My less than successful job search has me thinking about my most recent profession: apathetic English teacher. I have two years of experience teaching my own classes, two glowing reviews from my former mentor and my jackass of a boss, and more useless grammatical and literary knowledge than I'd care to contain in my incredibly sexy brain.I'd probably make a damn good high school English teacher. But I just can't bring myself to want to do it. I know too much about high school students, school district administrations, and national education requirements to think of it as a positive career option. On the other hand, it's also the closest thing to a legitimate career path that I've had in my entire life. I've been told by many people that technical writing is usually a temporary job, since it's such a tedious and boring task that no one wants to do it for more than a few years (of course, if that's true, where the hell are all the available jobs?). So I can't really think of "technical writer" as a long-term career goal.
But I can't figure out what to do right now. I did NOT like grad school classes, so pursuing a doctorate in English is simply not an option that I'm willing to consider. I just don't enjoy the field that much. There's always the possibility of taking an adjunct position, but such jobs do not pay well, and you can lose your position at the drop of a hat. Teaching high school English brings all the burdens of the parents, administration, and standardized reading and writing requirements crashing down on one's head. But still, at least I'd be doing something that actually helps people (in theory, anyway).
What makes the option so appealing, however, is that all I would have to do is say the word and I could have a job. While at Penn State Behrend for my undergrad, I completed all the initial requirements for the Mercyhurst College teacher certification program. I even took the Praxis I test, which I aced. (That may sound like gloating, but in reality, the Praxis I could be completed by a maladjusted retarded spider monkey.) Hell, one of my professors nominated me for the Behrend Future Teachers Award. I haven't had the heart to tell her that I'm not teaching anymore. With two years of experience and a masters degree in English under my belt, I have no doubt that I could get through the certification with little trouble and land a job in no time.
For tech writing jobs..... I have nothing.
So what's keeping me from throwing my hands in the air like I just don't care and applying for a teaching certification program? Several things:
1. I can't get over the horrible lifestyle of the high school English teacher. English is a required course in high school, so you get EVERYONE taking that class. And just like with any large group of people, high school consists of a few winners and a whole lot of losers.
2. Money. I've already got a bag full of student loans hanging over my head. Another year of school to get the certification would not help matters. And that HUGE teacher salary would really make it go away fast.
3. As a single and unemployed man living in his parents' basement, I can't be sure that these are not the thoughts of a desperate man. I don't know if I'm considering this just because the job search has hit a slow spell or if I actually believe it. I can be REALLY self-deluded sometimes. That's how I ended up in graduate school.
4. I like writing and grammar and things of that nature more than poetry and literature; however, most high schools and even middle schools are geared toward literature.
5. It's a bit late to be applying to certification programs. Trying to apply to one in late June or early July could prove difficult or impossible.
6. Never having tried my hand at anything else, I don't know if I want to commit to teaching. Maybe I'll love tech writing. Maybe publishing is my bag. Perhaps I can make it as an editor, journalist, or even go to law school. Hell, I could end up throwing it all away to start my own successful Star Trek-themed restaurant called Deep Space Fried!
My mom has been giving me a bit of grief about me going to be a teacher again, so that's been getting my mind thinking about it; however, this is a mid-mid life crisis worthy of much thought and beard-scratching. In the meantime, I'm going to continue applying for jobs, but you never know what I'll end up doing... two women at once would be nice.
Wish I'd gone to more career fairs and applied to internships and things of that nature. Maybe I'd be more marketable that way. Curse the economy and its completely justified low pay for English majors.
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6 comments:
Hi,
Stumbled across your blog through a google alert on Tech Writing.
My two cents from someone who came up in the field. With the right amount of drive and determination, Technical Writing opens a ton of doors.
I started as a Tech Writing intern years ago at a small software company. I now currently manage a Marketing and Communications Department at an IT company.
It's best to get the 'traditional' idea of tech writing out of your head. There is so much technology out there right now.
Writing today has more to do with multimedia, web content, audio, video, pictures, etc. There's a lot to learn and a lot you can leverage. It's not a boring dead end if you embrace the latest technology.
I certainly understand your dilemma. I don't have a graduate degree, but I think about going back. And I've had several people ask me why I haven't considered being a teacher. Well I have. But you summed up why I'd have a hard time making that career choice.
It's nice to know that there are people out there with the same dilemma. I do think tech writing might be interesting in the right field, and I'd be willing to give it a try. I just can't seem to get my foot in the door given my current qualifications. There are surprisingly few tech writing jobs that are specifically entry level. Everyone wants experience of at least 2-5 years, and I'd love to know where people are getting that experience.
With the experience you already have, if you got a masters degree, you'd be one of the few humanities majors out there who is actually an unstoppable economic force! You'd give hope to thousands of English majors who are standing in line at the grocery store wondering if the Kroger-brand processed cheese product is really worth the discount price.
Well, you're really, really young to be so concerned about what you're doing for the rest of your life.
...there's always Barnes & Noble, the dumping ground of English grad students. The Brodak even worked there for a while.
It's not so much a concern for a mapped-out career. But it's weird when so many other people talk about goals that they have for their lives, and I really don't have any.
I'm not INCREDIBLY concerned about it. I know that a lot of people flop around in their mid-20s from job to job, but there's still something kinda unsettling about not thinking about the future at all.
"As a single and unemployed man living in his parents' basement, I can't be sure that these are not the thoughts of a desperate man."
So at what point are you going to crack down and buy a pet snake?
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