What do you think when people say “I'm going to change careers?”
Something small, something big, or something way off the beaten path?
I spent more than thirty years in information technology (IT). I
started in college, worked in IT on and off for three years, then
spent all of my time from 1984 through 2014 in various fields in IT.
During this time I helped create a business, ran another on my own,
and worked for corporations and governments. I was a systems
programmer (the sysprog supports computer operating systems), a
database administrator (a DBA creates and maintains huge collections
of related information), an automation and productivity programmer, a
data security and privacy expert, and even managed a few projects.
Some would argue a change from systems programmer to DBA, or from DBA
to data security, is a big change. Many point out the natural
progression in IT is from programmer to project manager to manager. I
feel I made two career changes, one from DBA to sysprog, and then
from sysprog to data security and privacy. There is overlap; for
example, all three fields require some programming.
However, I made those changes while employed at the same company.
That gave me three advantages. First, people already knew I could
perform at a high level. Second, I showed competence in the field
before taking on the responsibilities. Third, and most important, by
moving within the same company I never had to worry about missing
paychecks. I simply moved from one chain of command to another, often
without having to leave my desk or move my things.
Now I am trying to do what I have always wanted to do: teach science.
Of course, that begs two questions.
- “If you 'always' wanted to teach science, why did you wait so long?”
- “Why make that change now?”
The first question, why did I wait so long, has a complex answer.
There are a number of reasons, but for purposes of this essay those
reasons are, for the most part, irrelevant.
As for “Why make that change now?”, the answer is simple and
begins in 2009. Until then, while I did have an occasional bad day,
I enjoyed what I was doing in IT. It was challenging and
interesting, the money was good, and I didn't have a strong reason to
change jobs. Early in 2009 I was setting security policy for health
care applications, which I found useful and challenging, but that
changed from setting policy to auditing others' policies. I did not
find IT audit interesting; quite the reverse, I found it dull and
uninspiring. And then the unthinkable happened. Before I could change
jobs, I got laid off.
I'll be totally honest: I did not take it very well. The biggest
reason was that I had invested much of my self-worth in my IT
abilities; I was almost always ranked in the top 10% - 20% of
performers. Getting laid off despite being a top performer was a huge
blow to my self-image. From June of 2010 through June of 2012, I
often spent 60 hours per week looking for work but finding nothing.
Almost nobody was hiring IT people, and most of the few jobs that did
appear required relocation. After being told several times “Someone
with your resume should never be unemployed” but not finding work,
I thought, “It has to be me.”
Because of those feelings, it didn't occur to me to pursue other
options; I thought I had to validate my worth in IT. When I finally
did find an IT consulting job, it proved unbearably dull. Shortly
after that job ended, a friend offered me a position I thought would
let me use my technical expertise. It did not; the actual reason for
the position was to take over as a director. I am not middle
management material, and getting laid off due to budget cuts was a
relief of sorts.
I now realize two things. First, I no longer get job satisfaction
from IT. Second, I want to use my best talents, not simply take a job
I'm “good enough” at. All of the skill evaluation tools I've used
list teaching as one of the top three appropriate disciplines for my
skill set and personality.
The decision to enter teaching comes with some big challenges. First
was achieving a master's degree in a subject, which I did in 2012.
Second, I must pass content exams to get a teaching certificate; I am
prepared to take these exams in January. Third, I must enroll in a
teacher training program, which takes place during the summer of
2015.
Another challenge is monetary. The teaching course costs more money
than I have right now. Fortunately there are grant programs for
retraining, and I can make up the difference between the cost and the
available grant money. Of bigger concern is the fact that I cannot
work while taking this course; a large part of the course is student
teaching. Coupled with the class hours, this will be a full-time
endeavor and I will not have time to hold a second job during the
summer.
Those are the obvious challenges. A more subtle challenge to this
career change is pressure from others to “just take a job in IT.”
I am fully invested in this career change... but others are not. I'm
sure they think they're helping, but their advice runs counter to
advice from career experts and entrepreneurs, who are always
reinventing themselves. I've been in and out of teacher training
programs for the last ten years, and have quit before because “I
can't take time off from work to finish student teaching.” I see
this as my last and best chance to finish a program. If I wait any
longer, I will be too old to take that leap. If I take an IT job now,
I'd have to quit in May to do the teacher training program. Many
people who are out of work take retraining programs; why do people
see teacher training as something less than other professional
retraining programs?
I am ready to take the bull by the horns. I have done everything I
can up to this point, set my plans, and am preparing for the
necessary work to enter the field of education. I am keeping a diary
of this process, and will write another blog on the experience once I
am a member of the teaching profession. Until then, please wish me
luck. Thank you.
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