I NEED a major change of employment

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I really do.

I’ve been an academic for a few decades now. I’ve taught students by the thousands, read countless assessment/placement essays, worked on committees and task forces, been active in the faculty union, attended professional growth activities, gone to conferences.

And I am still not full-time. There’s a lot to that, but suffice to say that there are very few such jobs and far too many applicants. Also, I am obviously older now than way back when I started.

Higher ed, probably not just in my state, is declining: lower birth rates, lower enrollment, fewer classes in CA due to AB 705 restructuring, and an ever-widening chasm between full-time and part-time faculty.

Anyway…
I have been applying for editing and/or proofreading jobs, mostly, although sometimes I find copywriter positions, content management jobs, and have just now widened my searches to include public advocacy and non-profit jobs.

I have successfully advocated for seniors, people having trouble with insurance companies, or anyone in a dispute with a provider.

Just recently, I got 81% of households on my street to sign a petition to get speed bumps, which even the fire dept. agreed to since the insane speeding is a major safety issue (we’re talking totaled cars, dead pets, terrified dog walkers, wheelchair users at risk, and so on). This was the result of going to the city council and traffic advisory board meetings after mailing letters and photos to all of the members.

There are certain things I cannot do, like very physically strenuous work–I’ve had four surgeries on my wrists and shoulder, Achilles tendonitis in both ankles, arthritis in the lower back, sciatica.

So… besides looking on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Simply Hired, are there other ways I could find even more connections and possible jobs? Are there other fields I should be exploring?

Oh, and I am 54. That probably matters, at least to some.

Thanks.

2

What field in academics?

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Wanna work in Saudi Arabia? PM me.

4

Run for public office?

Seems like you have some ability to connect with people and get them involved. Local to start, of course - town council or whatever is appropriate for your area (admittedly, breaking into that in a larger city might be more difficult). It’s a job that may older and/or disabled people do so physical issues should be less of a bar to entry.

5

Is private tutoring a possibility?

Can you register with an agency and tutor at least part-time?

6

In the vein (heh:D) of teaching, have you considered teaching english asl over seas? My cousin did that in Africa and Asia for a total of about 10 years and loved doing it. Her qualifications at the time were an associates degree in … something, I forget what, and being a native speaker of <American> English.

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After I got laid off, I worked a contract job for six months. The office part was boring as hell, but the charity part was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about myself, basically that yes, I can sell something if I believe in it. For the charity it was my job to line up adult instructors to teach fun skill-building activities for teens. I lined up 43% more instructors than the previous year, including 23 first time ones for the event. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot.

Then along comes an opening for a blood bank in my neighborhood. I interviewed at 9 am and I had an offer by 2:30. Basically, it’s my job to find local businesses who want to host blood drives and get people on the bloodmobile. I am having an absolute blast, and it’s wonderful to have a supportive supervisor for a change. Plus I am working for an organization that is literally saving lives.

So bottom line, try a contract job. You may find skills you never knew you had, or strengthen some that need toughening up, or you may find that nope, I won’t ever work in THIS field. Next!

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Teaching English and assessing incoming students’ essays for proper placement.

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Sounds good to me. I am looking for contract jobs too.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I studied medical terminology, coding, and transcription not too long ago, although none of that ever translated into medical field jobs–but it might be of some use somewhere. (Coding is very difficult and transcription is tedious and does not pay much, not to mention that most of it is now outsourced to countries whose workers get paid in pennies.)

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Thank you–that is very appealing. I do have some contact at the city hall now, so it couldn’t hurt to ask.

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Doing what?

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vivalostwages is the SDMB’s resident assessment essay expert.

13

Here is a problem I run into now and then…
I find a job I like that comes through Neuvoo/virtual vocations, and then I click on it, only to find that I have to become a paid member just to apply:

Why is that even necessary? I can only assume that they made a deal, but why would a paid member be any more qualified than someone who has not paid?

14

You could always write a book…

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If you don’t NEED it RIGHT NOW and are willing to make some career changes, there are options that can be opened up with some training over the next months or year. Where do you stand on that?

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I’m curious as well.

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I am in exactly the same position with regard to an academic job: different field (still the Humanities), slightly younger (but not much).

Teaching overseas has no appeal because of having a spouse and pets. Writing a book does, as does re-training, but nobody has explained to me how one pays the rent during the book-writing / re-training period. And I’ve only JUST paid off my student loans.

I’ve determined that grimly hanging on is the best option, but every now and I again I consider jumping ship to the publishing side of things.

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I could do it, but…training in what?

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Teaching overseas would be a last resort. China and Oman want English teachers, but they are pretty far from home. And countries like Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are getting too damned hot. It’s bad enough here in So Cal during the summer.

I will indeed publish that book of assessment gems, though. Why not? It would be a very humorous read.

In the meantime, I wonder if it would help to get a degree in social work if I want to be more of an advocate.

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Upwork.com

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