should just quit the teaching job now, even though it means money will be tight. He says I should use the time to do some serious soul searching and really build a strong application to get myself into a field/job where I really want to be.
I'll still have the tutoring job, which would cover most of my expenses (just leaving VERY little if any for savings or fun things or emergencies). However, the idea of making $1,200 less a month is terrifying to me. Plus, with teaching jobs being as tight as they are, if I give this one up it's VERY unlikely I'd get it back if I changed my mind and/or couldn't find another job and/or realized that I missed doing it. (The grass is always greener, I know...). However, once the semester starts, I'm in it for those four-five months. Which means if I don't decide by August, then I'm stuck until December.
So, would you quit the job you don't like/don't see as a career, taking a huge pay cut but freeing yourself up to find what you really want to do/follow your passion? Or would you keep the job, despite your happiness level, in favor of the security of the money and hope that something better eventually comes along?
Re: WWYD? (Long)
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
Yes, in a heartbeat. You may think that it will be tough now, but looking back, it will be the best decision you could ever make.
You only live once, and you gotta do, what you gotta do to make YOU happy.
I'm not teaching right now, but there is a lot of prep-work. Plus, I need to let the school know sooner rather than later because of hiring/scheduling -- like, probably within the next two-three weeks.
For me, it depends how tight is tight and what your overall budget/income looks like.
What KIND of career might you want to enter? Does it have anything to do with teaching? What is your advanced degree in?
I would probably do both. Continue to teach and tutor while also cotinuing to put feelers out and look for other jobs. How much time do you really need to "soul search"? Would you honestly use as much time "soul searching" as you are currently spending teaching? Could you tutor more to make up the income?
I would NOT stay long-term in a job with so many duties you hate, but I probably wouldn't quit until you had something else lined up, or at least could recover some of that income.
This is what I would do too. Sometimes it takes a kick in the butt (like losing a job) to put the time and effort into finding a new one but in today's economy, I dont think I would give it up as that job search could easily take 6+ months.
HomemadebyHolman
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I've thought about this, actually. I have a friend who works at a book store, and four of their associates are leaving this summer, so they will be hiring soon. It's not a sure thing, but it has potential. And it basically pays the same -- I make about $8-10/hr teaching, depending on the week's workload, and minimum wage is $8/hr in California.
Lucy Elizabeth 10.27.12
What kind of career? -- This I still don't know. I need to do more research.
Does it have anything to do with teaching? -- I could see myself working in academia (I like the University setting), but no, not in the classroom.
What is your advanced degree in? -- I have an M.A. in Communications. The one I'm working on it in Lit/Writing.
How much time do you really need to "soul search"? Would you honestly use as much time "soul searching" as you are currently spending teaching? -- I don't know if it's "soul search" as much as research. My whole life/career has been in the academic system. I went from undergrad to grad school to teaching/working in a university to grad school again. I need to figure out what the heck else is out there. I wouldn't spend as much time doing that as I do teaching, no. It's more the limitations of teaching. Once I commit to a semester, it's basically saying I won't apply/change jobs for five months.
Can you tutor more to make up the income? -- I'm limited to 20/hrs per week as a student in this center. However, I could try to find other centers (as staff) or online or private. I don't know that it would make up ALL the income, though.
If you really hate the job, I would quit, especially if you can cover your main expenses with your other paycheck. Then you can always get a PT job if things start to get uncomfortably tight.
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
Will quitting the teaching job speed up your degree and help you graduate faster?
Since you know you don't want to teach as a career, it's secondary to your degree and job search. However, knowing that it's taking people longer to start their careers directly out of school, having the teaching job could help you financially after you graduate.
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