# English teacher considering a different career **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518 "2006-05-12T15:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/1 "2006-05-12T15:57:58Z")
After reading through this thread: > **[Has anyone here started a second career?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371137)** > > If so why and how old were you at the time? How did you realize that it was time for a change and what prompted you to pick your new career. As well, how has it worked out? I can see myself perhaps shifting careers someday, but I want to do it when ... I decided to make my own. Here’s the pertinent information as I see it: Single mom of two, ages nine and six. Just bought a home. Submissive nature, laid back. I’m not meant to be the big kahuna, but I am a very good worker bee. I don’t mind my job, and generally like the kids well enough; I mostly would just like to write more, and make a little more money. I really don’t think paying for more schooling is practical, or advisable. I like working with people; talking to them… generally pleasant 🙂 I am thinking that this summer, I will take some of my free time and really evaluate where I am, and where I want to be. I also plan on working more on my writing. I’d love to get into freelance writing, but I’m not sure if I live in a big enough area to really get a career going with that. Any suggestions? I might just be going through my single-woman mid-life crisis. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/2 "2006-05-12T16:31:40Z")
When you say you want to write more, do you mean like a book or just writing in general? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/3 "2006-05-12T17:00:34Z")
Your location is irrelevant to a freelance writing career. I’m a freelance copyeditor who lives in Podunk, WI, and I have more work than I can shake a stick at. Sign up to the [Freelance mailing list](http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/freelance.html) and check out the archives. (You can set it to “nomail” if you’re not ready to start receiving current messages.) Lots of good stuff in there for newbie freelancers in publishing. We’re mostly copyeditors and writers, but we also have some indexers, compositors, photographers, and even a cartographer. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/4 "2006-05-12T17:21:42Z")
Scarlett, how do you find your work–is there a freelancer’s job board where people post projects? Do you tend to do a lot of projects for a few steady clients, or is it a mixture? I’m interested in looking into freelance, offsite editing or proofreading because I’m facing an imminent move to Podunk, IN for a couple of years while my boyfriend goes to graduate school. I had one job editing textbooks–but I got it through an industry-specific job board, not a job board posting general work. Tell us more! ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/5 "2006-05-12T20:39:56Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Your location is irrelevant to a freelance writing career. I’m a freelance copyeditor who lives in Podunk, WI, and I have more work than I can shake a stick at. > > Sign up to the [Freelance mailing list](http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/freelance.html) and check out the archives. (You can set it to “nomail” if you’re not ready to start receiving current messages.) Lots of good stuff in there for newbie freelancers in publishing. We’re mostly copyeditors and writers, but we also have some indexers, compositors, photographers, and even a cartographer. Ooh, thank you, thank you 🙂 I will give it a serious shot in a couple of weeks when school is out. I’m a little nervous to depend on freelancing to support the kids and I, but I am definitely willing to start while I am still drawing a salary from teaching 🙂 Also, titlypig… (great name!) I live in Podunk, IN… 🙂 and I am going to try to write a fiction book. I’ve had the idea for a couple of years, and just started actually writing it. I’d like to find a writer’s group in a few weeks and see if I can find some good constructive criticism. ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/6 "2006-05-12T20:41:29Z")
:smack: Make that _tiltypig_. Although titlypig is kind of fun 😃 ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/7 "2006-05-12T21:08:30Z")
Scarlett- I signed up to be on this listserv, but I think I am doing something incorrectly. I’ve not been able to access the archives. I’ll investigate it more, but is there a “trick” to it, or something I just am not seeing? I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a “listserv” before. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/8 "2006-05-13T01:54:03Z")
Try online tutoring: Try “Smarthinking” and other online tutoring outfits. ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/9 "2006-05-13T12:26:41Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Try online tutoring: Try “Smarthinking” and other online tutoring outfits. I will look into that, Jennshark. Thank you for the idea 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-teacher-considering-a-different-career/356518/10 "2006-05-13T13:18:06Z")
> [@simply\_cats](#): > > I will look into that, Jennshark. Thank you for the idea 🙂 There are also other online tutoring and mentoring companies directed toward grades K-6, if your certification is elementary ed.