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pegkerrTomorrow is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work. Fiona visited Rob's store last year, and two years before that she has spent this day with me at my office, learning about my job. I tried to set up something different for her this year, to learn about yet more careers with one or more of our friends, but the day snuck up on me, and my last minute scramble to set something up didn't pan out this time, so Fiona will be in school tomorrow as usual. Oh, well.
Anyway, I'd like her to give her the chance to learn about a lot of jobs. Specifically, your job. I did this last year, and got a fantastic number of responses. I'd like to do it again.
No need to repeat yourself if you chimed in last year, but if you're new to my journal since then, won't you tell Fiona about your job, so she can get an idea of the vast possibilities in the World of Work out there?
If you can, please leave Fiona a comment by tomorrow night, telling her about your career. Something like:
What your job title is, and what that means
A description of a typical day
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
What kind of person thrives in your job
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
If you're willing, you might link to this post in your own journal and ask your own friends to come over and add their insights. I'd like her to get as many replies as possible. It was a lot of fun last year, and I hope it'll be fun this year, too. Thanks ever so much!
Cheers,
Peg (and Fiona)
Anyway, I'd like her to give her the chance to learn about a lot of jobs. Specifically, your job. I did this last year, and got a fantastic number of responses. I'd like to do it again.
No need to repeat yourself if you chimed in last year, but if you're new to my journal since then, won't you tell Fiona about your job, so she can get an idea of the vast possibilities in the World of Work out there?
If you can, please leave Fiona a comment by tomorrow night, telling her about your career. Something like:
What your job title is, and what that means
A description of a typical day
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
What kind of person thrives in your job
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
If you're willing, you might link to this post in your own journal and ask your own friends to come over and add their insights. I'd like her to get as many replies as possible. It was a lot of fun last year, and I hope it'll be fun this year, too. Thanks ever so much!
Cheers,
Peg (and Fiona)
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 05:48 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I am a Mac Specialist with Apple Computer in Sacramento, California. It means I am specially-trained to be able to help customers select the right Macintosh computer for their needs, whether it be for home, for school or a business. I am also trained in some technical and hardware support.
A description of a typical day
Well, it's a retail store, so a typical day starts when I arrive and sign in. I have to read the internal website for our company very thoroughly because that's where our news comes from. We find out about new products, issues, promotions and events through that site, as well as fun stuff like photo galleries of the various different people (famous and not so famous!) who pass through our stores all over the world. Then we head out onto the sales floor and help customers find what they're looking for, make sure the store is clean and presentable and that all the demo machines are functioning. We help people with any technical support they might need, and we process sales. And we get to do cool stuff like demonstrate the software we sell, which sometimes means playing around with video cameras or making music or drawing on the computer. At the end of the day we shut off all the computers, count out the registers and make sure all the paperwork is filed away before locking up for the night.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Some of our people came to us without any experience with computers at all! But they train us very well, for about three weeks right out of one of Apple's corporate headquarters locations. It's pretty involved, where they issue us our own laptop computer so that we can learn about the operating system if we haven't already used it. There's presentations and workshops and all sorts of things, and quizzes on how much you know, and whether or not you can answer technical questions and customer questions. For me, it was pretty easy because I've been using an Apple Computer since I was about two years old! :-)
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I came by this job by chance, because a friend of mine worked for an agency that worked with Apple, and she'd heard about a store opening up where I live. I sent in my resumes and then a few weeks later I heard back. After one interview I had the job, and I was so happy! I'd been wanting to work for Apple for twenty years, ever since I realised it was a real place, kind of like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (only without the Oompa Loompas). So I've always wanted to do it, and I did sort of fall into it too. I'm coming up on one whole year at Apple!
Why you like it and (if you dare)
It's always good to work at something you enjoy, and to work for a company that you can support. I wouldn't work for Apple if I didn't know their products and enjoy them, and that makes it easy to be able to talk to people about them, to help them make the decision to purchase one and to fix them when they break. :-) I love the people I work with, they've become my good friends over the last year and even though a couple have moved on, I'm still friends with them! The perks don't hurt either - they gave me my iPod, and some really cool Nike shoes, and there are special gifts and bonuses they sometimes have just to show their appreciation. The best bit though is when customers come back and know you by name, and smile and thank you for helping them. That's the absolute best.
Why you dislike it
Even though it's Apple, it's still retail, which can be hard. Making sales is hard, and being located in a mall is a bit much sometimes. And once in a while you can come across situations with coworkers that will make you frustrated, but all in all the pros of Apple outweigh the cons.
(Continued next comment)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 05:49 pm (UTC)The biggest thing is theft. People can steal things and it makes your job hard to do, to have to watch people as well as help them. We've lost a few things at my store. Also, the long hours on your feet can really take their toll! Not to mention having to keep the shelves stocked, to remember everything you have to do during a sale, and to keep smiling.
What kind of person thrives in your job
A very friendly, open, honest person, someone who knows what they have to do to get the job done but someone who also knows when to step back, where their limitations are. Someone who isn't afraid to go up to someone and say hello and ask them if they need any help. And a SENSE OF HUMOUR also helps!
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
I think if you chose this kind of thing to do, it would be a stepping-stone. You start out in the stores and work your way up, into the heart of Apple. I think that if you're prepared for long hours and lots of people and good days and bad days but mostly good days, and you're ready to learn and always be learning, then this is definitely a good job to have, especially when you're young.
Hope that helps!
Here's one
Date: 2004-04-21 06:08 pm (UTC)Give your job title, and describe what that means
Electrician - responsible for installation, repair and maintenance of electrical systems.
Describe a typical day
Work hours are almost always 7:00AM to 3:30 PM. I meet with the rest of my crew in the morning, the foreman assigns tasks and we go off to our respective work areas. Work varies drastically, but can include bending and installing conduit, pulling wire, installing fixtures or devices, installing or repairing motors or motor controls, installing or repairing temperature control systems or digging ditches.
What did you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Two years of trade school and four years of an apprenticeship.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Right out of High School, I wanted to be a commercial artist. I took a few classes at the University of Minnesota and realized that I couldn't stand to be around the people I would have to spend the rest of my working days with. I slacked off for a few years, then my dad (who worked as a Electrical Engineering Technician) recommended that I go to trade school to become an electrician. That was ten years ago.
What do you like about your job?
Some of my most cherished friends are people I've met through my union and my work. The work is always challenging and there are constant opportunities to learn. I enjoy being a part of labor history and I enjoy playing a part in shaping the skyline for Minneapolis.
What do you dislike about your job
I've worked with some people whose company I found to be challenging. I think those people exist in every job.
I am not extremely fond of working outside in the winter, though it is tolerable.
The work can be sporadic sometimes and one can often expect to be laid off in the winter.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
People sometimes die or get badly injured in construction. Electrical work is among the safest of the construction trades, but still has some inherent dangers.
What kind of person thrives in your job
I think that there's room for lots of different types of people to thrive because the work itself varies drastically. I'm over generalizing, but here's a start. One should be willing to take on any task, enjoy problem solving and have a positive and assertive disposition.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 06:14 pm (UTC)B
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 07:33 pm (UTC)Aerden
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 06:31 pm (UTC)I'm a music teacher in an elementary school, grades K-5. Pretty self-explanatory. ;)
A description of a typical day
Get to school by 7:30, plan/organize/check email/etc till 8:30. Three classes in the morning - second grade, kindergarten, fifth grade - 45 minutes each, lunch (and sometimes lunch duty), then three more 45-minute classes - first grade, fourth grade, third grade - and end at 2:15. Then I have planning/prep time till 3:15, when it's time to go home, unless it's Thursday when I have xylophone ensemble rehearsals.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
I have a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. I took piano and flute lessons in high school; in college I studied flute and voice and performed in choir, madrigal ensemble, wind ensemble, band, and flute choir. You have to have at least a Bachelor's in Music Ed and have passed all the state licensing exams, etc to get your teaching certificate. I'm certified to teach elementary general music, and high school instrumental music (band/orchestra).
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I was very into marching band in high school and thought at one time I wanted to be a band director, but after realising that would leave no time for having a 'real life', I decided to go into elementary music, and now I'm extremely glad I did.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Singing with kids is fun, and I get to be somewhat silly and get paid to do it. I love to sing, and listening to kids sing is the sweetest thing. I get very excited when the kids learn something new; like today when one of my 4th grade classes learned a three part partner song and could sing it without me. (A partner song is where there are three different melodies going on at once.)
Why you dislike it
I dislike dealing with the administration. I dislike dealing with adults (other teachers mostly) who think that I am simply there to give the classroom teacher a break. I also dislike dealing with people (mostly parents) that think I am there to provide entertainment for various meetings, etc. Those things are fringe benefits; what I am really there to do is to help the kids learn about music and have fun doing it.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Kids throw up or pee on stage, soloists don't show up, concerts get snowed out, I get laryngitis and have to teach anyway, I get called for jury duty the day of a concert.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone semi-organised, enthusiastic, and creative, who doesn't mind being silly, and who can stand on their feet 6 hours a day. You need a good voice but not necessarily a 'soloist' voice. You also have to be good at classroom management as things can very quickly go from fun to chaos.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
You have to really love music to sit through some of the classes you'd have to take in college. And be prepared to do a lot of non-musical things in the course of the job.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:09 pm (UTC)I'm a sub at a preK-8th school and filling in for the music teacher (or sitting in on a music class with the preK kids or when I'm working as a one-on-one aide for the day) is one of my favorite things, even if I sometimes get the songs stuck in my head for weeks at a time. (Last week, I took the preK to music and we learned "When the Ants Come Marching In" and I've still not gotten rid of it.)
Kids, especially young kids, need music, and I have great respect for music teachers.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 06:38 pm (UTC)My current job:
What your job title is, and what that means
I am the technology coordinator for the Writing Lab and Professional Writing program at a large university. This means that I am responsible for choosing and taking care of the computers, software, Web sites, and other applications that people in my department use to teach and learn writing and to help people learn to write better. I also work with instructors and students to help them learn how to use technologies.
A description of a typical day
On a typical day, I come into the office between 9 and 11 am and leave anytime between 3 and 6 pm (I have very flexible hours, which is one of the things I like very much). Some days I work on the various Web sites we use (we have an online writing lab site, which has a lot of information about writing, and some other educational sites for students and teachers). Other days I fix computer problems or upgrade software. Some days I get to order new computers or new software. I go to a lot of meetings where people plan what technologies they're going to use. I meet with students and teachers who are using technologies in their classes and help them work with them. Today I had an open house where we showed off the new computers we bought and showed people some cool things you could do with them.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
To do the job I have now, you have to be a graduate student in my department. However, most of the people who do work similar to what I do have gone to college or technical school.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
When I was first in college, I started doing work with computers to make money for school. Then I went to graduate school because I wanted to be a professor. At my school, they had positions for people to use computers and teach writing, and I thought "hey, this is a perfect job for me!"
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like that people from all over the world read my Web site (we got 23 million hits last year!). I like helping people learn and making people's educational lives better.
Why you dislike it
Sometimes it feels like I'm never going to get all my projects done. Other times I get tired of being helpful, or I get angry when people complain that things aren't getting done fast enough.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Computers can break. People can get frustrated with learning how to use computers. Administrators can cut our budget, which makes it harder to buy the things we need.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who can do a lot of tasks at once and who has a lot of patience! :)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 06:44 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I will be an assistant professor of English. This means that I teach English at a college or university.
A description of a typical day
Most professors spend their day teaching classes (but unlike middle school or high school, classes don't last all day; they last for an hour or two). I will teach four classes, all of which will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Next semester I will be teaching beginning writing and a class on writing for the Web.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
I needed to get my Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy) degree to be a professor. To get a Ph.D., you have to go to graduate school after you go to college. It takes about five years to get a Ph.D. You have to take exams and write a big long piece of writing called a dissertation.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
My dad is a professor. He used to take me to work with him. I thought it was a really cool job, so I've always wanted to be one.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like teaching. I like the flexible hours. I like that people call me "Professor."
Why you dislike it
I don't like it when students say that I'm being unfair if they didn't get a good grade. I don't like going to boring meetings.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Sometimes I don't teach things as well as I could, and people don't understand them. Sometimes I catch students cheating, and then I have to decide what their punishment should be.
What kind of person thrives in your job
People who like books, who like learning, and who like teaching!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 06:55 pm (UTC)My job title is "Electronic Imaging Technician II" and it technically means that I scan journal articles and book chapters into a digital format. What it actually means is that, plus I make web-pages and correct citations and put the scanned images on a web-server so that students at my University can read their class assignments without actually coming to the library to check out books.
A description of a typical day
I arrive at work at 8AM and check my email to see if any professors or students have had trouble downloading articles and chapters overnight. I send out a number of answers explaining what they've done wrong (usually they're using old software or don't have the right software installed, or they copied down the URL wrong). Very occasionally, it turns out we messed up, in which case we hurry to fix it.
Then I grab an armload of books and start checking citations. Professors request these articles and chapters without double-checking reality first, so they get all kinds of authors' names and book titles wrong. It's like being a detective, in a way, only the people I'm helping don't really appreciate it. Then I type up the correct citations, make sure we aren't violating copyright law, make a webpage and hand the book over to one of my student assistants to scan--or I do it myself.
We have some cool equipment, including a planetary scanner. You just open a book and the scanner reads from above, compensating for the curves of the book and blocking out your fingers where you hold the book. Very high-tech.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
You need to know HTML, which is the code web-pages are written in. Library experience is good, though not necessary--technically, anyone could do the scanning without library experience, but fixing mystery citations and such takes a little expertise. I end up filling in for quite a few tasks outside of my job description (who doesn't?), so to do everything I do means you have to be pretty knowledgable about computers and libraries. But I'm underpaid. :)
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I've always liked books and libraries, and when I was in college, I got a job as a student assistant. Then, I had to drop out because my family really couldn't afford to keep sending me to college, and I was too stubborn to move back home and go to a cheaper school, so I got a full-time job in the library. I've had a few positions, including a pretty high-level, intense supervisory position with a lot of responsibility, which I quit in order to go back to college. Of course, the job I got afterwards wasn't quite as high level, but the pay was the same, so there's no reason to complain. I'm considering going to library school, but I'm giving myself two years to try writing before I make that decision. Right now, I don't bring any work home with me.
Why you like it
I like it because it's low-stress and doesn't tax my brain too much. I've got plenty of time to think about writing during the day, and to take notes on what I think up, and if I get tired of that, I can listen to music or audio books. And yet, there's enough tough stuff to do that I'm not totally bored all the time. If I want to get up, I can go retrieve books from the stacks. If I want to stay at my desk, I can. It takes very little effort for me to be stunningly good at my job, and sometimes that's appealing.
Sometimes I get fun special projects, like leading orientation for freshmen.
Why you dislike it
I know I'm not "working to my full potential," as they say in school.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Well, for whatever reason--sometimes it's our fault, sometimes it's the professors' fault--articles may not be up in time for students to read, and then they can all fail their quizzes or discussion groups.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who can keep themselves entertained while still doing the work
*waves hi to fiona*
Date: 2004-04-21 06:58 pm (UTC)Mechanical Engineer. I design the guts of buildings - the stuff that makes them go, but no one wants to think about - like the plumbing and the ventilation and stuff like that.
A description of a typical day
Hmm. tough to say - I go to a lot of construction sites. go team hard hat! and to a lot of meetings. but the bulk of my time is spent designing stuff - laying out the piping so that when you turn on a faucet water comes out, and so that you are just warm enough, stuff like that
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
I have a degree in engineering (aeronautical and astronautical, to be specific) and I am licensed as a professional engineer - meening I have passed certain competancy tests, accrued the required experience and have the required background.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Fell in definitely - I used to design ships for the navy - which I found a lot more interesting, but the location was not desirable and I wanted to be near my family
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
Well I like the money and the hours - it's usually a straight 40 and the money is quite good.
dislike? the job can be dull and repetetive. The truth is I wark at it because it gives me time to write and money to spend on things I like - I could work a lot harder at more boring jobs and make less money.
It's a compromise for the things I want out of life.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
In the bad bad way, people can get hurt - construction sites can be very dangerous. More usually it is "information got miscommunicated" or "somebody overlooked something" and we have to scramble to get things fixed.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Detail oriented and good at math. (alas, the first is not really me) People who like to create things.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
no, but if she has any questions, I wold be happy to answer.
I'm game
Date: 2004-04-21 07:00 pm (UTC)I'm a literary agent, representing children's books only (from board books up through young adult novels), which means that I get to share the trials and tribulations of a lot of talented writers as we together try to find a publisher to bring their work to the world.
A description of a typical day
Wow, this is tough. Maybe if I try it as a typical week. I read...a lot. Clients' manuscripts, new queries, slush, there's always more to get to than I have time. Generally I only read in the evenings and on weekends, as daytime (i.e. normal office hours) are spent on the phone talking to editors about manuscripts I've sent/want to send, with clients about their work and our plan of action for submitting it, with contracts folks to sort out the language in a new agreement, things of that sort. I also spend a lot of time each day reading and writing email, particularly to stay in touch with folks in Europe and Asia (since calling them is a bit of a pain, not to mention costly).
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job:
I have a degree in English and Journalism, which doesn't mean much, except that it led me to publishing as a career choice. I worked on the business side in several publishing companies before becoming an agent, where I learned the art of negotiation, as well as the ins and outs of publishing contracts, rights and other business matters. What I never had was any formal training as an editor. I basically rely on my instincts as a reader. That, and the experience of being in the business, seeing what works and what doesn't...that's the best training one can get for this line of work.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Well, I came to NYC intending to get a job as an editor at a science fiction magazine, only to discover that those two jobs were taken already. So I figured I'd expand the search to book publishing, which proved equally frustrating. After several weeks of interviews, I met with the rights director for Dutton Children's Books and Dial Books for Young Readers, who was a lovely woman (and still a dear friend). She offered me the job, with the understanding that if something came along that was more what I was looking for, I could take it and there'd be no ill-will at all. She handed me three books to take home and read while I was considering: A.A. Milne's The House at Pooh Corner, William Sleator's Interstellar Pig, and Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Needless to say, I took the job. And when Tor Books called three months later to offer me an editorial assistant job, I never thought twice about taking it.
Why you like it
What's not to like about helping someone achieve their dream of getting published, of midwifing wonderful books into the world that will (with luck) excite and move readers for years to come, of getting to make that phone call to a struggling new writer that there's an offer for their very first book? That's the kind of rush I will never be able to live without again.
Why you dislike it
Well, the grind of reading the slush pile isn't much fun, and dealing with repeated rejection can be tough as well. I take all the rejection often even more personally than my clients, and bad weeks that have a lot of rejections can be particularly tough. Still, all it takes is that one "we want to make an offer" call to balance it out.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
You name it, it can go wrong. From something as simple as misplacing a manuscript or contract, to failing to helpfully communicate my reaction to a clients' work. Creative egos can be fragile, and it's quite a challenge to give constructive criticism and help motivate an author when there's been a half dozen or more rejections for their work already. Then there are things like discovering an error in a printed book (hopefully in time to correct it), or getting a jacket illustration in that the author loathes. And on and on...
Re: I'm game
Date: 2004-04-21 07:01 pm (UTC)What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who loves books, who is passionate about seeing great books for kids get into the marketplace. Someone capable of tirelessly supporting one's clients, never failing to believe in them, even when they're struggling to believe in themselves. Someone who doesn't take "no" for a final answer. Someone who is capable of taking in a lot of marketing information and sorting it all into a useful pattern, to determine where best to submit what. Oh, and being a good matchmaker doesn't hurt either.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
Did you ever think it would be possible to get paid to read? Having an author for a mom, maybe you understand this a bit more than some, but I never imagined for a second as a kid that I could make my living doing what I loved most in the world, reading books. To think that I now work daily with people who write amazing books, books that have blown me away, changed my life, made me see things in entirely new ways...I am one lucky, lucky man.
with apologies for long-windedness, part one
Date: 2004-04-21 07:05 pm (UTC)Graduate Student Instructor: I teach college students as a temporary employee appointed (or not) on a term-by-term basis; I'm not a "real" professor (full-time faculty). More specifically, I teach one class per semester of English composition, which is supposed to eat about 20 hrs per week. At my university this means there are 16-20 students. It also means I decide which texts to read, devise the lesson plan, and schedule essay deadlines; if there are twenty sections of composition during a semester, each one is different. At some schools the reading list is set by a committee and all the sections read/write the same things.
A description of a typical day
For this kind of job, each day is a little different, so it's easier to describe things in terms of weeks.
Class meets two or three times a week, for a total of three hours; we discuss the texts we've read and I lecture on writing (grammar, structure, argument). On the days I teach, I spend one to two hours preparing what we'll cover in class, plus an additional couple hours if I need to make handouts. After class I hold office hours, which means I'm available for drop-in questions and discussion, primarily from my students about the readings or the next essay. (In practice, anyone can show up, whether or not enrolled in my class.) Regular office hours take up a couple hrs per week, though right before an essay is due, students ask for extra appointments.
Marking student essays occupies as much time as I let it: not only assigning a grade, but writing comments and suggestions for improvement, means about an hour per essay. Towards the end of a semester, I also spend time planning out the next term's reading list and schedule. I try to keep non-classroom days free of teaching, though, because when I'm not teaching--including weekends and between-term breaks--I work madly on my dissertation. (It's less interesting to cast "writing a dissertation" as my job, for purposes of this survey. Also, I'm paid to teach but not (directly) for dissertating.)
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Despite the interim nature of GSI teaching--you don't do this indefinitely--what makes the survey applicable to an instructor like me is the fact that "real" professors also teach college composition. In practice, you need a Master's or PhD to teach composition to college students. It helps to have done other teaching beforehand, and most universities require you to work as an assistant to a larger course before they let you teach on your own. It's good to have a strong sense of correct grammar, of course, and of how to develop a logical written argument. :)
Also useful are patience, an interest in explaining ideas in different ways and at different levels, and enough accumulated background in the specific topics you're teaching to feel confident talking about them. Stage fright (worrying about everyone staring at you) goes away with a little practice. Having to prepare discussion topics for class helps you figure out which will work and which will produce dead silence; in that sense, the long arm of experience being a student--taking classes from elementary school through high school and college--counts as preparation for teaching.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
English literature wasn't my first choice of college major, and I chose to go to grad school for research, not teaching. I knew I'd have to teach in grad school and was terrified till I'd actually tried it. (My research interests are in history-writing before the fourteenth century--not the sort of thing one can do much with outside of universities and certain libraries.) When I was younger, I wanted to pursue astrophysics, and my first choice of college major pointed me towards ophthalmology. :)
and part two
Date: 2004-04-21 07:06 pm (UTC)It may sound cheesy, but each semester it's rewarding to see that you've made a small difference. Though composition classes are oriented around refining students' writing, I'm also conscious of provoking students to develop their thoughts.
It's also fun to present other people with stories you've thought hard about and see what they make of them. I've taught classes based around travel-narratives, some possible futures envisioned by contemporary writers (mostly genre sf), and the Arthurian tradition. Though I go into the classroom having read more widely than most of my students, I always learn something new from each of them. It's difficult to get that kind of feedback from an office job (which I've also done).
Why you dislike it
Grading papers can become tedious. My hat's off to junior high and high school English teachers, who do many of the same things I do but have way more students' essays to grade.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
If students haven't done the reading, we don't communicate well and everyone's frustrated. Students occasionally dispute essay grades or course grades, which requires diplomacy. Sometimes they plagiarize--pass off others' work as their own--which means I have to see whether I can find the sources they used and decide how much punishment is justified.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who listens well to others, but who can also assert an overriding opinion when necessary. It helps to be fairly organized; losing your own stuff is one thing, but losing a student's essay is unforgivable.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
Realistically, one doesn't choose to become a GSI; one chooses to go to grad school, where (in nearly every discipline) one spends some time as a GSI. Aside from grad school itself, teaching as a GSI may be valuable preparation for becoming a university professor, but it's also good experience in its own right and for industry jobs.
The job
Date: 2004-04-21 07:19 pm (UTC)Management Consultant: I work on the front lines exploring what is next in the world of business. That means I help companies decide upon their strategies for the future, be that marketing, technology, organization etc.
A description of a typical day
Depends upon the project: it can be 16-18 hours, or it can be 5 hours. What does the client want? It can entail research, both primary and secondary, and lots of ongoing learning about new businesses, industries, technologies etc.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Usually BA or BS (at least), preferably an MBA or MA and decent quantitative skills.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I wanted to learn all the time, and never be bored. That has been a constant all my life.
I didn't know such a profession or job existed when I was young.
I began in book publishing; starting up a niche publishing company. This was great fun until the company was sold, and I realized I was getting bored. Translation: that means not learning and growing.
Back I went to graduate school and thereafter into consulting for publishers; that eased into technology, and then into strategy and management consulting.
I realized too that lots of my work at the publishing startup (which BTW is very successful to this day) had a lot of consulting to it in terms of devising new departments, their structure and the organization of the growing firm.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
Like: I am never bored. I am always learning.
Dislike: The hours can be VERY long! It can also entail LOTS of travel.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
If the client expectations are not set (poor communication) and something goes wrong, this can be horrid. As this is a service business, communication and transparency are mandatory.
Cultural issues as well, especially if the projects are international.
What kind of person thrives in your job?
Smart, curious people who know the worlds is full of wonders and want to find them!
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
It helps to know languages, have varied sorts of life experiences and an open questioning mind.
Day In the Life Of...
Date: 2004-04-21 07:27 pm (UTC)(Augh, and I wish I’d known about this sooner. You could have come to work with me…)
What your job title is, and what that means:
I’m a “pediatric resident”.
What that means is that I am a doctor. But there are so many different ways to manage the things that make people ill that doctors need a lot more training than just medical school (more on that below.)
I’m still in training, in my second year; it takes three years of training after becoming a doctor to become a pediatrician. Once I’m done, I will be certified to take care of children. (To become a surgeon who works on guts, it takes five years after becoming a doctor—to become a heart surgeon takes eight years after becoming a doctor… you get the idea.)
A description of a typical day
Ummm. My typical day varies a lot; that’s one of the things I like about my job. You see, every month I do something different. It’s like learning a new job every month!
Let me give you an example: this month I am doing an ‘outpatient’ month. That means I spend a lot of time in doctors’ offices, treating kids who are well enough to be walking around, but not well enough to be going to school. This month, my clinic (or office) time is mostly with adolescents, ages 13-19. On any given day, I may be at the youth prison, a homeless shelter, a public school like North High School, or even a university like Saint Katherine’s! I spend a lot of time in my car going from place to place, and even more meeting patients and doing my best to help give them the tools they need to solve their problems.
Next month I will be doing an ‘inpatient’ month. That means I spend all my time in the hospital treating children who are too sick to be out walking around. Next month I will be working at St. Paul Children’s/United Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, with babies who were either born too early or had trouble getting a good start breathing once they were born. I will be spending a lot of time examining small babies in incubators (REALLY small babies, the size of your mother’s palm) and helping manage the machines that keep their lungs working and their hearts beating until they are big enough to do it themselves. Most of the morning I will be spending telling the boss doctor about my patients, because he is in charge of ALL the patients in this part of the hospital, and he can’t keep as close an eye on them as I and the other residents who work there can (we get to divide the patients up). In the afternoons, I will go from incubator to incubator checking on my patients.
Other months I spend taking care of children with cancer, or children with holes in their hearts, or kids who just got plain unlucky and got bad bladder or kidney infections or have other reasons to need to stay at St. Paul Children’s Hospital, Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, or HCMC or Gillette or… pretty much any of the hospitals that have beds for sick children.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Um, again. Because I’m still in training.
To be a pediatrician who gets to have my own office, I need a lot of training. I had to go to college for four years (until I was 22) and then to medical school for ANOTHER four years (until I was 26). And now I’m in the middle of my pediatric training. When I get done, I will be almost 30, and I *still* won’t have had a real job.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I have always liked taking care of people and little growing things. Fish only make me happy if they are having babies. Babies (other people’s and mine) make me extremely happy. Kids make me happy too.
But when I was little, I wanted to be a chemist. And then I wanted to be a molecular biologist and figure out which genes caused cancer. It wasn’t until I was finishing high school that I realized how much I like talking to all sorts of people, all day long. So medicine seemed like a natural path to take; after all, how better to meet new people all the time, and try to help them out??
Re: Day In the Life Of...
Date: 2004-04-21 07:27 pm (UTC)I think I might have answered that above. But I love what I do, because there are times when I can make a real difference in people’s lives. On very rare occasions, doctors save lives. Most of the time, doctors try hard to make people feel better—and sometimes they succeed.
But it’s not as much about the saving lives as making improvements in things where-ever I can.
Why you dislike it
Sometimes I am stuck in the system; because I’m in training, it can be hard for me to do as much as I want to do to help others. And there are things I can’t do: I can’t make the hospital NOT bill somebody for staying there, for instance.
And I work long hours. Most months, I work a pattern like this: 10 hour day, 10 hour day, 30 hour two day awake all the time marathon, 10 hour day, 10 hour day, 30 hour… that means I don’t get to see my husband or my baby nearly as much as I would like to.
Plus, food at the hospital cafeteria tastes like poop.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
People can die. Or get really sick. And that’s not very good (we aren’t SUPPOSED to make people more ill!).
What kind of person thrives in your job
A people person. Someone who is energized by being around people and who likes to care for other people. NOT a rescuer; you can’t rescue anybody else.
Someone who gets along well with other people and treats them with respect, and who can work well with a whole team of other people.
Someone who likes to spend a lot of time reading about diseases and medicines!
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
Come shadow a pediatrician for a day! Hold and play with babies, and see what it’s like.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 07:28 pm (UTC)I used to be a Clerk II for the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice Parole Division. We're a state agency that keeps an eye on people who have been released from prison and are serving a portion of their centences among the community. The hope is that, with things like job training and helping them complete their education if needed, they can get jobs and thus not get into criminal trouble again. It's been found that people who are employed tend to stay out of trouble with the law.
When I worked there, part of my job duties included manning the switchboard when I got in, unless it was someone else's rotation to do that. I would handle incoming calls to the parole officers, do pages, and let officers know when their clients had arrived, and so forth. It could get very busy, especially the first week of each month, which is when most parolees are scheduled to come in to see their officers.
After getting off the switchboard, I might be assigned to type parole documents on a computer, do filing, or enter information into a computer--like height, weight, and eye color of parolees, etc. When I was back-up receptionist, I would relieve the primary receptionist for lunch--which was rather nice, as few people call around noon! Once a week, I taught English grammar and punctuation to parolees, and I liked that a lot. Another thing I did was to assign parolees who had just been released from prison to officers, depending on the parolees' ZIP codes.
My hours were 8am-5pm, and I had an hour-long lunch, with 15-min. breaks in the morning and afternoon.
When I first applied for this job, 14 years ago, it was entry-level; you needed a high school diploma, a typing speed of 45 wpm, and no experience. They now require 18 months of experience.
I came to this job via Goodwill Industries, which was where I had previously worked. Though I liked Goodwill, they didn't pay very much, and I wanted to earn more money. The State doesn't pay much more, but $8.75/hr. was better than $5.75/hr. I had always wanted to be a secretary, because my mother was one. I know that sounds really dorky in this day and age, but the silly truth is, I like typing and writing, so I do enjoy working in clerical.
What I liked most about it was the people I worked with and the people I got to meet. Criminal justice is a fascinating field, though I don't think I would ever want to be a parole officer; it's like trying to herd cats or small children.
I also disliked the telephones when the switchboard went crazy-busy, as it did, sometimes. But I would also feel a sense of accomplishment when I would get all the calls from a busy period sorted out successfully. I both enjoyed and was annoyed at the switchboard.
Things which can go wrong...If you lose a phone call from the Director of the Parole Division in Austin, you are in deep doo-doo. He called my office once when I'd only been working there about a month, and I had no idea who he was or that he was in any way important. I also once did not notice that a certified letter I thought I'd put in a vertical tray fell between a table and a wall, instead of going into the tray, and it lay on the floor unseen for several days. This was a bad thing, because it was grievance paperwork, and that has to all be handled according to a set schedule. We had to call up the employee and explain what happened, as well as write a report for the grievance file. The boss was not pleased, even though what happened was an accident.
I think the sort of person who would thrive at that job would need to be patient and well-organized and able to handle stress well. If you work for a high-ranking person, you must be able to account for every piece of mail or filing that goes into or out of your office, and you must be able to lay hands on it quickly. So it is good to know your files well and for your boss to be able to navigate in your files easily, too, in case you're not there.
I think you live up in New England, but hey, if you ever move down to Texas, give our Parole Division a try! They're good people. :)
Chantal
Cool
Date: 2004-04-21 07:34 pm (UTC)"User Interface Designer," or sometimes "Usability Engineer." These are job titles that refer to making software or web sites "usable" for normal people via various methods. So it's a specialty of the computer/software industry.
Description of a typical day:
Usually lots of meetings, as I try to understand what is being built, what needs to be done to make sure it's usable, and what I have to test with users or "design" via flowcharts, pictures, etc. and then document for the engineers programming it.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job.
It varies from a degree in Computer Science to a degree in Psychology. If you specialize in user testing (a special subject for "usability" engineering), you may need a Masters or PhD in Psychology. This job isn't a technical job, usually, but it requires some technical understanding, a smattering of graphic design (I have little) and very very good communication skills (writing, speaking).
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I did a PhD in linguistics and realized I didn't want to be a professor :-) I took as many courses in "human computer interaction" in the computer science department as I could, and went to the right conferences and took tutorials. You can learn on the job, or in classes, or in internships, for this profession. There are some good university programs offering courses and specializations now. Also some master's degrees that take people from all backgrounds (technical, social science, art).
Why you like it and (if you dare) why you dislike it?
It's very varied; I have a lot of power when things are going well; it's a great way to have a positive impact on people's lives. It also pays very well. It can go very wrong if the company processes don't respect your role, though.
What kind of person thrives in your job.
Smarter the better (quite honestly, and I never feel smart enough or capable enough of explaining my reasoning even when I know it's good!); someone who works well with technical people and can understand and respect them; someone with attention to detail, good memory, and good intuitions about the "average user" (ability to step back and see the big picture anew).
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
Date: 2004-04-21 07:44 pm (UTC)I'm a medical transcriptionist, which means that I listen to doctors dictating their notes for people's medical records and then type that.
A description of a typical day
I work from my home, so on a typical day I fire up my computer, log on to the Internet, start the dictation software, and wait for the voice file for the first report to download. By the time I've finished typing the first report, the voice file for the second report has downloaded, and so on. I stop from time to time to stretch my fingers, and for lunch, but mainly I just listen and type all day.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
To do my job you need, beside the obvious skill of being able to type, extensive knowledge of medical terminology - names for body parts, surgical instruments, medicines, operative procedures, etc. You also have to be somewhat of a writer and editor, as the doctors do not always dictate in complete, coherent sentences.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I just fell into this job. While I was going to college, I needed a job and had the opportunity to for on-the-job training in medical transcription. I figured it was better than delivering pizzas, so I jumped at it.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like it because I'm able to work from home: I set my own schedule, don't have to get dressed up, don't have to commute, etc.
Why you dislike it
The main thing I dislike about it is that it can get tedious - typing the same sorts of reports for the same doctors day and day gets old. Fortunately, there's always something new, so there's always some variety.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
If a transcriptionist makes an error in a report, it can result in a patient getting an inappropriate treatment and possibly even dying. For example, if I make a mistake when typing someone's list of allergies, it could result in them being given a medicine that they are allergic to.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who is very detail oriented, with at least moderate interest in medicine and science.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
If you choose to be a medical transcriptionist, you will almost always have a job, as doctors and hospitals across the country need people to transcribe their records. There will be times when you get frustrated, because the doctors do not always dictate clearly (some of them speak too fast, eat while dictating, etc.), yet you are still expected to understand what they say. Also, since most transcriptionists are paid strictly based on production, you have to be willing to type extra when there is lots of work available and organized enough to put money aside for the times when there isn't much work (there's typically not much work in December, for example, as lots of doctors go on vacation, and any patients who can do so postpone procedures until after the holidays).
Re: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
Date: 2004-04-22 08:36 am (UTC)Chantal
Re: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
From:Re: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
From:Re: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST
From:I love my job!
Date: 2004-04-21 07:45 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I'm the director of a small public library not too far away from you in Wisconsin - that means that it's my job to see that everything about the library runs smoothly, from keeping up the collection of books, movies, magazines, audio books, and other media to coming up with ideas for library programming (like Summer Reading) to telling about the library in our community.
A description of a typical day
When I arrive in the morning, I turn on all of the computers in the building, including the ones that check books in and out. I empty the book drop and check in all of the books that were turned in during the night. I read my mail and e-mail, then check my schedule to see if I have any meetings coming up. I might have to be ready to meet with the other librarians in our system, attend a workshop, or go give a talk at the school, the senior citizen's center, the civic club or somewhere else about the importance of reading and public libraries. If I don't have any meetings or speaking engagements, I spend my day looking for new media for the library, ordering supplies we may need, cataloging books so they all have a place to be put away, and working on programming. Today I worked on planning the Summer Reading Program and the Pre-School Children's Story Hour. On Fridays, I conduct the Story Hour - where I get to read stories to very young children. We'll usually do a craft and sing songs too - I love to play my guitar and sing songs with my Story Hour kids, and they love it too. I have two other people who work with me, and it's my job to keep a smooth schedule and tell them what to do with their day.
I may be the boss at the library, but I have other people on a Board of Trustees that keep track of what I do. There is also a Village Board that oversees everything that goes on in our town, including the library. I have to get ready for those meetings by having the minutes written, the agenda made out, and any informational materials ready for the board members that they might need - or I may need to have a presentation ready if I have an idea for the library that the Village needs to know about. I also have to organize and pay the bills. At the end of the year, I have to decide how much money my library will need next year to keep going. During all of these tasks, I have to be there for the people who come in to use the library. I help them find what they are looking for, recommend materials to them, check materials in and out, collect fines and fees, visit with them about their concerns, and encourage kids to keep reading. I also have to take care of all of the public access computers, making sure that they're well cared for and working as they should. It's a good idea to keep up with new laws that affect libraries too. Whew! No wonder I'm tired at the end of a day!
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
I have a very small library, so I am required to have a Bachelor's Degree in a library-related field (mine is in English Literature, with a minor in writing) and a Grade II Librarian's Certificate from the State of Wisconsin. I earned the certificate by taking more college courses in Library Science. If you work in a bigger library, you need a Master's Degree in Library Science. It helped that I had taught English part-time for a couple of years - it meant that I was used to working with kids and other teachers, and understood the need for good research skills.
The rest of "I love my job!"
Date: 2004-04-21 07:47 pm (UTC)I LOVE books. I love to read them, I love to talk about them, and I really love to get other people excited about reading and talking about them. I also love people, and I get to meet lots of different kinds of people as they pass through my library. I also love to learn, and learn something new just about every day. I get to use pretty much everything I ever learned (even the silly things) to do my job well.
and (if you dare)Why you dislike it
Managing money - blechhh! And getting people who don't think libraries are important to understand just how important they are - you'd be surprised by how many people never, ever use the library.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Well...people, as much as I love them, aren't always honest. Many times people borrow materials and don't bring them back. They will even leave town sometimes, taking the library's books and movies with them, and we can't get them back. Just last week, somebody took all of the money we had collected for the week in fines and fees, and I have nothing left to buy supplies with for Story Hour - It was very sad. Sometimes kids will misbehave and I have to enforce the rules, but it doesn't happen very often.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who is creative, and likes to do a lot of different things with their week. Also, someone who really loves books and the people who read them - someone who is not too shy, and doesn't mind getting up in front of other people. It can help too if you are patient, kind and friendly with a good sense of humor - judging from your mom's entries, that sounds a lot like you, Fiona!
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
I don't make a lot of money - in fact, I make very little, even though I have a lot of work and responsibility. But there is something special about being the town's librarian - I'm proud of what I do, and I really like it!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:03 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I'm the office manager for a plumbing company. It means that I'm responsible for everything from making sure the paychecks are written to making sure we have staples and paper in the office.
A description of a typical day
In my company, it varies from day to day. Some days, I answer the phone a lot, helping people who have plumbing problems. Some days I'm on the computer a lot, entering bills for people who owe us money and invoices from people we owe money to. Thursdays, I spend the majority of the day getting ready and paying the employees.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Strong computer skills, accounting classes, and on-the-job learning about how plumbing and sewer systems work. You also have to be very organized and be able to prioritize.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I definitely fell into it. I majored in English in college, but didn't want to teach. It took me years to be skilled enough to take over running even a small office, but it offers me the variety that I like.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like the variety from day to day -- that some days are hectic and some are slow. And I like that I'm not always doing the same thing.
Why you dislike it
I'm not a plumber by any stretch of the imagination, but some people on the other end of the phone think that I am and get upset when I can't diagnose their problem.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
I can forget to call a homeowner to ensure they're home before sending my plumbers, wasting the plumber's time if the people aren't at home. I can quote prices wrong. Any number of things can go wrong if I make an error in the accounting side.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Highly organized people. As well as those willing to think on their feet. Also, must be good with numbers for the accounting side.
Hope that helps, Fiona!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:16 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I will be an Assistant Stage Manager (working up to Stage Management) in theatre. Basically, a Stage Manager is in charge of coordinating designers, directors, and actors; running rehearsals; producing rehearsal reports (for example, letting someone know that a prop broke or that a change was made during the night); maintaining the production book (with all the light and sound cues, and blocking [entrances, movements, and exits during a scene]); and calling the cues in the show. The Assistant helps with all this, but mostly works with the props during the show. S/he is the SM's eyes and ears backstage.
A description of a typical day
If we're still in rehearsal, a lot depends on the rehearsal schedule. If it's an Equity (union) show, there can't be more than 30 hours of rehearsal in a week, so that usually means about 5 hours per day. I am the first person to arrive at the theatre; I unlock everything, sweep the stage, make sure things are ready, and perk the coffee. During the rehearsal, I make sure that actors get breaks every hour or hour and a half, I take notes on everything that happens -- where actors move, where props move, when stuff goes wrong, when stuff changes. I am the last to leave the theatre, after making sure things are cleaned up and locked.
If it's during the run of a show, I still show up first and make sure the stage is getting set for the TOS (top of show -- the beginning), make sure the crew is all there, make sure the actors are all there, and basically coordinate everyone. I take care of all the last minute emergencies (Oh no! We're out of bobby pins!) and keep on top of the time, calling every five minutes to the actors and crew. I get the house opened, and I call the cues (Standby Light Cue 48. [line or action onstage] 48...GO). Again, I am the last person to leave after a show.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
I got into this in college; my degree is in Sociology. It helps a lot if you work backstage, but it's really something you can learn on your feet. It also helps to take scene/lighting/costume design, so you have some idea what designers are talking about! Internships are all over the place for this, and that's where you learn things -- by doing.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I've always been involved in theatre, but I've only realised (1) that I'm a bad, bad actor and (2) I'd rather be in charge of everyone! I just sort of fell into it, really.
Why you like it
It's a lot of fun. Theatre is so dynamic, and it's great for me b/c I have such a short attention span. I can only be on a project for a few months before I get really bored, and I pick the shows that are 3-6 weeks of rehearsal with pretty short runs so I can move around. I'm going to be in St. Louis for a show end of May to end June, then back to Pennsylvania July-August, then back to St. L, then back to PA, and then who knows! I really love the work.
Why you dislike it
Theater becomes your whole life and your first priority. If the rehearsal schedule changes, your plans change. If there's a problem, you're there until it's fixed. There's a lot of prep time outside of rehearsal hours, and it is very hard, demanding work. To be perfectly honest, these also go in the above category -- why I like it.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Actors can go up (forget their lines), props and costumes can break, stage crew can mess up, lights can burn out or fall down, mikes can go silent...you name it, it's happened to me already. But nothing, you know, earthshattering.
What kind of person thrives in your job
A person who likes getting details just so and communicating clearly and politely
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:26 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means: I am both a substitute teacher in a prek-8th school in a rural community and an independant contractor for a library a few towns over, where I usually create and run age-appropriate literacy-based programs for children aged four to eighteen. Recent programs have included Harry Potter, Redwall and LotR.
A description of a typical day: There is no typical day, but most days start out with a phone call at 6:00 a.m. from the school, asking if I can come in and teach. After that, nothing's guaranteed - it could be 8th grade science, elementary music, one-on-one work with an autistic student - who knows? At the library, I sometimes propose programs and am sometimes asked to come up with them. I also help out with reading programs when needed.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job: Teaching in my state requires certification and the eventual obtaining of a Master's degree. Teachers also have to complete a certain number of continuing education credits, which means they continue to learn and take classes after they've gotten their job and their Master's degree. To sub, you need a BA or BS. I have a BA in journalism and am one credit away from a MS in Education.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it? My landlord suggested I try subbing after I left my office job (repeititive motion disorder - nasty, that) and I discovered how much I missed working with children. My sister is a librarian at the library and suggested that I do a henna/mehndi program for them several years ago; I just never left.
Why you like it: I love working with kids - elementary grade kids in the school setting and middle and high school kids in a non-school setting.
Why you dislike it: It doesn't pay much. Also, a lot of people think substitute teachers do nothing but babysit the kids while the teacher is gone - there's not a lot of respect for the job.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job? At school, teachers may not leave lesson plans or they may not leave enough work for the students to do. Older students can get threatening and disrespectful. One autistic child bit me and I had to go to the emergency room. At the library, advertising for the programs may give the wrong times or the wrong age-groups.
What kind of person thrives in your job: A creative and flexible person would do well in either job. You never know when you have to make up something to do.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:31 pm (UTC)My name is Rainy and I'm a fan of your mom's writing. I read her livejournal and saw these questions, so I thought I'd answer them.
What your job title is, and what that means:
I am an 'accounts manager" officially, but my boss calls me her Girl Friday. What I do is everything she wants me to do, but what I am technically officially supposed to be doing is making sure that people pay us money that they owe us and that bills are being sent out on time.
A description of a typical day:
I get to work at 9, after stopping at Starbucks. I bring my dog Pekoe to work with me every day. I have to send bills to companies so that they will pay us for work that we do, and I have to keep track of payments coming in. Sometimes I have to file paperwork. I hate that part. After we open at 10, I answer phones and do things that don't require me to be as focused. I check in musical gear and help customers when they come into the shop. We usually order lunch and eat while we work, because it is VERY busy. There are only four restaurants that deliver to my work. I am very tired of eating their food. I call the lunch menu folder the "Folder of Pain" and my motto is "No Pain, No Lunch." My shop repairs musical instruments or pro audio gear. We fix keyboards, amplifiers, studio equipment and other things. We specialize in vintage gear, which means gear that is very old and you can't find parts for anymore. I work with technicians, which is a fancy way of saying "geeks". They are very nice people, but they occasionally forget to take baths and sometimes their social skills are a bit odd.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job:
I learned this job with primarily on the job training, but it has helped me to know a bit about computers, math, english - all the basic skills that you get along the way if you pay attention.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I fell into this because my boss has a little girl the same age as my Emily, and I was her soccer coach. When I was looking for a job, she offered me one.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like it because it is flexible. It allows me to be with my kids and go to school. I also like the music industry, our clients, and the laid back atmosphere. I can wear fun clothes and have strange hair and not worry about being "professional" looking, because most of our customers look sillier than I do!
Why you dislike it
Sometimes, our customers are not very nice people. Most of them are famous or think they are important, they often treat other people not so nicely. I have a hold button for those types of customers. I just politely put them on hold for a long time. Since we play very bad music on our hold line, it is not fun for them.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Once, we had a picnic lunch laid out on the cover of Stevie Wonder's Fender Rhodes piano, and his road manager came in to pick it up and got cranky. That was bad. NEVER eat lunch on top of a client's gear. Once, we had a flood and a lot of electronic things got wet. That's also bad. Current and water just don't mix. There are a lot of things that people do to their musical gear. Like spilling things in it. Once, I found a pink Barbie toothbrush in someone's keyboard. Another time, a Hot Wheels car. You would be surprised at what we find!
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone creative and fun with a good sense of humor would thrive in my job.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
I'm only in my job until I finish college and then I will be a librarian and I will have to take this quiz over again with all different answers. :-) But if you do choose a clerical job, I suggest you find one in a field you enjoy, with people you like to work for and with. Life is too short to file papers in a place you hate.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:57 pm (UTC)*****
Typical day: Well... no such thing as a typical day in radio but I will try. I get to the station at about 0850. At 0859 I do the legal station ID (you have to broadcast your station's call letters, city of license and frequency once an hour: "You're listening to KEOS 89.1 FM, College Station and Bryan"). I pick up the satellite feed for a show called "Democracy Now" at 0900, make sure it's running smoothly. I usually leave then and go get the newspaper and breakfast at McDonald's. (I don't like the show and refuse to listen). I come back to the station, write out my playlist (what songs I'm going to play; you have to keep a record of what you play). At 0959 I do a legal ID. I have one minute to do the legal ID, the weather, and anything else that needs to be announced. I then air two quick spots before my show. At 1004 I start my show. I can air public service announcements and promotions at any time during my show. I usually play one song, then introduce myself ("You're listening to Morning Air with Nancy. Yeah, that was an oldie so it has to be time for Tuesday Morning Throwbacks! The weather forecast calls for a full moon tonight with a low around 75--perfect weather for barefoot girls dancing in the moonlight. Oh yeah, you know that line--with an intro like that it can't be anything but Creedence with "Green River") and then I usually play about six songs, tell the listeners what I just played, and say whatever's on my mind. I don't talk much, really. I have to time my show so that at 1157 I air "This Moment in Time" and it's very tricky learning to get the songs just right so that they end right at that point. It just takes practice. At 1159, I have legal ID, and at 1200 I air "The World Cafe" (which I've cued up during my show as it's on tape. We record it off the satellite on a regular old VCR and just play that tape on a VCR. No picture, but we have sound). I air that for one minute, while the host does his intro, then at 1201 exactly I switch and pick up the BBC. At 1206 I go back to "The World Cafe". It's tricky and the timing has to be perfect which isn't easy, considering our equipment is about 15-20 years old and most stations are automated. We aren't. We have to do everything manually but it's good training.
During my show, I have to go record a few things off the satellite as well. I get a lot of phone calls from listeners, and sometimes people come by the studio. You also have to record everything you do while on the air and what time you did it. (In military time)
Now, this is all assuming there is no freaky weather about. You've probably heard the robotic voice on the radio or TV warning about severe weather. We have one of those--the National Weather Service will break into programming, taking control of the station away from you. However, it only breaks in if it's a warning and if it's in your county. If the bad weather is in another county, the warning goes off but it prints out on a printer in the control room so that you can read it on the air.
We have two types of severe weather here: Tornadoes and thunderstorms. They can issue a watch (which means conditions are right for tornadoes and storms to form but none have been spotted) or a warning (one has been spotted). Then you have to know when to break into programming yourself. So here's the guideline:
Thunderstorm watch: Every 15 minutes or so--you can do this between songs.
Thunderstorm warning: Every 10 minutes, and you can also do that between songs.
Tornado watch: Every 10 minutes, and you can do it on a break between songs.
Tornado warning (no matter what county it's in): Every 5 minutes *on the dot*. If you have to butt into the middle of a song, you do. We take this very, very seriously.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 08:58 pm (UTC)If the National Weather Service breaks into programming, I also get on and repeat what they said, as the robotic voice (whom we've named Sven) is hard to understand. I also throw in tornado/thunderstorm safety tips. If you've got bad weather during your show, you can pretty much give up on your playlist and just play whatever, as you won't get through an entire song most likely.
We've had tornados down here--last spring I was on the air and there was one about three miles from here. I knew the path it was taking--straight for the radio station--but I stayed on the air the entire time so people would know. There really isn't any place within the radio station that's safe (the walls are made of kleenex and spit, I think). Luckily, it veered at the last minute. It wasn't until I got a phone call from the station engineer that I knew how close it had come to us--all I heard was wind.
*****
Training for this job is provided. Education isn't really necessary (I mean, you don't need a college degree but you'd be surprised how useful it really is). What you need is this: the ability to do several different things at once. For instance, when I'm doing the weather, and I just have one minute I have to read the weather forecast on the sheet in front of me, while watching my levels to make sure the signal is strong enough while also watching the clock to gauge my time. Tricky? Very. You also have to be able to think on your feet and move fast. When something goes wrong on the air, it's usually pretty obvious so you better get your buns in gear to figure out what happened, if it can be fixed, and how can you cover. You also need the ability to read without sounding like you're reading, and to be able to deal with the unexpected (people come in, artists drop by and you sometimes have to interview them on the spot with no preparation, other programmers get sick and you have to cover for them, equipment breaks, etc.) A mechanical aptitude helps as well so that if something breaks you have a chance of fixing it right then.
You have to stay on top of laws that affect broadcasting, and be careful not to air anything "obscene". The definition of that is very vague and changes constantly, and in this case, ignorance of the law is no excuse.
I also like pushing all the shiny buttons. You need to have a good ear for music, and know your music, so that you know when to fade down the song that's ending and fade up the new one, and pick songs that sound good together so the fade doesn't sound like cats being bathed. You need to be able to talk to absolutely anyone and make them like you. It helps if you like going out into the community and meeting people. This is not a job for the shy! You also need to be able to fill dead time--maybe the song you were going to play won't play because the CD is messed up so you need to be able to chat while you're putting another CD on and make sure no one notices.
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Date: 2004-04-21 09:10 pm (UTC)I am a hostess, which means that when you go a restauraunt, I'm the person who greets you at the door and takes you to your table, and gives you your menu, just like if you were hosting a party at your house.
A description of a typical day
4:30 pm. Arrive at work. Have a bowl of soup or a salad as dinner. Talk with the servers to find out what sorts of moods they are in, and who wants a lot of tables, and who would like a less busy evening.
5:00 pm. Clock in. Greet guests as they come in, seat them. Make sure that all the waiters and waitresses get an even amount of tables, because they make their money from tips.
6:30 pm (sometimes) As the crowd gets larger, I can take names and assign pagers to the guests, and we work as a team to get them seated and eating as quickly as possible.
9:00 pm Wipe down all the menus
9:30 pm Clean the glass doors (they get full of fingerprints). Make sure there are plenty of crayons, stickers, childrens menus, carry-out menus, toothpicks, catering brochures and comment cards for the next day.
10:05 pm Use my computer to close out the cash drawer. (I don't take money for food, but I do sell gift cards, and rent pool balls by the hours). Turn in the cash drawer, and go home.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job Depending on the kind of restauraunt you want to work at, this can be an entry-level position, or at a fancy restauraunt, they may want you to have experience. I have a strong background in customer service.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it? This isn't really my career. It's just a part-time thing while I'm going back to school. My restauraunt, Leona's (http://www.leonas.com) likes to hire people who are overeducated and overqualified, and that's pretty much me.
Why you like it and (if you dare) I like working with people, espescially when they bring in their kids.
Why you dislike it The money is terrible.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job? The worst thing I can do is give a waitress too many tables at once. This makes them angry at me, and also means that they are too busy to give each table good service.
What kind of person thrives in your job This is totally a job for a people person. You have got to really be unafraid to talk to people and smile and joke with them. Meals are really important, and it's really important for people to have a positive experience when they are eating at a restauraunt, or they won't come back. You also need to have a pretty good memory, so you know which servers you just gave tables too, and where you have room to put new guests. Also, it really needs teamwork.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career? I really don't suggest hostessing as a career, but it's not a bad thing to do while you further your education.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 10:11 pm (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I'm a private piano instructor. That means I teach kids how to play the piano in a one-on-one setting, not a classroom.
A typical day
Right now my schedule's VERY light - I only work on Wedsnedays. My first student comes to my house at 4:45. She has her lesson until 5:15. We work on songs she's practiced over the past week, and I usually assign something new for her to work on. At 5:30 I go to the home of my other two students, who are siblings. Their lessons are a half-hour each too. I go home at 6:30. Compared to other jobs that I see on this page, my schedule's pretty easy!
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
To be any sort of music instructor, you need be pretty good at the instrument you're teaching, but it depends on the skill of your students. I'm not as good as I'd like to be, but since I teach students who are beginners, I don't have to bring in very difficult concepts. My own teacher, on the other hand, is VERY good.
What was your career path that led you to this job
That's an interesting story. My first student, Jackie, lives down the street from me, and our neighborhood is very close. Her sister was diagnosed with leukemia about two years ago, and her family's lives all changed dramatically. The neighbors tried to help out with that. When it came up that Jackie was interested in learning the piano, my mother volunteered me as the one to teach her.
I was SO nervous! I'd never taught ANYTHING before, much less the piano! But things turned out great.
Why you like it
I love the piano, and I love teaching. I love the thrill they get from playing a song they really like, or realizing that they've finally conquered that one line that's really been hard for them, and the sheer joy of just making a lot of noise. I love it when they have these random sudden bursts of genius that make me sit back and say 'whoa' to myself. It makes me feel blessed to have such a crazy, unexpected job.
Music is SO unique and wild, it's just such a ride to teach it. And the great thing about it is, you're making something completely on your own, you're making SOUND and it's all yours.
I like answering questions, and I like not knowing the answers to questions and getting laughed at. :D My students all have great senses of humor - we make fun of each other a lot. I also like the fact that my own musical skill has improved in leaps and bounds since I started teaching - it's definitely a bonus!
Why you dislike it
It's rough sometimes, when I've had a bad day, to go and teach. It's very physically draining. What's also frustrating is when my students don't practice - it is SUCH a pet peeve of mine! It makes me feel like all the work I did LAST week has meant nothing, like we're just starting over from square one again.
It's rough being a younger teacher, too - sometimes students think you're some sort of babysitter and they don't take you that seriously. Parents, too! It can get frustrating.
What can go wrong at your job?
Sometimes miscommunication can happen about the time of a lesson, or if the lesson is even going to HAPPEN for that week. It hasn't happened to me yet, but there have been plenty of times when I've thought that I didn't have a lesson to go to, only to get a call from my teacher asking me where the heck I was!
Since I get paid at each lesson, I don't have this problem, but teachers who bill their clients in advance can sometimes have trouble getting their much-needed salaries! Some parents don't seem to realize that their child's piano teacher is making a living, not indulging a hobby.
What person thrives in your job?
Someone creative, fun, and patient. They need to know the balance between being gentle and being firm. And most of all, they need to love music enough to hear it played over and over - and not in very pretty ways!
Anything else?
Teaching is tough. I only teach THREE students and it's tough! But it's also extremely rewarding, and I like the thrill of being able to call myself a teacher.
Have fun!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 11:49 pm (UTC)Private piano teachers usually have to work evenings and weekends because that's when kids aren't in school. This is why teaching piano is often a second job for someone, or the kind of job you have when your spouse already makes a lot of money. (Or you hope your spouse makes a lot of money.)
Teaching is hard, especially one-on-one, because you have to fill the entire lesson time. If the students practice, that's easy; for example, today I forgot my watch and taught one student for 45 minutes instead of 30! If the students don't practice, then you have to make up things to do. (Letting them out early is not an option, at least not for me, because that's usually what they want.) One day a week -- Wednesdays -- I teach from 4:00 until 7:00 (all my lessons are a half hour long) and that makes me so exhausted that I usually go back to my room and crash for a while.
Patience is HUGE. Also, being able to explain things well and over and over and over. If you teach on your own (not through a school or a music store) you have to be a business manager as well and keep track of your students and when you teach them and when you get paid. Especially when you bill people, rather than being paid per lesson. (I teach through my college, and they bill people for me.)
Individual students are all really different. This is true for everyone in the world, but it's really important to remember when I'm working one-on-one with them. I can't even teach two siblings in the same way. Everyone learns at different rates and in different ways, and trying to think about all this stuff when explaining what a quarter note is sometimes makes my head want to explode.
Teaching people is a skilled thing, which means I can make more money having it as a part time job than doing something like working at McDonald's. (There's nothing wrong with working at McDonald's -- I just happen to have this skill or talent, and I like sharing it.)
I love (all thirteen of) my students and am really sad that I am only teaching them for another two weeks. The best part is when you've been teaching them for two or more years and you can see them grow from beginners into real musicians. That's the most rewarding part for me.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 11:19 pm (UTC)My job title is Travel Agent. What it means is that I am licensed to take resort reservations, and make packages including airfare, resort accomodations, tickets, and entire vacation getaways.
A description of a typical day
A typical day for me starts by coming into the office and checking all of my messages/email. I have clients who will think of things in the middle of the night and email me or leave voicemail. Then I call or email everyone back making sure that I understand exactly what they are saying. 90% of my job is talking to people and making sure that we are communicating effectively.
I then do research to see what discounts or deals the resorts that I typically book are doing, and to see what will be the absolute best offer for my guest. There is a lot of time spent on the phone, and a lot of working on the computer to book things and make sure that all their requests are noted and sent to the correct people.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Well, originally I went to college and graduated with a degree in Psychology. Because I already had a degree and a lot of pre-requisites were out of the way, I only had to spend 14 weeks in daily classes for training. I aso have Office management experience, along with very strong communication and phone skills, which enabled a smooth tranisition into this career.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I have stumbled around in my adult life really trying to find a job that I love. I primarily worked in office management and for government agencies doing highly skilled clerical work, however it seemed really boring and unchallenging to me. I had a friend working in the travel industry, and she was always so excited when she came home at the end of the day. She always said that in all of her life she had never been so happy. I suppose it was something I am naturally prone for, I just never knew it until I was waist deep.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why do I like my job? Well, first off-I work for Mickey Mouse. My employer is Walt Disney Travel Company. Secondly, there is so rarely a disatisfied person, or someone who isn't excited about a vacation so the good vastly outweighs the bad. Thirdly, I get to hear the overwhelming happiness in almost every voice I hear on the phone.
Why you dislike it
Why do I dislike it? Well, occasionally I do deal with a guest or client who will not be satisfied in any way. Those are the days that I am very glad that we have an entire department set up just to deal with the unhappy people. It is nice to know that you are supported.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Well, theoretically we could completely mess up someones entire vacation. With some wrong key strokes, or by not paying attention to your guest you could single handedly ruin their vacation.
What kind of person thrives in your job
The kind of person who thrives in my job is someone who absolutely loves to be busy, likes to organize things, gets excited about handing people magic on a silver platter, and can mean it when she says "no" or "its not available". Meaning what you say, and being clear and concise is crucial.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
Choosing my career would open up your world to making sure that everyone else can see, go, or play wherever they want. It also has some pretty cool perks to it like discounts almost anywhere related to travel, and a lot of discounted or free airfare. It is busy, and it is hectic. We work hard, and we play harder.
I am glad I could help with this, good luck on your research.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-21 11:59 pm (UTC)I'm a Marketing Communications Coordinator and what that means is I am the person who actually brings to life the ideas and strategies and plans that our Marketing department thinks up. I work for an Ericsson company whose sole business is intellectual property for a wireless technology (Bluetooth). IP is sort of like technological blueprints that tell the people who make chips how to put together a radio so it works inside a mobile phone, for example. So, it's a very non-tangible product I have to make real.
A description of a typical day
What I like best about my job is that it allows me to be creative in so many ways and so many mediums. I work with print, web, and presentations.
I come up with creative layouts and designs for print material, so I may have pieces that I'm working in desktop publishing programs like Quark or InDesign. I get the copy from writers, find/buy the photos, edit them if necessary, put the entire layout together and send it to the printer after proofreading. This is for all kinds of materials, from brochures and product briefs, to a quarterly newsletter, to signage and 1-time only material used at trade shows. I'm also in charge of our website, so I may have press releases to post or a new banner ad to design and publish on the site. We have a graphic profile that defines what types of elements we use in our materials, and I get to think of new and fun ways to put them together while keeping our look and feel consistent.
I get to look for and purchase images from the many stock image banks on the website. I review and fix powerpoint presentations, and sometimes create new graphic ways of getting across different ideas, using animation or different layouts.
I handle a business intelligence database as well, and have learned how to use many different computer programs.
I love my job :)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-22 12:00 am (UTC)I pretty much learned "on the job" and over the years, after starting out as an English major. Being able to type quickly and proofread is a HUGE help in my work. Taking classes in print and web layout is a must. I have become semi-expert-to-expert in many different computer programs and have a working knowledge of the following: Quark, PageMaker, Word, Excel, Publisher, Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Access, FrontPage, Dreamweaver, HTML, Illustrator, Acrobat, Powerpoint. None of them are exceedingly difficult, and all of them are fun and interesting to learn and use.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I sort of fell into it. I graduated with an English degree because I liked to read, mostly, but didn't want to teach. After college I worked at an advertising agency as a coordinator, and afterwards for First Chicago bank as a marketing coordinator for 7 years, where I learned a great deal about layout and design.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I get to be organized and creative in many different ways. I have a fairly free hand when it comes to graphic design. I'm fast and I like being the person that others come to when they need something. I do a lot of this stuff on the side too: freelancing by designing business cards, flyers, brochures, helping people with resumes, greeting cards, invitations, etc.
Why you dislike it
My works ebbs and flows, so that sometimes I'm insanely busy and sometimes I have nearly nothing to do. Thankfully it's usually somewhere in between. I am also dependent on others for the work, although I can also suggest ideas for material. And lastly, the marketing department is traditionally one of the first places companies cut costs when times are tight.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
The computer goes down. (!! aagh!), Someone hates my layout and makes me do it all over again (rare :) I don't get my copy on time. I have to wait for other people to give me the things I need or the information to finish a piece.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who is organized, creative and can multi-task.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
It's a GREAT job. :) It pays well, at least in the States (I'm in Sweden where salaries are much lower). It's very satisfying to see your ideas come to life. There's nothing like the feeling of holding a brochure or booklet in your hands that YOU designed.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-22 01:57 am (UTC)I am a secondary English teacher. Right now, I teach at a school in England, and I work with students ages 11-16. I've been teaching for 21 years.
A description of a typical day
I usually arrive at school around 7:45 AM, although students don't get there until at least 8:00. I get there early in order to photocopy handouts, go through paperwork and make sure I'm ready for the day. I have a tutor group (kind of like a homeroom in the US, but I am more of a counselor to these students), so when the students start arriving, I try to be in the classroom to greet them. At 8:25, I head upstairs to the faculty room for briefing; that's when the headteacher (principal) tells us things we need to know for the day, and other teachers make announcements as well.
Registration of students (tutor period) is after that. Then, I start teaching. Classes here are either single lessons (35 minutes) or double lessons (70 minutes). Most days I teach four double lessons a week, with a 20-minute break in the morning (students often eat lunch early then) and a 30-minute lunch break at 1:00 PM.
School ends at 3:00 PM, but I can stay as late as 6:00 working with students (helping them), attending meetings or simply working on lesson plans.
When I arrive home at night, I usually spend at least two hours each night -- often more -- grading papers and/or preparing for future lessons.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
You need at least a bachelor's degree in the subject you want to teach. Additionally, whether in the US or in the UK, you need additional teacher training, generally another year of education after the bachelor's degree. Most teachers go on to earn master's degrees. I have an MA.
What was your career path that led you to this job, and why? Was it something you wanted to do since you were young, or did you just sort of fall into it?
I didn't go to university planning to become a teacher. I had other plans, but they sort of fell by the way. However, when I decided I wanted to teach, I was influenced by a former high-school teacher; she'd taught English and theatre. In a way, I became a teacher to try to be someone like she was. (She's still alive, just retired. :) Not only was she a superb teacher, but she truly cared about all of her students. I can only hope to live up to her standards!
Why you like it and (if you dare)
It's never the same. It changes on a minute-to-minute basis depending on the students. I also love working with children and people in general.
Why you dislike it
The hours are very long and tiring. I can spend an entire weekend marking papers with hardly any breaks.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
The worst is when I have to deal with suspected cases of child abuse. If I think a child is being abused, it is my job to report it.
What kind of person thrives in your job
Someone who is flexible and spontaneous, someone who loves working with children, someone who is willing to keep learning for all of his or her life.
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
It is very rewarding, but it also is very hard work. Good teachers make it look easy. :)