Seasons of Change

Here’s a fact:

Around the age of ten, I decided that teaching would never be a part of my career path. The noise and confusion of a classroom, the frequent disrespect students showed to adults and to each other, the incomprehensible math lessons…Even teaching art, my favourite subject, had no appeal. This feeling did not change through the years of high school and university.

Here’s another fact:

I’ve worked as an educator for the past six years.

A brief explanation

Moving back to my parents’ home after graduating had not been my original plan, but various health and personal issues prevented me from staying in the city where I’d attended university. Like the majority of 20-something Canadians, I had student loans that needed repaying. I wanted to be a writer, but I had nothing ready to publish; editing sounded wonderful, but required more study, which I was too burned out to pursue. There were service and cashier positions available locally, but nothing accessible to someone with my disabilities.

I resented the feeling of being trapped in place while the interest accumulated on my student debt, so when I found a job posting for an outdoor education position, I applied.

And I got the job! It paid more than minimum wage, it was nearby, and my coworkers were happy to accommodate my needs.

Six years on, I still enjoy it. I also have a new job, where I (ironically) teach art a few hours each week.

However…

Two part-time jobs, fun as they are, don’t close the gap between my dreams and the reality I find myself in. I don’t have any dental or medical insurance (beyond the bare basics included in OHIP). I wouldn’t be able to afford rent anywhere near where I work even if I could get full-time hours. And I have to consider how more work could affect my health: would there be more physical demands? Sensory overload? Limited break time?

I’m hardly the only person facing a situation like this. The use of food banks in Canada has increased 90% in just 5 years, and affordable homes are scarce.

I have the privilege of being able to live with my family, and I am – slowly – saving up for a home. How long I’ll have to wait isn’t clear, but while I wait, I can chose how to fill my time. I can build my skills and revisit old ideas.

After a summer of frustrating research, I dropped my pursuit of ESL and other teaching jobs. I’ve decided to return to one of my earlier career plans: editing. Of all the so-called ‘unstable’ jobs my humanities degree prepared me for, this seems like the best fit. I’m currently halfway through a class offered through the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, with the aim of finishing their 3-part copyediting course in the coming months. You, dear readers, will be the first to know when I’ve received my certification.

I have a number of other ideas for this new part of my career, including how I might create more content to promote my services as an editor.

It’ll be strange to return to public social media after years of keeping things private, but the content I have in mind is too much fun not to share. Look out for my next post to learn exactly what I have in mind.