So I have some news, and it’s probably going to freak my parents out a little bit…I decided to turn down the full-time job offer that I mentioned a few weeks ago.
The company is great, they treat their employees well, I got along well with everyone there–so why not take the job? Because it wasn’t helping me make progress toward my long-term goals, it wasn’t teaching me any new or useful skills, and it wasn’t in a field where I’d like to make a career. After weighing the benefits vs. the costs, especially the opportunity costs, it just didn’t make sense to stay.
I know what a lot of you might be thinking: “Dude, a job’s a job. In this economy, you should take it and count yourself lucky!” I reject that, though. Last year, I managed to cut my expenses to less than $950 per month. I’ve been saving up my paychecks, and I’ve got enough to float me for a couple of months until I find a job that fits better, hopefully part-time.
The big thing I’m worried about is whether I’m digging myself into a hole. Since graduating in April 2010, here are the jobs I’ve held:
- Conducting unsolicited phone interviews at a call center.
- Picking, packing, and shipping at a costume company warehouse.
- Delivering phone books from my car.
- Miscellaneous unskilled labor at a candy factory.
- Miscellaneous unskilled labor at an alarm company warehouse.
- Processing inventory and shipments at an alarm company warehouse.
So yeah, nothing all that great. I’ve been doing some volunteer stuff in the interim, though, especially with Leading Edge and the “class that wouldn’t die” article from last year. But in general, it feels like I’m getting stuck in a rut, and that the longer I stay stuck, the harder it’s going to be to break out.
What I really want is something that will expand my mind and/or give me another major cultural experience. That’s why I’m thinking seriously again about teaching English abroad. But grad school is definitely another attractive option, especially if it gives me a chance to work on my Arabic.
With that in mind, here are the options I’m considering right now:
- Travel to the Caucasus in January and volunteer teach English with the TLG program. It’s not particularly lucrative, but if I can balance my writing career on the side while having an awesome cultural experience in a region of the world that interests me, it might be perfect.
- Study Arabic and/or Middle Eastern Studies at a university in the Middle East, ideally AUB or AUC. I don’t really want to be a security analyst, but I would love to make a career as an Arabist of some sort–provided, of course, that I could balance it with my writing.
- Pursue a graduate degree in History, Anthropology, or Sociology in the United States. I’m less sure of this option, mainly because I don’t know if I’m passionate enough about any of those subjects to really succeed at them.
- Take a chance and travel to the Middle East to teach English. I’d probably go to Jordan or Oman, where I actually know people, but Egypt, Libya, or Tunisia might be good too, especially with the Arab Spring opening them up. It might also be dangerous…but hey, at least it’s an adventure.
- Finding a graveyard desk job, like night auditor at a hotel, and use that to support myself until the writing career start to take off. Even though this is the most boring option, it’s probably the most likely one I’ll follow…which probably isn’t a good thing.
The main goal, of course, is still to go full time with the writing career. That’s like the holy grail. I’m still optimistic about that; it’s just a matter of finding something useful to do in the interim. The last thing I want is to settle, or to get stuck in a comfort zone, or lose sight of my long term goals…
…I don’t know. I’m still figuring all this stuff out. But regardless, I just don’t think working full-time at an unskilled labor job is going to get me anywhere–and that’s an opportunity cost I can’t afford to take.
I may be completely-biased (since I’m planning to go abroad to teach English myself), but I hope you take a good long look at teaching abroad. I have no doubt that you’ll meet some interesting characters, and given that you’ll be going somewhere you love, you’re also certain to get into a mindset you couldn’t around here. I’m not sure how much money you’d make (read: whether or not you’d be able to save any/much), but it looks like you’ve already considered your possible financial situations and haven’t reconsidered just yet. Regardless, good luck!!!! (Oh, and if you were to go abroad, when would you be doing so?)
Ah, I’m kind of wondering what I’ll be doing a year from now, and thinking that going to another country would be rather interesting–both as a life-changing experience and as some major writing inspiration. From this blog post, it sounds like you’re in a good position to do just that.
Hey Joe. I think you did the right thing, not taking that job. It is worth the risk. But don’t settle for something else meaningless! You don’t have to do that.
Have you thought about applying for a Fullbright teaching position? They do grants for teaching English abroad, so you wouldn’t make money, but it would cover your costs. They have programs all over the world, including the Middle East, and you don’t need a teaching degree or experience for most of them.
Also, here is my friend’s blog from Georgia: http://melissaingeorgia.wordpress.com/
I don’t know how useful it will be, she doesn’t really talk about teaching all that much. From what I can remember her telling me, Georgia is really conservative and patriarchal and passive agressive (as a general rule), which is annoying and makes it hard to live with a host family. Also, teaching there is very frustrating because you do not get a lot of help or support, and there is little structure. But, there are the usual pluses, like new foreign countries are interesting and the country is beautiful in an eastern bloc kind of way.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
@Ben — Right now, I’m thinking of going to Georgia, but really I’d like to go somewhere where I could use my Arabic. The main thing is to find some way to support myself while still giving me time to write, so time and not money is my biggest worry with studying abroad. But yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.
@Gini — Those Fulbright assistantships look really interesting; thanks for sharing. It would be way cool to go back to an Arab country, like Jordan or Oman or Egypt. I’m finishing up an online TEFL course, but I haven’t looked into job listings too much so I’m not sure how to get back over there. Georgia probably has its disadvantages, but hey it’s an adventure right?
You’ve got lots of options available to you. As someone that doesn’t have many options (me) I think you are making the correct decision in exploring everything before you settle for something that is unlikely to satisfy you. If teaching abroad is an option…that sure sounds a helluva lot funner than anything I’m doing. I say go for it Joe.
Good for you, Joe. Few people can make that choice and not pay dearly for it. I think you are one of the few that can not work full-time and still be a highly productive member of society. Many women of your age might say they want a man who has a full-time job, but I think the right woman for you doesn’t want a dead-end boring alarm company laborer. Good choice.
Thanks guys! And Malea, I totally agree–and I wouldn’t really want a girl who’d settle for that kind of a man either.