Goodbye To Engineering

I want to make choices as simple as possible. Let’s be perfectly clear: I decided it was time for a career transition. After 25 + years of working in various industries and engineering fields I executed my exit strategy:

1.     cease seeking work as an engineer

2.     rejuvenate lost interests

3.     develop career path

A) Why should I do it? I would not die from stress-related illness in a cube somewhere working as an underappreciated contract employee but it surely seemed possible! The first thing to let go of was my willingness to absorb the consequences of bad technical decisions made by others. I didn't burn out so much as I could no longer justify repression of my instinctive nature. Some things were chosen as personal preference only. It was time for my likes and dislikes to become known. It was time for my opinions to be followed. It was time for real change. I chose to not renew the professional license because frankly I was tired of mitigating blunders; I would no longer serve in a capacity where byproducts required me to have error and omission liability insurance. I could become free again!
B) When should I do it? Collapse of global economic conditions further induced my hiatus. As one who was carrying too much responsibility, I bailed out, becoming a fixture at the fitness center and devoting vast concentrations of attention to music in the church choir. Finally I reconnected with ideals of my past:

• help people
• develop spiritually
• be grateful, kind, and generous

C) Could I make it? and How would I know? I am blessed with a loving wife and family. My friends and acquaintances patiently endorsed the zeal to move forward. I was overjoyed! The salient features of making this career transition included:

1.     choose a more life-giving field

2.   update educational qualifications at school

3.     transition (return) to becoming a full-time student

Absolutely I was at the top of my game before emergance as an engineer. I dug deep and rediscovered my passion came from 9th grade math (Algebra). I was a math tutor in high school and I loved it. Eureka! That's it! I would become a math teacher! Other factors made this quest appealing:

·        Diversified industry experience like mine is rare

·        Knowledgeable math and science teachers are in high demand

·        Male teachers are in limited supply

Job-seeker awareness also applied to this career transition:

1.     I have a lot to offer (everyone does).

2.     We all wake up to our own mornings—nobody else's.

3.     At times the solution of one problem is the start of another but it is still moving forward.

I enrolled at a community college to take a (refresher) math course. I will enroll at a local college in Fall 2012 and begin earning a Masters in Education with an emphasis in math. Here are baseline requirements:

a)     Earn a Master's Degree in Education

b)    Qualify to teach upper grades (9th and above)

c)     How shall this be paid for? Scholarship? Sponsors? Out-of-pocket expense? Loans? The financial picture always influences outcome.

Pursuit of technical brilliance is over. Time for me to set new goals.