stella

AACCKK!!! DON'T--that is TRULY the dark side. YIPES!
Your current two classes are just misunderstood by the masses, but there are those of us that emphathize!

You must constantly be answering questions by both the public and your fellow employees, yes?

stella

I hear that one--as I look at the job market in my area for lawyers--I will be doing the same.

j.foster

Wow this is quite an interesting thread to read. I'm an IT technician.

DieselDan

I manage a bike rental concession near the beach.

Cromulent

writer/media production/researcher for a science museum here.

mpmont

Product Manager for a very large cabinet company.

Advertising / Marketing Consultant on the side.

....also getting my MBA, I am 1/3 of the way there!

Lividkoi

Alternative advertising and promotion

woodboy

Are you the only one in your office who goes out and skis during the day? I'm a programmer/analyst at a ski resort and I'm the only one in my department who skis -- downright strange. I'm planning on getting into telly skiing this year -- it's the pure form of the sport.

caloso

Yes.

oakleydo

prosecuting attorney

dcon

Man, who let all the law-types in?

sorebutt

Retired VC..

ryckaert

Owner of an Audi/Porsche/VW mailorder tuning and accessories business.

V1VRV2

Flight management systems administrator.......otherwise known as a pilot.

Jeep_Bike_Teach

Easy to become a teacher? Not here in Washington! Last quarter I had 5 classes and they were 3 hours each night and a ton of homework every night and all weekend. I was working at my regular job and teaching at the elementary school science club on Fridays. By the time I went to bed, my husband was getting up to go to work! Oh, and wait, then there is my daughter who needs parenting! This summer I have 4 classes and they are 5 hours long, 2 days a week - that way they can cram in 12 weeks of education and work into 8 weeks. Yikes!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!

Anyway, when all is said a done, I'm looking forward to teaching math and science in middle school. Scary but very, very exciting and rewarding....

I can only hope to become as great of a teacher as those who have taught me.

(Life before career-changing: Biotech)

jamesdenver

what a long thread!! i work for an enormous unliked media company, (that has had some PR problems with cyclists in the past), doing commercial scheduling and audio production. also do free lance audio production for some nice local companies (to stay creative)

55/Rad i'm sure i've work with your agency or currently do

i also have my private pilots license as hobby. i have all my IFR hours in but need to get my checkride done so i can start flying for angel flight!

my goal? travel more, or use the travels to create something as compelling as my favorite NPR show "This American Life" www.thislife.org

james...

lotek 

forgot to mention, in addition to confusing assembler language
programming I teach Scuba diving

marty

pgoat

sorry, I too burned both ends - and the center - of my candle while student teaching.....didn't mean to imply it was a walk in the park - quite the contrary!

put it this way though, the gen public look at teachers as having a breeze of a job - 6 hour days (you never work when class is over, right? ) summers off (I worked 10 years in special ed - summers off in that decade? Z-E-R-O!! ) and you get to play with games or do fun stuff with kids....

what they don't realize is you are competing with unrealistic role models (star athletes, actors, musicians, etc), trying to undo a lot of bad parenting, at least academically speaking (sorry, but it's often - not always - true), struggling to keep your job every year (enrollment number fluctuations = instant annual cuts) and you are vastly underpaid for your efforts.

Consequently it is possible - and quite easy - for people to slack off and do a "so-so" job of teaching. many do (from what I saw) due to burn-out as much as anything else. I saw myself doing that another ten-15 yrs down the road and got out while I still enjoyed it. I have almost all good memories overall and miss the fun times (In addition to the kids being fun, most of my co-workers were the best, nicest & hardest working people I've ever met) but I know changing careers was right for me.

I compare teaching to playing the guitar - some jobs are difficult. You don't just pick up brain surgery anymore than you can make a violin or a sax sound like something the first time you pick one up. Teaching, however, imo is more like the guitar - it's pretty easy for anyone to become adequate, if unexeceptional. But to attain real skill and accomplishment is another story. I have nothing but admiration for the teachers who put 200% into their work because that is what it takes to make a difference, and in making a difference they are uber important to the future of our nation, and the whole world.

No, I'm NOT kidding....

fogrider

cool thread...I'm an architect in the San Francisco bay area...working on public libraries and community centers.

AeroDog

I hold the chalk in front of a bunch of mechanical engineering students. It's amazing how many engineering and computer types are on here.

As a side business, I custom fit string bikinis.

Sprocket Man

Financial Controller for a start-up web/video distribution company. Also work part time giving classes on real estate tax laws as well as some Quickbooks consulting (I'm a CPA).

HelloMoto

US Navy SONAR Technician.

how I envy the private sector...

jitteringjr

That doesn't make it hard to become a teacher though. If you would have done the schooling while your parents paid for everything giving you plenty of free time to drink beer like how many people do it, it would have been easy.

You are just doing it the hard way. But, your way adds the most character and that is very admirable. Good luck.

ollo_ollo

Bill collector for the State of Washington. (Caloso: maybe we could start a chain of used car lots?) Don

KevinmH9

Working on my Bachelors Degree in Meteorology with a Minor in Mathematics and Geography.

Other than that...Biking as much as I can.