<p>For the past three years I have been working full-time at a job I hate while going to school part-time; I am working towards my teaching certification in order to teach high school chemistry. I have only one class left to take before I’m ready to student teach, and now I’m starting to get cold feet. I will have to quit my full-time job in order to student teach, and then after that, there’s obviously no guarantee that I will find a full-time teaching job. </p>
<p>I still hate my current job (in fact, I hate it now more than ever) - but it pays a decent salary. On the other hand, my H has a stable job, and we could probably make it on his salary alone even if I never found a teaching job. On the other hand - quitting my job to take a chance on teaching feels like stepping off a cliff, even though I think I would be a good teacher and would enjoy it much more than my current job. I’m running out of hands…</p>
<p>So for those of you who have been in a similar situation: any pointers? How did you psych yourself up to take the plunge? New career, retirement, divorce…believe me, I could use any succeess sorties (or horror stories, too). And even if you don’t have any stories to share, I could still use the moral support!</p>
<p>I was the primary breadwinner for my family so quitting my job 10 years ago was scary. One thing we did was to live on dh’s salary for a year to 1) prove we could, and 2) build up that nest egg. Would doing that help? Seeing that you can live on one salary if you can’t find a job right away and have to for a while? Also, doubtful that would ever happen because you could always make money subbing. And in our district, a certified teacher gets a higher rate of pay. It’s a great way to check out the HSs and see where you’d most like to work.</p>
<p>Ask at your local school districts about subbing - I’d be surprised if you couldn’t stay busy enough subbing chem, physics, etc. at first. That would bring in enough pay to avoid the ‘cliff’. You could always tutor at the local CC too. If you’re not on your husband’s insurance, you might think about making that switch now in case FT w/benefits doesn’t materialize right away.</p>
<p>I think your plan makes sense and doesn’t sound too ‘cliff’-like to me. Go for it!</p>
<p>I just realized my earlier post could be confusing. The last year I worked we pretended like I didn’t and lived off dh’s salary. That’s how we were able to build the nest egg.</p>
<p>If the worst happens and you can’t find a teaching job, could you get a different job in your old profession?? That would make a reasonable safety net.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback and the questions. YDS, that’s what we’ve been doing - banking my salary and living (mostly) off of H’s pay. Most months it works out fine, and we’re saving up money now for those months when I won’t have a salary. Sometimes I get too obsessed with the savings part, though, and I’m a reluctant spender.</p>
<p>I’m already on H’s health plan, so that’s covered. My remaining class meets this fall, so I’m looking at student teaching in Jan 2014… unless I chicken out and postpone it to September 2014. That’s the cold feet talking.</p>
<p>Very Happy - I probably couldn’t find another job in my current profession. In my career prior to this one, I was a research chemist in the pharmaceutical industry - I loved THAT job, but most of those positions are gone now. I’m hoping that if I can’t find a full-time job as a teacher, I can cobble together subbing and tutoring. I’m just a wary cobbler.</p>
<p>Subbing, tutoring, teaching GED prep courses, adjunct work at a community college, yup, you can cobble a whole new life together even if the classroom teacher thing doesn’t work out the way that you had hoped.</p>
<p>I cannot imagine a high school Chemistry teacher being unable to get a job. I’m currently in a masters program to become a high school English teacher. Talk about jumping off a cliff! But everytime I look at the help-wanted for local schools, they are just about desperate for math and science teachers. You are going to do great!</p>
<p>Ha, PMK - my other area of certification will be English, so I DO know how you feel! I just figure that with certs in chemistry and English, I will never teach the latter…</p>
<p>I see a number of English teaching jobs posted. Every student takes 4 years of English and not every student takes Chemistry. I have also found out that several districts only have English teachers teach 4 classes while science teachers teach 5.</p>
<p>I had to take a leap years ago when we decided that I would stay home with the kids. Our income was cut in half, and it was scary! We made it, though, and it was worth it. You just have to close your eyes and jump.</p>
<p>I do think that chem is a great subject area for certification. As a research chemist, you have a unique perspective to share in the classroom. Have you subbed in the past? My only caution is that you will probably get the basic chem classes … not honors or AP. And you are in MI, correct? Now that the state mandates chem or physics, I am guessing the basic chem class is … er … um … how to put it in a PC way? … “basic.” Chemistry for All. You may find it frustrating. You might want to try to find a parochial or private high school to teach in. The pay will be lower, but I will bet the job satisfaction will be higher.</p>
<p>In my district, I noticed a lot of great subs my age who were in the process of getting certified to teach. None of them were hired - young people with no life experience were hired, instead. But I didn’t know anyone who taught chem - they were all English, history, or elementary ed. I imagine the shortage of science teachers is definitely in your favor.</p>
<p>If you can’t get a job in a high school, you can always be an adjunct at a CC. </p>
<p>Take the plunge. You will be a lot happier, no matter what happens. Bad jobs waste our golden years … you need to get away from your job and try something new.</p>
<p>Aside from advising you to “just do it” , also be aware that when your back starts hurting, or goes into spasms, it is your brain trying to distract you from all the stress you are undergoing.</p>
<p>Three years ago, we took a leap of faith and built our (eventual) retirement home on a waterfront lot that we had paid off over the previous ten years. The house is 5 hours away fr. where we currently live. So we owned two houses (and all the expenses they incurred) for two years before we sold our home on 22 years. </p>
<p>Now we are renting while making plans for DH to retire in 2014. We then plan to move to the new house… with no jobs…another leap of faith. We feel like we’re following the right path. If teaching feels right for you, then go ahead w/ it. You won’t know if you don’t try.</p>
<p>It seems eons ago that I had your scenario of a job I hated (liked the job but it was being made intolerable by management at the time) but which was stable and paid well. Took me forever but I finally jumped ship. Best thing I ever did. I learned that there are always alternatives to your present situation. And don’t settle. My only regret is that I didn’t make changes sooner.</p>
<p>Go for it! Do the student teaching as soon as you can. Better to be qualified and choose not to work right away than to be unable to take opportunities as they come up. Was a chemistry major then did medical school instead of grad school- a college friend did the converse and 40 years later we both wondered if we should have gone the other route. Chemistry is fun stuff and kudos for making the career switch. You will never be as young as you are now so do it now. Don’t have regrets later that you did 90% (or whatever) of the work and aren’t qualified.</p>
<p>My H was a pediatrician–very good at it, worked in very underserved areas with brutal hours, and just got worn down. He got a teaching certificate and jumped. I had gotten a full-time job (after many years adjuncting) so we’d have some income and bennies while he student taught and looked for a permanent job. His student teaching was in the fall, and after that he did long-term subbing. the next fall he got a permanent job. Meanwhile, we lived off my very modest salary and savings (we had always lived far below our means, so it was do-able.)</p>
<p>Fast forward several years–the job I’d taken (college–advising/counseling in a support program) was wearing me down–annoying boss, low pay, had to work all summer while now H had time off, and wanted time to write, so this time I leapt–back to adjuncting at two colleges.</p>
<p>At every step, our income has gone down, but our time for actually enjoying life has gone up. we both put in long teaching hours, but we have time in the summer–as a writer, this long stretch means the world to me.</p>
<p>And our other leap was, like Packmom, to buy the second home we want to move to permanently. It’s within three hours of main home, and we drive here almost every weekend. We’d sell first home if we could find at least one permanent job with benefits here, but unfortunately it 's a sparsely populated area with very few schools. But first home is paid off, so we’re treading water for now.</p>
<p>Overall, each of these choices was absolutely the right move, and we’ve never regretted any of them.</p>