Thinking of Changing Jobs

[fidgiegirl]

It's just a very very very baby idea, I have been thinking about it for a few months but am just starting to voice it - I'm thinking of switching jobs to be closer to home. Right now I drive quite a bit during the day many days, usually starting out at a site about 20 min. away and then ending up about 30 min. away from home by evening. Not the worst, not the best. We are in a highly walkable/busable area and I think we could give up a car if I could get in at a school near enough to walk/bus/bike.

I wrote in my journal (http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?69-Fidgiegirl-s-Journal&p=137845&viewfull=1#post137845) that my boss is leaving, and this feels like an opening for me to make a change. I am not exactly sure why, as 80% of days I like my job, but I had such a weird feeling of freedom when she announced her retirement. I should be clear - the feeling wasn't in reaction to her being a bad boss. She's an awesome boss, meaning no one could ever be as awesome in this particular position, so maybe I should cash in my chips while I'm ahead. I guess I was more loyal to her as an individual than I ever thought. So in honoring attempts to listen to my gut, I am trying to see what this feeling might mean. But I also might be overanalyzing it to death!! :D

I am currently working with teachers in helping them make the most of classroom technology and have been for the last two years, but already there are aspects that are old. The transformative stuff is great, it's just that it's a lot less of the job than I thought it would be. It's a lot of listening to people complaining. :( I might be a better instructional model back in my own classroom. If I did look for a teaching position, it would be doing ESL. I have the required credentials but it's an area I've never worked in for pay, and have been thinking about it on and off for a few years.

Very afraid, of course, the grass won't be greener. Also, our local district is large, and so I'm afraid of inertia mostly, though they did pass a big levy focused on technology for personalized learning. However, I'm also quite afraid of what having a different boss will mean for our team and work, and wondering if it's better to get out now and try something new.

Hmm, that's interesting how many times I used the word "afraid." I wonder if this is driven chiefly out of fear rather than seeking something positive.

What good resources do you know for people thinking of making a change?

[Gardenarian]

I've used "Let Simon Decide (http://www.letsimondecide.com/)", an online decision making tool. I found the questions posed and lists I had to make very thought-provoking.

[razz]

Tried the Simon site to explore and it was interesting to see the results.

[JaneV2.0]

I'd keep the idea in mind and see where circumstance leads you.

[Rosemary]

A pro/con list or spreadsheet is always a good place to start for me - then after I feel like I have sorted out my own thoughts and feelings, I talk to others whose opinions I value.

[Life_is_Simple]

Here's one thought. If you can find a new job which is a step forward for you, even though your current job is still "ok," that would be a very good thing. The alternative is to stay at the current job until it becomes really terrible, and then leave. Why wait until it becomes a HSSJ?

Everyone says when they leave a job that they left for "better opportunities." Usually they mean they left because the old job became too putrid. Why not actually leave for better opportunities?

If you do that, I will live vicariously through you. :+1:

[SteveinMN]

Kelli, I read your journal entry and never responded because I really didn't have any solid advice. I'm not sure what I'll offer now is a lot more substantial than gelatin, but here goes:

- You mention fear as a driver. I sense you assume that things naturally will be worse with a new boss. I think that's 1) an erroneous assumption (since you don't yet know who it is or what they're like); and 2) potentially self-fulfilling (will you be looking for feet of clay?).

I understand what it means to lose a boss you really like: my wife had that same fear when her boss retired a little over a year ago. In truth, his replacement is not to her liking (professionally, anyway). But she can stay away from the new boss and her way of doing things because DW's job morphed enough and other good people came on board so she still enjoys work most days. Maybe the short takeaways from this are acknowledging the assumptions about the quality of the incoming boss and that your job will stay essentially the same. Not saying that won't happen -- just challenging the assumptions.

- The IT levy -- do you know how that will affect you/your coworkers in your daily lives? Will it simply enlarge the scale of what you're doing now (same stuff, more of it)? Or will it help you (collectively) change the work model so that maybe you can spend more time on the transformative side of things and others can handle the more administrative or support functions?

A friend of mine at my former workplace was debating whether he should take early retirement. His particular corner of IT was approved for a massive upgrade after years of (mostly-benign) neglect, and the prospect of matching the equipment he was responsible for with the way the company did business now was quite appealing to him. In the end, though, he decided that the amount of work that would have to be done to shape the project the way he envisioned it was just not enough to justify the outcome. So he made the change and retired.

- Teaching ESL -- what are the practical opportunities to do so? Feet on the ground openings posted or rumored? In your district or another (which likely would require your own transportation)? Are there other experienced ESL teachers likely to go for those jobs? It's not much of an alternative if there are few (or no) open positions. Not trying to burst your bubble; you just need to make a realistic assessment of how viable an alternative this is.


No real conclusions here; just (I hope) some additional food for thought.

[Rosemary]

I'm thinking that most schools post openings over the summer - I know our district tends to do so later in the summer - so maybe the timing is good for you to consider and then see what comes up as far as openings in the next few months.

Another idea: would you consider applying to step into your current boss's position?

[Float On]

I'm thinking that most schools post openings over the summer - I know our district tends to do so later in the summer - so maybe the timing is good for you to consider and then see what comes up as far as openings in the next few months.



All of our schools are busy interviewing for next year now. A frined who is just finished their degree and is ready to teach has had 6 interviews already with various districts in the area.

[fidgiegirl]

Hmm, lots to think about. I am not qualified to take boss's job - need administrative license, and she supervises administrators. It's kind of a capstone job, so to speak, for people with many years of administrative experience.

There will continue to be jobs throughout the summer, but there are a lot right now, too.

Steve, yes - lots of jobs in ESL, and I'd be an attractive candidate even though I haven't had the experience in a position of that name. I still have a lot of years of teaching experience in general and also the technology knowledge. Also, I should have been more clear about the technology levy. It is in St. Paul, but I don't work for there. I see what you are saying about the promise of new changes. It is very exciting in my own district.

I am feeling a bit more calm about the whole thing after the weekend. But I am also remembering what someone IRL told me about this whole situation - the best time to look for a new job is when you're happy in the one you're in. Not sure how true or not, but kind of reminiscent of what LiS says about not letting it become a HSSJ before switching. The good thing is whether I make a move or not, I still have a job that I mostly like to go to every day.

Also, I was in a classroom today, and remembering how stressful it is . . . so . . . that is a little tidbit I will tuck away for myself to consider in moving forward!! :)

[mira]

Is it easy to get a full-time job in ESL or enough hours to make a living out of? What if you looked for part-time opportunities in ESL and kept your current post in the meantime or reduced your hours there?

I love it when there are significant changes in my workplace. It shakes things up and breaks up some of the staleness for a while . You might end up with another good boss with a different approach that works, you never know. Speculating will only make you anxious and increase that feeling of fear.

[fidgiegirl]

Update:

Met my new boss, and I like her very much. I have a lot of hope and exciting ideas for the upcoming year, but also some nagging urge to keep peeking at the job postings and dreaming of something new.

And at the same time, an opportunity is soon to be posted in the district I live in, doing much the same work I am doing now, on a bigger team and with a lot of funding and systemic support behind it - or so it appears from the outside.

The thing that worries me is that at least two of the people hired on to this six person team from outside the district have already left within a year of being hired. I have a personal connection to one woman who left and would like to ask her why, but am not sure how to approach it. It could have been them getting out but it could have also just as likely have been them moving on to other more lucrative, closer-to-home, or more influential positions. I guess I'd kind of like to know - if it's a toxic team, I'll stay where I am, thank you very much. It wouldn't be out of the blue, we chatted about it briefly once, but it wasn't with the "hey, I'm thinking of applying for that job" perspective applied to the conversation.

Ideas for how to ask about this?

[lhamo]

I'd just come right out and ask -- "Noticed there is an opening, thinking of applying, anything I should know, any red flags or things to watch out for?"

[SteveinMN]

Kelli, I like lhamo's approach. It's what I would do. "I heard about this job and I'm thinking about it. What do you think of <x> as a place to work?"