Saturday, March 14, 2020

5 Reasons Teaching Might Not Be For You

5 Reasons Teaching Might Not Be For YouTeaching can be immensely fulfilling work. The idea of shaping young minds and guiding kids toward their own futures (notlage to mention having summers off) leads a lot of people into the teaching field. However, not everyone is cut out for this kind of work. The last thing you want is to discover that you arent up to the task while standing in front of a class your first day on the job. Its best to decide whether or not youre teacher material before even pursuing a degree in education. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Here are 5 issues that may make you decide that teaching is not for you.1. Youre not adaptable.One positiv one will always equal two. The alphabet will always start with A and end with Z. World War II will always begin in 1939. The information you teach may never change, but the way you teach it certainly will. Perhaps your particular administration will demand you rewrite that lesson plan you submitted or the schools curriculum has changed. Perhaps what works for a class of well-behaved students will not work for an unruly one. A teacher must be able to adapt to any number of predictable and unpredictable situations. If you dont think youre sufficiently flexible, then teaching probably isnt for you.2. You dont like homework.Your students wont be the only ones wholl have tons of homework. A teachers workday rarely ends at the sound of the bell. There will be papers and tests to grade and lesson plans to prepare. Excited to have your summers off? Well, dont get too excited, because your summers will be spent doing professional development work and getting ready for the next school year.3. You are not 100% comfortable with kids.As they say, kids can be cruel. And they dont just pick on each other. Students may have it in for their teachers as well, and the monkey-see-monkey-do nature of the classroom may lead good kids to mimic the behavior of the badeanstalt ones. Before you know it, your class is out of control and its your job to rein it in. Some people have an innate ability to do this. They are natural-born teachers. However, if the thought of playing zookeeper to a room full of squealing, nasty (and perhaps even insulting) young people sounds terrible to you, you may want to choose another career path.4. You want to get rich.Do you want to make loads of money? Well, you arent going to get rich as a teacher. The average starting salary of a teacher in the U.S. is just $36,000, and teachers can spend hundreds of out-of-pocket dollars on class supplies. That isnt to say that the job is not rewarding in countless other ways, or that the worth of a job is measured by the amount of a paycheck, but if making bank is your ultimate goal youll unfortunately have to look elsewhere.5. You cant deal with parents.Maybe you love the kids but the parents? Not so much. This can be a real problem, since a teachers job often involves managing parents. Whe n it comes to their childrens educations, parents can get pretty emotional or downright out of control. You might have a mom yelling at you or a dad breaking down in tears. Upping the ick factor, a parent might even hit on you. Such situations are tricky to navigate, and you never want to blame the student for a parents inappropriate behavior. If you become a teacher because you think kids are a dream and adults are a nightmare, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise when you have to deal with both on a regular basis.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Heres the Key to Re-Starting Your Career After a Break

Heres the Key to Re-Starting Your Career After a Break Returning to work after a career break can be intimidating, especially when the field youre returning to is characterized by constant change like technology and engineering. Perhaps thats why, out of the Thankfully, some companies like .With access to coaching, mentorship, and relevant work experience, participants in the first cohorts paid, 16-week program received no shortage of support. Just ask Karen Hooper, a Re-Empower grad who now works full-time at United Technologies as a project engineer.Re-entering the workforce in my field of study, and at a level that welches comparable to my work experience, was challenging, Hooper, whod worked over 15 years in the aerospace world before taking a break after the birth of zu sich twins, said. Many companies see career breaks as a negative and dont consider what an individual might have learned during that break to be of much value.This was a frustrating misconception to be so regula rly up against, she continued, considering she had spent her career break adding to her transferable skills in meaningful ways.In my mom role, I continued to manage budgets, schedules, and conflict, as well as identify priorities and work with all kinds of people to get tasks completed on time and within budget, she said. However, some think technology has passed us by, and that weve been out of work too long to catch up or learn anything new.United Technologies, however, saw the situation differently. After being hired into the Re-Empower cohort, Hooper was given the resources needed to ease her transition while enlisting the unique perspectives she brings to table.Our managers were hand-picked because of their reputations for being excellent managers, she explained. Peer and technical buddies were also identified, and I loved having a go-to person. It made me feel that I wasnt always bothering someone.Outside of United Technologies leaders, Hooper felt similarly supported by her c ohort members, as well, which consisted of five other women and two men (because, as Hooper noted, women arent the only ones who take career breaks).It can be a bit lonely starting a new position, especially when youve been out of the workforce for awhile, she said. You sometimes wonder if you can leise do this, and how youre going to balance work and home responsibilities. But the cohorts all rallied around each other and offered encouragement.Sixteen weeks, several learning experiences, and numerous words of encouragement later led to Hooper becoming part of the United Technologies family in a more permanent way she was made a full-time offer. As explained Jeff Anderson, a United Technologies manager, making the decision to hire Hooper from the Re-Empower cohort was truly a win-win for both parties.The organization has the opportunity to bring life-experienced personnel back into the positions they had experience in prior to leaving the corporate workforce, and the Re-Empower empl oyee is provided an easier transition and the best opportunity for success, he said.The process at United Technologies which, Anderson notes, is a company he loves for its culture of inclusion and family was also seamless. This is partially because the Re-Empower openings were designed to reflect true positions at the company meaning, the role a participant fills during the programs duration is the same role that could become a full-time position.The process was excellent and very well-organized, he said. I will continue to look to the Re-Empower Program for future resource needs.As for Hooper, she feels grateful to have landed among such a great group of people, with a very diversified workforce, and loves that she gets to use her brain again within a space she had years of school and work experience in.There will be a learning curve, but thats true of every new position so, go for it she said. You have a lot to give.Interested in re-joining the workforce in an environment youl l feel supported in? Check out today--Fairygodboss is proud to partner with UTC.