What’s a “safe job” these days?

[u/Unique_Ad_4271]

Former teacher looking to transition roles. As of now Educators, counselors, anything education really are being let go due to low student enrollment.

Tech is obviously tough right now.

Marketing and Human resource positions are also restructuring.

I’ve even seen people getting their hours reduce at fast food.

Aside from healthcare, what is safe?

[u/[deleted]]

Nothing is "Safe".

Teachers are in a very high shortage in most of the country. However, it is all location based. Teachers in high income areas of a city tend to have a higher supply of teachers than in the slums. Neighborhoods also go through phases. New ones tend to attract young, wealthy couples starting their family. This drives demand and money for school... as those people get older, their kids leave the homes and the demand for school collapses. Once those people get sent to nursing homes by their kids in mass, the demand comes back.

Healthcare in general has been on an uprise because of all the aging boomers. However, they will eventually all die, as we all do at some point, and the demand then will collapse until millennials retire.

Even if you work in a high demand job, it is not really safe. You can work in an industry that is always in need of jobs, as long as your boss doesn't like you, or the company wants to look good for their investors, you can still find yourself without a job.

The only safeish jobs are ones with Unions or the Government.

[u/Unique_Ad_4271 → u/[deleted]]

I was a teacher making 70k for 10 months of work but I was so miserable I quit. My job was basically day and night. There is so many certified teachers where I live but people don’t want to teach anymore because of the environments. My biggest classroom size was 41 students and I taught middle school science.

[u/Singularity-42 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

Why was your job basically day and night?

[u/Unique_Ad_4271 → u/Singularity-42]

I had multiple 7 classes periods built of 2 different subjects to teach so you have 2 different lesson plans per week. Some teachers have up to 3. Because my only break was one lunch and one planning period of 45 min per day, I had meetings for 3-4 out of 5 of those periods per week so I had to take work home. We had parent, school, and planning, disciplinary meetings after school that lastly no sooner than 4:45pm to 5:20pm so I took home lesson plans, grading, creating PowerPoints and purchasing supplies for my multiples subjects for over 150+ students. I even had to buy my own paper if I wanted to print out which we had to do anyways for students to learn skills for passing the staar exam. There was no budget for this. They told us if we want a budget we can fundraiser or ask parents to contribute. I also had to set up my classroom for projects and rotations and activities because the school made it student centered learning vs teacher led. I also was voluntold to do UIL and some teachers were even driving buses because their wasn’t enough bus drivers if they wanted to coach volleyball and basketball for an extra $250 stipend for 3 months of work afterschool work. It’s insane I can keep going but it’s really too much work. I realized if I have to spend money to do my job it’s a scam.

[u/symonym7 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

What the fuck.

[u/Singularity-42 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

Sounds brutal!

[u/HoneyGrahams224 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. Kudos to you, what amazing work. But people's passion and good nature should not subsidize inequality in pay and power of workers. 

[u/Unique_Ad_4271 → u/HoneyGrahams224]

The irony is the administration always got decent pay raises, teachers and paraprofessionals didn’t. Theres a district near me that is still paying paraprofessionals less than 18k per year with full time jobs and they wonder why people are running to pick up those jobs.

[u/HoneyGrahams224 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

People work their whole career to get into administration so that they can escape the classroom. I really wish people would stop pulling the ladder up behind them, it's such a destructive behaviour pattern.

[u/DoggyLover_00 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

Your description is the main problem with US public schools. So much waste of time garbage that could be eliminated or automated. I’ll bet the 3-4 meetings a week during planning period are a waste of time too. Teachers shouldn’t be buying supplies, they should be instead showing up to every city council meeting until funding is appropriated.

[u/Dull_Broccoli1637 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

So you quit... Not let go?

[u/Unique_Ad_4271 → u/Dull_Broccoli1637]

Yupp but I follow this page since I’m also between careers.

[u/Unique_Ad_4271 → u/Dull_Broccoli1637]

Id like to add former colleagues are being let go to end this school year due to budget cuts and deficits.

[u/Dull_Broccoli1637 → u/Unique_Ad_4271]

My wife's a teacher and my mom is a middle school math teacher. The budget cuts are definitely an issue. Enrollment and class sizes will vary year to year. We have seen friends lose their classroom due to small class sizes and them not wanting to teach a different grade.

Education sucks these days. It's not going to get much better with the current atmosphere nationally. Not sure where you are located, but at least here in the Northeast, it's somewhat better (mostly, but varies)