Finding a Job in Education
This is my final topic for my blog in Professional Teacher
and a topic of great interest to me. Finding a job in education is actually
something that causes me a lot of distress. In fact, it was one of the primary
reasons I decided to purchase and run my own business in 2008 instead of
finishing my undergrad degree and applying to the Faculty of Education.
In 2007 my fiancé secured employment in his chosen
profession in Brandon. This was extremely exciting for us as he works in a
competitive field and we were not anticipating that he would be able to get a
job in Brandon. However, this is also meant that we no longer had as much
mobility when it came time for me to find a job in my chosen field: education.
As the realities of home ownership and adult life set in the
naysayers who told me a career in education had limited to no job prospects made
me begin to question my career path. What if I couldn’t get a job? I cannot
tell you how many people told me I wouldn’t and this terrified me. Trying to
live on my fiancés limited salary at the time made the idea of not being able
to secure employment that much more overwhelming. A chance conversation with a
woman who owned an electrolysis business in Brandon changed everything. She
offered to sell me the business and the more I thought about it, the more sense
it made. If I couldn’t get a job in education, what was the point of continuing
to pursue it?
However, this is where the real lesson in this story begins…
I successfully acquired and ran the business, grew the
clientele base, and was able to hire an employee. However, the more time that
passed, the more I found my mind wondering about that career in education… Any
client who came in and was a teacher, I would bombard with questions. Sometimes
I would feel outright jealous of them. And as soon as I became aware of these
feelings, I became aware of something else: my true passion.
I could have successfully ran my business until I wanted to
retire. But I wasn’t doing what I loved. I never felt proud to say: “I am an electrologist”.
In fact, I often even downplayed that I owned my own business, which is silly
because it is an accomplishment worth feeling proud of. But what those feelings
were really telling me was that I just wasn’t in the right career.
Not everyone has the opportunity to change careers and
pursue doing what they love but I did. Lucky for me I had a fiancé who was
willing to support me in my endeavours and the sacrifices we had to make so I
could return to university. I also had an employee willing to buy the business
from me, which is extremely fortunate considering that small businesses can be notoriously
difficult to sell. In addition, I had a mentor who provided me with a great
deal of inspiration.
It was with this inspiration and unconditional support that
I passionately re-entered university. There is no denying that it has been a
challenge at times. But it has always been worth it. And whenever I lose sight
of why it is I sacrificed all I did to complete my education, I only need to
enter a classroom to be reminded and feel certain of my decision.
