Making a job change possibly...what would you do?

[Nick87]

You can work at McDonald's and make $40k a year.

Slightly depressing when you put it that way. Not that those people shouldn't make a decent buck for there work just how much less the dollar is worth. I'm aging.

 

[Keep'er Movin]

We all are. Unless your taking the keys with or something they will figure it out

I don't disagree with you at all. We have a referendum coming up on the general election day. It has already failed once last spring and my name is on the "31 other cut possibility" flyer everyone in the district got in the mail.

 

[cgasner1]

I don't disagree with you at all. We have a referendum coming up on the general election day. It has already failed once last spring and my name is on the "31 other cut possibility" flyer everyone in the district got in the mail.

Sure that 40k pay cut isn’t for unemployment? Kinda feel like you just gave us the ol Paul Harvey

 

[300stw]

at 59, with 24yrs in persi, i just quit a 6figure job in east montana, to move to west montana, to have trees trout and elk

all not easy to find in far east montana, took 30k pay cut, no kids, no bills, wife employed, got my 3 high years for retirement,, i know were the birds and muledeer live, can always go back for that

but the stres reduction from a bad boss, and new challenges has been worth it

now my bird dogs are not adjusting well,,,

happy soul is something to consider if financially it can work,

 

[Keep'er Movin]

Sure that 40k pay cut isn’t for unemployment?

We will see on November 6th. Maybe it won't be my choice to make.

 

[Keep'er Movin]

at 59, with 24yrs in persi, i just quit a 6figure job in east montana, to move to west montana, to have trees trout and elk

all not easy to find in far east montana, took 30k pay cut, no kids, no bills, wife employed, got my 3 high years for retirement,, i know were the birds and muledeer live, can always go back for that

but the stres reduction from a bad boss, and new challenges has been worth it

now my bird dogs are not adjusting well,,,

happy soul is something to consider if financially it can work,

All the best to you. Hope it's all you could ask for and more

 

[Keep'er Movin]

So the bad news is you’re a ways from good bird hunting. The good news is there are thousands of jobs for which you are qualified within a reasonable commute.

Think outside the box, you’re qualified for more than you realize. One example is sales- you could do that for sure, and do well financially.

*And you don’t have to apologize to anyone for becoming a teacher. Or for wanting a change to improve your life. Those are both things to be proud of in my opinion.

Thank you...it's appreciated

 

[Keep'er Movin]

What's your wife's opinion on you changing jobs. Can she move and maintain her job or obtain a new job with the same compensation. How long until you can retire?
Lots of questions to answer but I think with proper planning you can get to where you want.

My wife is very supportive. When we were first married, it took her awhile to get herself established in the corporate wellness field. We moved a lot, I commuted as much as an hour and twenty minutes one way while she was "growing her brand" so to speak. She landed in a fortune 200 company and made great money but they owned her. Her last year at her former company we ate dinner together at home a total of 3 times the whole year (not including time off/holidays, etc )during a Monday through Friday work week due to corporate expectations. She eventually quit, took a 50% pay cut and now works 5 min away from our home in a totally different field. She loves it, I love it, and I love being able to see her. We lost well over 2500 a month in disposable income, but I would never want her to go back to something like that. I think she sees this (a potential career change for me) as a way to now support me in return for sacrificing for her while she was finding her path.

 

[NEWHunter]

Don't you get three months of the year off and like 25 national holidays as an "Educator"?

No. Next to zero national holidays, two months of the year off, and 2,000+ hours in 10 months time.

 

[SAJ-99]

No. Next to zero national holidays, two months of the year off, and 2,000+ hours in 10 months time.

They call it a job for a reason. It all evens out in the end.

 

[NEWHunter]

They call it a job for a reason. It all evens out in the end.

I don’t see it evening out. I have a job. Teaching is not a job. Teaching these days is more than a job - it’s a sacrifice.

I appreciate your support of teachers, et. al. I’m married to a teacher. I see first hand the toll it takes and the trade-offs that are made. @SAJ-99 based on your posts on this forum you’re smart, probably more so than I am. But your posts in this thread seem to hint at a lack of a deep understanding of all that can go in to a teaching job.

Sure I could quibble with what the OP has said here and there, but I hear and understand what he is saying because I live teaching vicariously on a daily basis. It is a tough row to hoe these days. Maybe you know several teachers well too, but as somebody who has a good idea of how a school/district in SE Wisconsin functions, trust me when I tell you, it’s not a job.

 

[Keep on]

8pm and my wife is grading papers for her 3rd grade class. It's a very demanding job, trying to do what's best for the kids and still dealing with admin and some less than ideal parents.
She usually tries to do the heavy at home work when I'm working weekends or nights to give us more time together when I'm off.
Yes every job has its good and bad, but she definitely works harder than I'd be willing to for the pay she's earning. Hats off to all the teachers that do all the extra work for their kids.

 

[SAJ-99]

Teaching is not a job. Teaching these days is more than a job - it’s a sacrifice.

Very good post and I agree. Let me expand my view.
Most public service jobs are a sacrifice of the present for the future. I.e. get paid crap today for a future pension that affords comfort. Or time, work more from September to May and be free from June to August. It is what it is.

I too understand what he is trying to say, but he can't seem to define what the problem is. One post his problem is about when his free time is (which hasn't changed much for a public teacher in like 100 years) while the next post says it is about societal changes (school shootings, opioids, etc). One post is about $, but later he say it isn't about the $. Again, in the end, teaching is a job. You have to sacrifice one thing for another.

Kids have to go to school from September to May and I would like some stability in the class room. (side note, I would like them to go to school from Sept to August with more breaks across the "seasons", but its not my call). As a teacher, you either sign up for that or you don't. If I want to read into your post, I agree that most parents suck at parenting. Therein lies the core problem.

 

[brownbear932008]

What if I said I do it for summers off and a pension. Unless you grow up taking over your parents business because you started working for them as a teen, you have no idea what a job entails until your first day of work. My training as a teacher never prepared me for an active shooter, giving Narcan to an opioid overdose victim, what to do when a student tells you that their parents are using them for sexual entertainment at dinner parties, and that another set of brothers are living in a tent in the middle of a camp ground illegally during a Wisconsin winter...all of which I have had training for or experienced first hand. I didn't choose this. Believe me, had I known what I was getting into, this is the last thing I would be doing.

So, me reading this you are obviously unhappy in your current job. But, your wife is right you are much more qualified and deserve more than 40k a year with your education and experience. 40k today isn't the 40k of five years ago. It's hardly a living wage. I'd find a position making more than that and that pays equivalent to your current job with enhanced benefits. Tons of sweet remote gigs these days for both the government and private sectors. I'd think the current option on the plate would be regretted later. If you can teach you can do about anything. Any trade skills? Start your own business, set your own schedule?

 

[jimh406]

I don't know how many years you have left, but assuming you aren't burned out, I say go for the full pension.

 

[Keep'er Movin]

Very good post and I agree. Let me expand my view.
Most public service jobs are a sacrifice of the present for the future. I.e. get paid crap today for a future pension that affords comfort. Or time, work more from September to May and be free from June to August. It is what it is.

I too understand what he is trying to say, but he can't seem to define what the problem is. One post his problem is about when his free time is (which hasn't changed much for a public teacher in like 100 years) while the next post says it is about societal changes (school shootings, opioids, etc). One post is about $, but later he say it isn't about the $. Again, in the end, teaching is a job. You have to sacrifice one thing for another.

Kids have to go to school from September to May and I would like some stability in the class room. (side note, I would like them to go to school from Sept to August with more breaks across the "seasons", but its not my call). As a teacher, you either sign up for that or you don't. If I want to read into your post, I agree that most parents suck at parenting. Therein lies the core problem.

What do you mean you would like some more stability in the classroom?

 

[noisy]

I quit teaching because it's about the worst job you can have if you're a serious skier. Summers off don't do me any good. 'nuff said

 

[Keep'er Movin]

I quit teaching because it's about the worst job you can have if you're a serious skier. Summers off don't do me any good. 'nuff said

This guy gets it!

 

[FI460]

This guy gets it!

I don't think most folks understand how rigid the schedule is.

You aren't taking off a week in September to hunt elk and a week in October to hunt deer. No way.

You get 2 or 3 personal days for the entire school year.

If you play your cards right and draw the tags maybe you use veterans day, all of your personal days, and a "sick" day for a week long trip, but then you come back to the classroom 2 weeks behind.

Edit: also my wife has to be in the classroom starting the last week of August through the second week of June.

 

[Keep'er Movin]

I don't think most folks understand how rigid the schedule is.

You aren't taking off a week in September to hunt elk and a week in October to hunt deer. No way.

You get 2 or 3 personal days for the entire school year.

If you play your cards right and draw the tags maybe you use veterans day, all of your personal days, and a "sick" day for a week long trip, but then you come back to the classroom 2 weeks behind.

This guy also gets it!