Choice

There's an opening for a full-time position at NSCC for the next academic year, and it has been made clear that I'm in the running. I've asked for my letters of recommendation, and I'm prepping the required documents.

This has brought me to a critical juncture: is this what I want to do and where I want to be?

My questioning is not a poo-poo of community college teaching, nor is it about putting down composition teaching. No. However, I am starting to wonder if teaching--the performance, the leech-suck drain, the grading...argh, the grading--is for me in the long haul.

This is not a soul-searching moment, nor is it that big of a deal. Really, though, I just want to consider what MIGHT be my other options.

So, I talked to my boss at PP and told her that I was considering making the transition from volunteer to employee status. She was quite receptive to this, much to my delight! She said she would work with me over the next few weeks to brainstorm good positions for me to then watch for. Today, we discussed Public Affairs, which she thinks I would be perfect for. I agree: lobbying, field organizing, policy writing, research, and editing; public speaking and motivating, etc.

She gave me "homework": make a list of the type(s) of work I would want to do, the skills I would like to develop, what my ideal work days would look like, and what I would NOT want to do.

If I made the transition out of teaching, here it is:

I want to:
-work with people
-to organize and create projects
-to write
-to research
-to problem solve
-to have a direct, positive impact on the lives of everyday people
-to have the dynamic, changing relationship to small and large groups of people, similar to what I enjoy about teaching
-to grow and be mentored AND to mentor others
-to travel to conferences

I would NOT want to:
-teach, so no community outreach educator positions.
-to sit in front of a computer all day, every day.
-to be isolated.

My ideal work day:
In by 9, out by 6 or so. Some weekends and overtime is fine.
Mixture of meetings, researching, working on data, creating and editing projects, writing--a good mixture of alone time to work and focus and people time to develop, refine, brainstorm, rally, and work together.

I am not giving up on my teaching life. It's a good life, and I love love love my students and the help I can offer them. I guess I just want to see where this volunteer "in" that I've bought myself will take me.... The PP of my state is merging with two other states in order to form a PNW affiliate, as of Nov 1st. This merger will most likely create new jobs, hence, my desire to be ready for options.

Options.