Me too. I am good at this. I worked (and work) really hard to make it so. It sounds cliche and smug, but there it is: I know I have helped many people become better versions of themselves than they might have been otherwise, had I coasted. On my good days, I think there’s probably more of them than kids I fucked up.
I would have a lot of trouble not having that in my life. It’s a big part of how I am wired.
I hope the OP wasn’t a bit too maudlin. I’ve lost several family members in the past five years. Two first cousins just a few years older than me. It’s reminded me that my life shouldn’t be taken for granted. I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting the past year. I’m trying to make positive changes too. Exercise more. Get back into playing music. Get my self looking forward instead of backward. It’s a process.
Teaching is something I’d love to do. Maybe teach computers at one of the technical schools. Somewhere a teaching certificate isn’t required. I have over 30 years experience in computers and payroll/HR processing. Who knows, I might make a change if the right opportunity comes my way. I’ve reached a plateau at my current job. No where to go except management and I’m not interested in that.
A certain painter said, paraphrasing from memory, “I realized pretty early on that there was ever only one Velazquez and it wasn’t me. Once I accepted that, I set out to just do my best.”
Salvador Dali happens to be about as famous as Velazquez; most of us won’t be. But even the smallest thing you do can have bigger consequences than you think. I’ve run into people who thanked me for something I did 30+ years after the fact. That payroll thing sucks, but the only thing any of us can do is be the best we can, whether it is Salvador Dali or aceplace57.
I am more interested in having pushed the frontiers of science than in the publications (about pushing the frontiers of science) that bear my name.
Do it. You only get one life-- why spend it feeling stuck and frustrated? Especially when you have in-demand skills that open up a lot of paths to you?
Most states have work-around for the teaching certificate, especially for STEM teachers. Often you can start in the classroom immediately, and you are given 3-5 years to complete a teaching certificate. Much of it can be done online and you won’t have to do the student teaching, so it’s not a big commitment. Charter schools and private schools also hire non-certified teachers.
Adjunct positions at Community Colleges are also pretty easy to arrange, though not well paid. Picking up a night class could be a way to see how you do in the classroom.
I do recommend volunteering or something to try put classroom teaching before you take the plunge. Some people just don’t enjoy the classroom, and there is no real way to know until you try it.
And if you don’t have dependent a and are adventurous, Peace Corps LOVES experienced techies. I taught computer science in an African village with six computers and 150 kids per class. Now, eight years later I’m Facebook friends with my former students. And quite a few of my cohort have gone on to start really exciting careers working with African tech incubators.
I’m not so concerned about leaving a permanent mark. I have, lately, begun thinking that their must be a way fror me to use my skills in a career that contributes more directly to a better now - reduce human suffering, perhaps. Maybe I’ll find one…
I’ll look into a part time teaching position. A night class would be a great way to see if I enjoy it. I’ll still keep my day job.
It would be satisfying to do something different and that helps younger people get ready for a career.
Yeah, I’m not so worried about leaving a legacy as I’m more annoyed by the idea that I’m spending a fairly large percentage of my life doing something that outside of being paid to do it, I don’t give a shit about in the least.
I mean, I work for a healthcare company, but what I do can only translate into improving someone’s life or making the world a better place through logical convolutions that would give a Jesuit a headache. I’m more directly lining some insurance companies’ pockets and helping employers save a buck on providing health care, which isn’t something I’m too enthusiastic about doing.