Thoughts and ramblings of TheDon - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JordaanDMC-12 · #16 01-04-2015, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

You just work to exist and have enough strength to repeat it the next day. I always thought life should be better than that.

Amen.

Today's job world is so much more difficult than it has been for previous generations, seems like you need at least a Bachelors degree just to scrub toilets at wal-mart. For the positions that 20 or so years ago you could literally walk in and get hired, and grow within the company are starting to slowly fade and become non existent and with the competition for jobs so high it's more difficult than it has ever been.

TheDon, I really feel for you man, your post really hits home for me especially because I am possibly considering teaching down the road in my field.

Honestly, I would look into other fields that would make you much happier as others have said as well, life it too short to be stuck in a situation that you hate, and you mentioned that your school could have possibly been a waste, but honesty most employers now don't even care what your degree is really, as long as you check that box stating you have a BA, you're already way ahead.

elchivito · #17 01-04-2015, 07:21 AM

You're teaching middle school, 7 and 8 IA? Is it elective or required?
Middle school is absolutely, without question the toughest possible assignment in K-12 regardless of subject area, and you are only partially qualified. Courses in child and adolescent ed psych? Effective discipline? If not, you're un-armed. Middle schoolers don't like each other, they don't like themselves and they don't want to like you. They will mirror your discontent and sketchy level of commitment right back at you. I have hired a number of middle school teachers over the years and I learned real quick that first year teachers, regardless of their paperwork, never got hired for a 6th, 7th or 8th grade job if I could possibly avoid it.
If you're truly interested in education for reasons other than the great vacations I'd suggest looking into another grade level. High school tech courses are electives for the most part. The majority of students in those classes are there because they want to be. If the permanent certification you're lacking is a vo-tech type certificate that limits your job opportunities significantly. You'd not be certified for any core academics. Put on your game face tomorrow and finish the year for the sake of your resume, but continue the soul-searching you've started. I suspect you already know the answer. Good luck!

dynalow · #18 01-04-2015, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

You're teaching middle school, 7 and 8 IA? Is it elective or required?
Middle school is absolutely, without question the toughest possible assignment in K-12 regardless of subject area, and you are only partially qualified. Courses in child and adolescent ed psych? Effective discipline? If not, you're un-armed. Middle schoolers don't like each other, they don't like themselves and they don't want to like you. They will mirror your discontent and sketchy level of commitment right back at you. I have hired a number of middle school teachers over the years and I learned real quick that first year teachers, regardless of their paperwork, never got hired for a 6th, 7th or 8th grade job if I could possibly avoid it.
If you're truly interested in education for reasons other than the great vacations I'd suggest looking into another grade level. High school tech courses are electives for the most part. The majority of students in those classes are there because they want to be. If the permanent certification you're lacking is a vo-tech type certificate that limits your job opportunities significantly. You'd not be certified for any core academics. Put on your game face tomorrow and finish the year for the sake of your resume, but continue the soul-searching you've started. I suspect you already know the answer. Good luck!

Sound advice all the way through. From one whose been there.
Good post Elchivito.

TheDon · #19 01-04-2015, 10:02 AM

Thanks. I'm going to finish out the year for sure. My school had 1200 referrals sent to the admins for behavior issues before winter break. Some students with 4 or 5 referrals. I'm seriously putting the hammer down. If I have to stop teaching to do behavior paperwork I will.

I have two more tests to take to keep my
Job past April and I'll take them to cover my butt. The tech school by my school offers welding two nights a week and if I stick it out another year I can do that two nights after school. They probably give discounts to educators. Even if I don't pursue welding it's something I want to learn

Another tech ed teacher told me that tech ed teachers usually last 3-4 years. They load up on certifications and leave and get a job making 2-3 times more outside of education.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

barry12345 · #20 01-04-2015, 10:56 AM

Teaching is not for everyone. For example my wife is a born teacher. I have noticed as have many others that she can deal with almost any problem over the years especially with children.

What is odd is they give her respect for this ability as you cannot fool a child. Simply put she is the real deal.

What she does and implements in many ways cannot be learnt. Or if learnt the application would be hard. She does it seemingly in an automatic fashion.

To me she is like a pied piper for children. They just follow her lead. I have always wondered how children visualize her. She is doing something unusual and undefined properly in my opinion. I see it as an inherent skill that she was born with.

A funny antidote is over the years her brothers and sisters have told me as children they thought she was similar to a witch doctor or used similar terms to describe her.

I have no ideal of why she chose me for example. Also I am just barely smart enough to never have asked why. She does always tell it like it really is with no sugar coating in an unoffensive way. That has to be an art form in itself. I have yet to meet another human with her skill level in that area.

Probable answers like she was desperate and I was lucky would not appeal to my ego. My concern is it could easily be even worse. So I never asked. Some things in life are just perhaps better left unknown.

A little levity included. Life has to have some.

A family had a very perceptive child. The father always listened to her prayers at bedtime. One evening she said goodnight everyone and goodbye grandpa. The next day grandpa suddenly dies. A few months later she says goodnight everyone and goodbye grandma in her verbal prayers. Grandma expires unexpectedly the next day.

A few months later as the husband now pays real attention to the prayers. She says good night everyone and goodbye dad. On arriving home the next evening when asked the dad says I never had a rougher day in my life. The wife says hers was even worse as the postman dropped dead on the veranda this morning.

KarTek · #21 01-04-2015, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

That's what I wanted to get into but I'm never getting any calls back. I learned programming but never enjoyed it. I did really enjoy my networking lab. Running cat 5, terminating cables, etc. At my internship I really enjoyed the field work the most over the help desk stuff.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Control system programming is more fun than the run of the mill application programming. If you're interested, I can see about the offerings in our Tampa office. A lot of the installers don't work out of the actual office, rather go to the job sites.

If nothing's available, I would think there would be plenty of opportunity in the Orlando area. Another thing to consider is becoming a Crestron Independent Programmer. Work out of the home, visit job sites install code and tweak systems. You pay for the classes out of pocket but you end of with very marketable skills.

When I saw you back in May, I was down there for programming classes.

t walgamuth · #22 01-04-2015, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

Teaching is not for everyone. For example my wife is a born teacher. I have noticed as have many others that she can deal with almost any problem over the years especially with children.

What is odd is they give her respect for this ability as you cannot fool a child. Simply put she is the real deal.

What she does and implements in many ways cannot be learnt. Or if learnt the application would be hard. She does it seemingly in an automatic fashion.

To me she is like a pied piper for children. They just follow her lead. I have always wondered how children visualize her. She is doing something unusual and undefined properly in my opinion. I see it as an inherent skill that she was born with.

A funny antidote is over the years her brothers and sisters have told me as children they thought she was similar to a witch doctor or used similar terms to describe her.

I have no ideal of why she chose me for example. Also I am just barely smart enough to never have asked why. She does always tell it like it really is with no sugar coating in an unoffensive way. That has to be an art form in itself. I have yet to meet another human with her skill level in that area.

Probable answers like she was desperate and I was lucky would not appeal to my ego. My concern is it could easily be even worse. So I never asked. Some things in life are just perhaps better left unknown.

A little levity included. Life has to have some.

A family had a very perceptive child. The father always listened to her prayers at bedtime. One evening she said goodnight everyone and goodbye grandpa. The next day grandpa suddenly dies. A few months later she says goodnight everyone and goodbye grandma in her verbal prayers. Grandma expires unexpectedly the next day.

A few months later as the husband now pays real attention to the prayers. She says good night everyone and goodbye dad. On arriving home the next evening when asked the dad says I never had a rougher day in my life. The wife says hers was even worse as the postman dropped dead on the veranda this morning.

Heh heh!

strelnik · #23 01-05-2015, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazzer

Here's my .02 cents. If you enjoy (enjoyed) teaching, have you thought about a private school? Excluding one year for one child, all years for my kids were at Catholic School. I visited the public school and it was a zoo. I deeply regret subjecting my one child to the public school system for that year, and Richland County, S.C. supposedly enjoys some of the best public schools in the nation. IF that is the case, then I really feel bad for the rest of the nation. I can say you will generally not experience a bunch of hellions in private school, and one call to the parents will nip any issue in the bud.

I only teach 1 evening per week at a CCD class as a volunteer so I have nothing to compare against a full time schedule. I have a mix, with half the kids being really respectful, interested, participating, et cet., and the other half just waiting for the bell, with a handful who need to be told to simmer down, be quiet, get on track, et cet. every 10 minutes. Some years are better than others, but overall the same experience give or take.

Teaching is a super tough job IMO, especially in the public school system. Personally, I could not do it since I do not think there is any real enforcment mechanism. I went to a tiny inter-city Catholic school run by nuns who had really clever, almost sadistic methods to enforce the rules. All I can say is thank God for them. Now, I wonder what enforcement the public schools have for those who cannot shut their mouth, listen, and apply themself?

Good luck on teaching.

Since we're throwing in our $.02 coins, here's mine.
I've taught high school, college and industry, in English and in French, uin the US Canada and France.

If the public school sucks but you like teaching, teach in a private school or work as a tutor. I know people who make about 150/day tutoring high school kids after their regular job, so it's about 30,000 above work.

Check out whether you can teach adults. Like a GED program. The ones who are there always want to learn.

I am really surprised about the IT degree not being marketable. If you also have an A+ cert or a MCSE cert, which you can learn in two week cram courses -- studying for the test-- those guys with a cert and with a degree are doing ok over here.

Don't do welding as a job unless you really like it.We all do some work we don't like but that helps us appreciate the other stuff we do. It is a good trade, but it's also a trade where you have to unscramble most people's bad welding jobs. I say that because I know a guy who's the third generation in the welding business, the family has a fairly prosperous shop.

I hate the weather in Michigan but when I retire I'm not going to move everything, just take a 60-day vacation in the winter.

Whatever you do, suggest you talk about it extensively with the missus. Good luck!

TheDon · #24 01-05-2015, 10:28 PM

I've got comptia network plus and realy need to get security plus and mcse, it just seems that what they want for entry level here is a senior IT person. Or my resume just sucks

Dudesky · #25 01-05-2015, 11:35 PM

You weld, expect to be very high in the air at times in stacks or on beams.....especially the junior welder.

SwampYankee · #26 01-06-2015, 09:09 AM

Sorry to hear things aren't going as well as you'd like, J. Looks like you plan on sticking it out for the year, which would be my only input on it. Finding something you enjoy and make a living doing it is a double bonus. Hope you can find that!

As an aside, my 17 yoS, who hasn't expressed interest in anything outside of computers and Xbox, has decided that he thinks he might want to teach history. Told him he'd better get his arse in gear!

Txjake · #27 01-06-2015, 09:44 AM

My .02: Learn the welding at night and some aviation technology. If possible and you are so inclined, look at a tech school that offers airframe & powerplant mechanic certification. With an A&P license, a whole world opens up to you regarding employment options. Many different sub fields in that profession and the pay is very good. Your IT experience may be a plus too when you go job hunting as much of aviation manufacturing is automated now. I think an A&P mechanic with an IT degree could find a very comfortable niche. I chose aviation back in the 80s and have very few regrets doing so, and I am not an A&P.

best of luck in finding your way.

strelnik · #28 01-06-2015, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txjake

My .02: Learn the welding at night and some aviation technology. If possible and you are so inclined, look at a tech school that offers airframe & powerplant mechanic certification. With an A&P license, a whole world opens up to you regarding employment options. Many different sub fields in that profession and the pay is very good. Your IT experience may be a plus too when you go job hunting as much of aviation manufacturing is automated now. I think an A&P mechanic with an IT degree could find a very comfortable niche. I chose aviation back in the 80s and have very few regrets doing so, and I am not an A&P.

best of luck in finding your way.

this is good advice!

compu_85 · #29 01-06-2015, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbomachines

I am surprised to hear that you've had trouble finding IT work, around here they can't fill positions fast enough -- different markets I guess.

I had the same problem here in VA - everyone wanted a super specific skill for short money. It took me months of applying to every posting that came to get the position I'm at now.

-J

Simpler=Better · #30 01-06-2015, 03:47 PM

Maybe it was my area[rural], but the shop teachers were revered and everyone shutup in there.

Put the fear in them, maybe start a new set of rules. Two strikes and everyone gets to sort bolts for you, or instead has to write about what kind of project they would like to build instead of building it.