The Professor Takes Stock of Job Hopes....

Later today, I will be going on another interview for a state civil service job (the second in a short time span). I bring this up in relation to the infrequency with which we have been posting on this blog. As mentioned in previous posts, we have been a busy lot, with myself working a ton of hours to brace for any unforseen costs due to snow, rain, poor health, or the tax man. Some of these jobs pay well on the hourly rate (such as college professor), but none are full-time, and none have benefits.

Of course, multiple jobs means additional travel. I easily knock out 1,500 miles a month, if not more, so part of the money earned goes into the tank, but it still gets me up there in the 'making money' category. But it also means time lost, and I have lamented lost hours in the past. I am making an effort to minimize this category, but lately it has been a struggle to be home before the entire family is blacked out from fatigue.

The Mrs. and I have been taking a lot of time to review our progress and future goals lately. As a married couple with kids we are doing okay: healthy, housed, and happy. No major debts other than the mortgage, grass gets cut at a reasonable rate, no doors ready to fall off of the hinges. But no major getting ahead either. Some money is being saved, but for the time I spend away we should be able to go on a major cruise for two weeks, or buy / invest in something major. We aren't dropping megabucks on anything: no lavish purchases, no going out to eat, anything like that. We identify sales to the best of our ability, and wait if we don't have the cash for purchases.

Our best surmising suggests that the costs eating us alive are related to fuel and health care. Paying for insurance is almost as bad as fueling up at the pump lately. I don't want this to go on an insurance-bashing tirade, but I could. Rather, I am hoping to get a state job because of how much we would save on health care alone. Some of my colleagues ask if I don't want to teach. I tell them it isn't my desire to teach that has changed, it is my desire to get ahead.

One state job of moderate means (low-middle of the pay scale) would equal two of my jobs in income (barring the college gig) with a cut in about 12-15 hours of work. More money for less effort! And the insurance costs would swing around as well. Switching from the Mrs. plan to the state plan could save us at least $100 a month, probably more.

I am not entirely sure why I decided to post this. Maybe it is a mea culpa because I feel like I am selling out on my professional choice. Maybe it is rationalization to justify the cost / benefit analysis of the move, if it happens. But I do know that with my experience and education (i.e., resume with tons of experience and a B.A. and M.A. with additonal certificates) I should be getting more from my work life. When I was in high school, I was told to plan on shifting careers about five times, settling in to a big money position if I had a master's degree. I have made at least seven shifts, been reeducated, moved, and still haven't got the big position. And I get more irritated because others with less experience get good positions, like the guy who got an English teacher position right out of college versus my time as a technical writer, college instructor, and substitute.

Maybe that's my hope. The state system is supposed to be fair, none of that nasty nepotism lurking in the shadows, ready to kill your desire and optimism that your skills, and for that matter, you, are actually worth something. If the state system doesn't see me as qualified, I'm not sure what my next steps are. But I hope that it fulfills a part of the dream I had in high school: to work a normal schedule, and spend time with my family beyond a kiss in the morning as I go out the door. I hope that they will get the benefit of my presence, and I get the blessing of being part of something better that a job. I get to be the guy who taught my kids to throw a ball, who took my wife to the company Christmas party, who chatted with the neighbors about how to kill the stupid crab grass.

I don't want my legacy to be measure by how many paychecks I cashed, but I can't have the hopes listed above fulfilled if I don't make enough money to cover their needs. It's a hell of a way to live a life. I hope that today marks my way to getting a steady job to allow me the opportunity to make the above hopes a reality. And I hope it works for you, too.