Throwing a Hail Mary: Need Help

[IrishSteelhead]

Ladies and Gents,

As many of you know, I have been a teacher for the last 12 years. Although the experience has been enjoyable, the rising financial demands of having a family has led me to look in the direction of employment that offers more opportunity for advancement and a higher salary.

With a degree that covers only a very small niche, finding a job has proven to be quite difficult. My current efforts have been on an HR type job for a bigger corporation (Roche, Lilly, and others here in Indy), but pickins are slim, and most openings that appear to be a match are filled internally.

Be that as it may, I'm aggressively applying pretty much anywhere I can, hoping to secure something before school starts again.

The million dollar questions:

Is anyone in the Indianapolis area in a position to help point me in the right direction?

Anyone know a good plan of attack moving forward?

Anybody have connections somewhere here to get me a look?

*I understand this is asking quite a bit, but I'm 100% committed to finding something, and figured someone here may have some info that would be helpful

 

[woolybug25]

It's funny that everyone in corporate America wish they would have became teachers, while teachers all want to be in corporate America.

Both my sisters are teachers and I envy their free time and doing a job that actually contributes to society. That is very difficult to find. Have you considered continuing as a teacher and starting a small business? My good friend has had a landscaping company since college that he does throughout summer. He makes almost the same as he does as a teacher through his company. So he gets the best of both worlds.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

It's funny that everyone in corporate America wish they would have became teachers, while teachers all want to be in corporate America.

Both my sisters are teachers and I envy their free time and doing a job that actually contributes to society. That is very difficult to find. Have you considered continuing as a teacher and starting a small business? My good friend has had a landscaping company since college that he does throughout summer. He makes almost the same as he does as a teacher through his company. So he gets the best of both worlds.

I bartend a few days a week, but that's about it right now. Day care is so damn expensive, I have spent this summer doing that instead of working.

 

[wizards8507]

It's not an easy answer, but I'd suggest broadening your search outside of Indianapolis.

 

[johnsben]

I taught for a year and have been in corporate america since then. The difference in pay has allowed my wife to stay home with our children and it is well worth giving up a job that has a more positive impact. I would actually like to return to teaching as soon as our youngest is out of the house.

The only help I can offer is changing the title of the thread from "throwing" to "praying" and asking for some help from a higher place. Best of luck.

 

[Southside Sully]

My friends that have recently left teaching all seem to have gone into something relative to what they taught. Example - my friend who taught Math for 10 years, is now working in Underwriting and running numbers for Blue Cross Blue Shield.

 

[woolybug25]

I bartend a few days a week, but that's about it right now. Day care is so damn expensive, I have spent this summer doing that instead of working.

I hear ya. I think it's "grass isn't always greener" type thing though. Teaching is a calling that you can take pride in. You're respected and you are doing work worth doing. Getting $10k-$15k more a year and sitting behind a desk isn't going to fill the hole left by not doing a job that has meaning.

That's why I'm suggesting starting a company. Your upward mobility will be entirely in your hands and you also will make more money. Just a thought. Here are some business ideas.

1) landscape and/or mowing
2) parking lot sweeping - bigger investment, but there's a lot of money in sweeping with little competition in most markets.
3) painting company
4) electronic recycling (cpu's, servers, etc)

I'll tell you what, you will get a lot more satisfaction (probably more money too) in owning your own business than any role a company can give you. Also, think of what the delta is between what you would make at an entry level position in a new career and what you make now as an educator? Let's say it's $15k. That means you have to make $5k a month over the Summer to make that difference. My buddy's landscaping company did that from the start. Now he has over 50 accounts, three full time employees, two trucks and something he can be really proud of.

 

[TDHeysus]

excuse my ignorance, but have you tried going after Assistant Principal position? that would be an initial raise, and then possibly open the door to a principal gig, or maybe some other type of administrator position?

 

[Irish#1]

Have you tried Navient (formerly Sallie Mae, formerly USA Group, formerly USA Funds)? I used to work there and still have a couple of connections with a couple of higher ups.

Sent you a PM.

 

[Fbolt]

Teaching overseas at an American school? Same pay but in many places cost of living is significantly lower which will allow you hire day care at a reduced cost-has to be other bennies as well IMO. Travel is pretty good too.

 

[Irish YJ]

I hear ya. I think it's "grass isn't always greener" type thing though. Teaching is a calling that you can take pride in. You're respected and you are doing work worth doing. Getting $10k-$15k more a year and sitting behind a desk isn't going to fill the hole left by not doing a job that has meaning.

That's why I'm suggesting starting a company. Your upward mobility will be entirely in your hands and you also will make more money. Just a thought. Here are some business ideas.

1) landscape and/or mowing
2) parking lot sweeping - bigger investment, but there's a lot of money in sweeping with little competition in most markets.
3) painting company
4) electronic recycling (cpu's, servers, etc)

I'll tell you what, you will get a lot more satisfaction (probably more money too) in owning your own business than any role a company can give you. Also, think of what the delta is between what you would make at an entry level position in a new career and what you make now as an educator? Let's say it's $15k. That means you have to make $5k a month over the Summer to make that difference. My buddy's landscaping company did that from the start. Now he has over 50 accounts, three full time employees, two trucks and something he can be really proud of.

Says the banker .
I keed. Wooly has some great points.

Two things.
1) If you are serious about corp, you need to think seriously about expanding your search outside of Indy. I love Indy, but other places are much more ripe with opportunity....
2) Like Wooly says, why not try a small business over one summer. Not a huge gamble in terms of capital and you don't have to ditch your current job while you try. Tons of used equipment out there which you can flip right back if you find it's not something you want to do.

I've been corporate for 24 years now. While I love what my job does for my bank account, it does not always do the same for heart, soul, or general quality of life. I do like what I do now, and where I do it, but it's not all puppy dogs and rainbows. I was "big" corp for 16 years (Fortune 50) and moved to the "medium" space about 8 years ago when a nice opportunity presented itself. Big, medium, small,,,, all the same in a lot of ways.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Throwing a Hail Mary: Need Help

Thanks for all the insight. Irish#1, Navient is actually a stones throw from my house. They had a big banner not long ago advertising they were hiring. I looked at their webpage, and every job seemed to be IT related, or other fields I most likely wouldn't be qualified to do.


That's another thing: I'm not even sure what jobs I'd be a serious candidate for. The qualifications are vague on some listings I've seen.

 

[Monk]

That's why I'm suggesting starting a company. Your upward mobility will be entirely in your hands and you also will make more money. Just a thought. Here are some business ideas.

1) landscape and/or mowing
2) parking lot sweeping - bigger investment, but there's a lot of money in sweeping with little competition in most markets.
3) painting company
4) electronic recycling (cpu's, servers, etc)

I see a lot of teachers around here that paint on the side. Also as I am in the construction industry I see some teachers that work construction for a couple of months. Public construction jobs pay very well and it is not a bad gig if you only have to do it for a couple of months.

I don't know what teachers make where you are, but I come from a family of teachers (Grandfather, Mother, 1 Uncle, 3 Aunts, 2 Cousins and my Wife) and I know for a fact they make good money, here. Couple that with the excellent healthcare we get and the amount of time my wife has off to take care of our kids which saves on child care, I think it is one of the best jobs to have (grass is always greener as Wooly said). Not to mention the amount of years you have to work for a pension. Again I know there are major differences in the compensation for teachers between states, but with a summer job of some sort it could work out well for you. You could even find something you could do at home (possibly tutoring) so you could continue to watch your kids.

Edit: Also my brother-in-law got an HR job in Philly about 2 years ago and he makes about the same as a teacher that has been teaching for 5-6 years (without the benefits a teacher gets), but doesn't have the same schedule. He also had to go back to school and get a masters in HR for the position. He does however have room to move up, where that does not really exist in teaching.

 

[NDohio]

Ladies and Gents,

As many of you know, I have been a teacher for the last 12 years. Although the experience has been enjoyable, the rising financial demands of having a family has led me to look in the direction of employment that offers more opportunity for advancement and a higher salary.

With a degree that covers only a very small niche, finding a job has proven to be quite difficult. My current efforts have been on an HR type job for a bigger corporation (Roche, Lilly, and others here in Indy), but pickins are slim, and most openings that appear to be a match are filled internally.

Be that as it may, I'm aggressively applying pretty much anywhere I can, hoping to secure something before school starts again.

The million dollar questions:

Is anyone in the Indianapolis area in a position to help point me in the right direction?

Anyone know a good plan of attack moving forward?

Anybody have connections somewhere here to get me a look?

*I understand this is asking quite a bit, but I'm 100% committed to finding something, and figured someone here may have some info that would be helpful

IMO Unless you really, really hate it - stick with it. You are at the number of years where the money will start coming. Especially if you have your Masters. My wife taught for 8 years and then took time off to raise our kids. When she went back into the workforce she tried to work in banking and then in local government. Hated both and went back into teaching and knew it was where she belonged.

Good luck - I hope you can find what you're looking for.

 

[WaveDomer]

My response is built on my personal experience, so take it for what it is worth. I worked corporate communications and waited tables to make extra cash. Had a kid and quit the corporate so I could watch the kids while wife worked. Then I would work nights waiting. Here is the thing, I not only loved the food industry, but depending on where you are you can make a lot of money. Sometimes people ask you, "What else do you do?" Because we generally have a negative view of service industry. I would just laugh because I knew I made more money than many who asked that question, plus had my days free for kids. From there I got into wine and that is a whole new ballgame with many opportunities. Long story, but I write it because you bartend. I know bartenders who make a lot of money. Plus you can branch out and study beer, (Cicerone), wine, or spirits. Then that opens doors. Just a thought. You could also look at tutoring.

 

[koonja]

I saw that body when you posted your 4 horesman pic. Have you considered a career as a male escort yes or no?

 

[gkIrish]

I saw that body when you posted your 4 horesman pic. Have you considered a career as a male escort yes or no?

 

[Emcee77]

It's funny that everyone in corporate America wish they would have became teachers, while teachers all want to be in corporate America.

Both my sisters are teachers and I envy their free time and doing a job that actually contributes to society. That is very difficult to find. Have you considered continuing as a teacher and starting a small business? My good friend has had a landscaping company since college that he does throughout summer. He makes almost the same as he does as a teacher through his company. So he gets the best of both worlds.

Boy, there is a lot of truth in the bolded .... I fantasized about transitioning into teaching for quite a while. (Working at a large law firm has a way of making people want to do anything else. I was fortunate to find other, less soul-destroying legal work, eventually.)

My friends that have recently left teaching all seem to have gone into something relative to what they taught. Example - my friend who taught Math for 10 years, is now working in Underwriting and running numbers for Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Yeah, mine too. One ex-teacher I know started working for an educational software company, I believe.

Another moved into development for a Catholic high school. Any interest in fundraising, Steelhead? You have a great personality and I wonder if that might not be a good fit for you. No idea if that would provide the financial step-up you need though.

Another ex-teacher buddy of mine started doing claims investigation for an insurance company. Insurance companies are sometimes good options for people in your position. Better pay, good hours, opportunities for advancement, and they often aren't looking for a specific educational/professional background. Might be worth looking into, if there are employers like that in your area.

Just some stray thoughts, I guess.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Ellen Goodman:

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”

Two things:

1) Have you considered truly evaluating what makes you happy? You're a teacher? You're a parent? Doesn't that mean getting to spend a ton of time with your kids in the summer? Seems pretty awesome to me.

2) I get that people have expenses, people have needs and wants...So if you're looking to make more money (a) Wooly has a good plan with working in the summer or starting a small buisness. Plenty of teachers I knew growing up did this and actually made really good yearly combined salaries. (b) Have you considered staying in the profession, but investing in more schooling in order to achieve an Admin position? (c) If you're a people person and have any connections to Sales jobs, those sometimes can be a quick and easy transition.

 

[woolybug25]

 

[phgreek]

I honestly think being an administrator is your path to corporate America. You'll get the pay, and all the bullshit that comes with it....

Don't get me wrong, I know you have parents and administrators that are giant pains in the ass...and I get frustrated every year when I hear about the kids, and how we need to focus on the kids...then I watch teachers get nothing, and have to take out of their own pockets for supplies. But administrators always seem to get paid.

So do you like policy work? Defining it, tracking performance of policy?Do you like to solve interpersonal problems? Do you like recruiting and hiring? Do you like dealing with budgets? I mean to me, a school administrator is pretty close to a small business owner, but with a net...its not really your money. I'd go that route, if for no other reason but to live in that world before you bail...that experience is applicable to all companies.

 

[dublinirish]

That's another thing: I'm not even sure what jobs I'd be a serious candidate for. The qualifications are vague on some listings I've seen.

I've noticed that with a lot of job descriptions for jobs in the US. It's hard to know what they are looking for sometimes.

 

[wizards8507]

I've noticed that with a lot of job descriptions for jobs in the US. It's hard to know what they are looking for sometimes.

We have some bizarre anti-discrimination laws that lead to weird things in the hiring and recruiting space. Let's say you have an Analyst that you want to promote to Manager. In certain circumstances, you're legally required to post the open Manager position for external applicants before you can promote the Analyst. You end up with a lot of postings that companies aren't actually looking to interview anyone for.

 

[dublinirish]

We have some bizarre anti-discrimination laws that lead to weird things in the hiring and recruiting space. Let's say you have an Analyst that you want to promote to Manager. In certain circumstances, you're legally required to post the open Manager position for external applicants before you can promote the Analyst. You end up with a lot of postings that companies aren't actually looking to interview anyone for.

yeah i've seen that a few times. Also postings for jobs that stay up "until the right candidate is found" You never see that over here, every job is posted for a limited time usually a month or so.

 

[MNIrishman]

We have some bizarre anti-discrimination laws that lead to weird things in the hiring and recruiting space. Let's say you have an Analyst that you want to promote to Manager. In certain circumstances, you're legally required to post the open Manager position for external applicants before you can promote the Analyst. You end up with a lot of postings that companies aren't actually looking to interview anyone for.

Fact. I was just promoted. They were legally required to post the position for a week and I had to apply for it, even though I had already gotten it. What a waste of resources, and very frustrating in retrospect given the number of jobs I spent time applying for that might not have actually existed.

 

[ColinKSU]

I wish I could be of any help, but I'm not in the Indy area. Good luck, bud.

That said, this is a great example of why I'm so happy that I'm 31 and not married and don't have kids. I'm stuck in a job with little chance of upward movement and financial improvement (again), but I don't have to worry about my wife's job or my kids' schooling when it comes time for me to job hunt. I can just pack up and leave Tennessee whenever I want. Loyalty is dead when it comes to spending your entire career with one employer.

Unless you're financially set, I can't think of any good reason to settle down and start a family anymore. Things aren't like they were for my parents' generation in this country.

 

[woolybug25]

Unless you're financially set, I can't think of any good reason to settle down and start a family anymore. Things aren't like they were for my parents' generation in this country.

I use to think that way until I met the love of my life, started expecting a child and realized that I would never have to buy a lady a drink in order to get a blowjob again.

Marriage and children are life's calling, my friend. You may think that it's not important now, but I would be surprised if a day doesn't come when you have regret for not having the two most amazing experiences life can provide.

 

[wizards8507]

I use to think that way until I met the love of my life, started expecting a child and realized that I would never have to buy a lady a drink in order to get a blowjob again.

Marriage and children are life's calling, my friend. You may think that it's not important now, but I would be surprised if a day doesn't come when you have regret for not having the two most amazing experiences life can provide.

Case-in-point. Wooly and I are married. Koon is not. Do you want to be like me and Wooly, or like Koon?

 

[Ndaccountant]

I wish I could be of any help, but I'm not in the Indy area. Good luck, bud.

That said, this is a great example of why I'm so happy that I'm 31 and not married and don't have kids. I'm stuck in a job with little chance of upward movement and financial improvement (again), but I don't have to worry about my wife's job or my kids' schooling when it comes time for me to job hunt. I can just pack up and leave Tennessee whenever I want. Loyalty is dead when it comes to spending your entire career with one employer.

Unless you're financially set, I can't think of any good reason to settle down and start a family anymore. Things aren't like they were for my parents' generation in this country.

Except if you actually want to have a wife and kids. Might be foreign to you and others, but those people do exist.

 

[woolybug25]

Case-in-point. Wooly and I are married. Koon is not. Do you want to be like me and Wooly, or like Koon?

It's that simple, really.