well i'll just lump all of my various jobs into one (a couple at school, some on my own, and then a summer job doing what i love--video). Overall, I'll go with 95% love, 5% hate.
A guy who used to be on my teaching team retired last year from teaching 7th grade Social Studies (American History). After being retired for a year, he now wants to come back to teaching. He misses the kids, and he was good at what he did. Also, his wife's business had a reversal and now he needs the money.
He told me that more and more large companies are getting rid of benefits, or are hiring lots of part-time workers so they can avoid offering medical insurance and pensions. He said that, all in all, teaching is a pretty good job.
Of course he doesn't teach English. Only masochists teach English below university level in America today.
More stuff I like about my job:
I like the people with whom I teach. When you think about it, certain kinds of people go into teaching. They are generally outgoing and social; they are brave enough to get in front of a group and speak (including to rooms full of adults, like parents); they have to plan ahead and be organized; they have to be resourceful, flexible and good-humored. They have to like kids and have a certain amount of patience. And lots more. Whenever the kids are gone and we have staff development days, I always feel a bit in awe when I realize anew the kind of people I work with everyday.
Of course, I don't actually work *WITH* them, exactly, because we're stuck off in our own classrooms, doing our own thing. But each of the 50-60 teachers in my school is the kind of person I described above. I feel privileged and fortunate to be a part of such a group. Plus I'm in one of the best, most attractive schools in the state. heh.
My classroom door opens onto a green area, with huge shade trees, grass, and birds singing all day long. We have a squirrel that lives in the roof overhang. He lounges, with arms folded, on top of one of the sidewalk pillars during my afternoon classes.
As a teacher of young teens, I use a LOT of psychological skills and techniques. It's a real challenge. What has given me *tremendous* satisfaction this year is that all the kids who get suspended and are in constant trouble for one thing or another elsewhere, get along with me just fine and do well in my class. heh heh. (What can I say? ...the master at work. )
The reason I have gone on and on about teaching is that in almost every group there is someone who has seriously considered going into the profession. So I throw in a few extra pertinent details to help them with their decision.
Teaching is NOT an easy job. It has more than its share of stress. But it can be *tremendously* rewarding. You really can change people's lives in significant ways.
Carol A, hat's off to you and all educators the world over. It's an indication (a sorry one at that...) of sorts that teachers in the USA are not given their proper and earned financial due.
I work as an independent contractor for a security and protection service. I've been fortunate(hmmm...) enough to have established myself with the upper income segment of society. As such, I get to see first hand how disconnected so many of the wealthy are from middle-class(and below...) Joe and Jane America. It's very funny and very tragic at the same time. I enjoy my work very much, get paid well and consider myself to be one lucky son of a gun.
I also work in East Los Angeles(a pre-dominantly Mexican/American area) on my spare time helping ex-gang bangers work their way to mainstream life again. Very satisfying work. Despite being blond haired and blue eyed, I get respect because I give it as well as not taking sh*t from anyone.
As a teacher of young teens, I use a LOT of psychological skills and techniques. It's a real challenge. What has given me *tremendous* satisfaction this year is that all the kids who get suspended and are in constant trouble for one thing or another elsewhere, get along with me just fine and do well in my class. heh heh. (What can I say? ...the master at work. )
Flash a little leg when they score well on a test?
Seriously though, topless tutors is brilliant. If only our society wasn't so stupid and insane about sexuality...
I get to see some very distressed people get better through lots of hard work. It's a very satisfying position to be in...
Part I hate:
Having to play "chicken" with some very distressed people. Getting paged at all hours of the night only to hope they make the "wise" decision about engaging in self-harm behaviors.... It can be scary and draining sometimes...
I can't do percentages because right now I'm very excited about doing this work again. Get me on a bad day, and I'm sure I'll feel differently.
What I love about my job is that I get to help cure cancer. The other part I love about it is that it's very technical. I get to be a in a position where people rely on my expertise and ask my advice on the best way to get a patient treatment done. Some days I get more patient interaction than others. It's about the right mix considering some patients aint all that nice.
The part I hate about it is that we're understaffed. We have one open position that we're trying to fill. After that IMO we need to create one more position and fill that (how 'bout we do that right now!). Then they are thinking of adding new equipment so we'll need to put our foot down and demand nonnegotiable FTEs for it. (oh **** I know what an FTE is).
Plus I get to fit in some research. But it's hard to do when we're understaffed.
I'm a programmer for a hospital and lately our projects have become insane! I use to be an AIX administrator but we since moved our servers to our sister hospital and are running everything remotely. Now they moved me to a programmer position writting code for these stupid apps in an archaic language. I HATE IT!!! I work 10+ hours a day. I'm on call all the time since the hospital never shuts down plus weekend. I'm thinking about giving it all up to become a teacher. I think I would enjoy a less stressful job that actually had some fullfillment. I have a BS in CS. What else do I need to become a teacher?
Hi Trailmaster -
When you say you'd like a less stressful job and mention 'teaching' in that context, I have to laugh. heeheehaha. Okay, merriment over. (brief, huh? )
I'm reminded of the cartoon I found somewhere and put in all the teachers' mailboxes at school. It pictured two air-traffic controllers in a control tower, with planes flying everywhere in the sky. One controller looks especially frazzled, and the other says to him (regarding the intense and unrelenting stress): "You think *this* is bad? I used to teach junior high!!!" (hahaha) We all loved that cartoon. It's a jr. high classic.
BUT, Trailmaster, if you have good classroom discipline, are FAIR, AND like kids, teaching jr. high would be great. You'd love it. The kids are impressionable, as I said earlier, and because of that, you can really influence them in positive ways, by what you say, and even by the kind of person you are.
What could be better in the *world* than having parents come to conferences to tell you that YOU changed their kid's life, that YOU took an unmotivated slug and somehow turned him into a seemingly completely different person, with energy, goals and tenacity. Parents have actually told me this, to my utter amazement and delight. And when I protested that yes, indeed, our school has some wonderful programs, the parent would say, "NO! It was YOU that changed him!" What can one do then, but smile happily and wonder what it was I 'did' or 'said' that accomplished such a miracle?
Anyway, with a BS in computer science, you would be "highly qualified" to teach 7th-12th grade science classes, or computer classes, of course.
Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy has been changing things in schools. They USED to put any warm body with a teaching certificate in ANY class, and tell that person they should be able to teach ANY subject. That might hold true for elementary school, but not really for secondary (gr. 7-12). NOW, the term "highly qualified" designates the kind of teacher that is sought. I think that means 24 hrs. in your subject field. I'm not sure exactly what 18 hrs. would mean; maybe that would count too, since that would be a minor. I have a minor in Russian, and wouldn't mind teaching that.
You could probably even teach in a jr. college with your BS in CS. Normally, jr. colleges prefer master's degrees; but in a technical area, I would imagine a BS would be acceptable. Requirements vary from state to state and city to city. And you can even be hired instantly on an emergency certificate if a school district needs you badly enough. Then you have to start taking some education classes.
I graduated with a BA in English and a minor in Russian, and NO plans EVER to teach. I never considered teaching as a career for even two seconds when I was in college; mainly because 95% of my sorority sisters were education majors, and I didn't have especially high regard for their study habits or their interest in academia in general. Pretty snobbish maybe. (shrug)
But life in the "real world" quickly showed me the uselessness of an English degree, so I took all the education classes post-bacc. - 18 hrs. of education classes in one semester. hahaha - the sheer horror of it
But, I was highly motivated to learn whatever those classes had to teach me, because by April of that semester, I already had five job offers to teach secondary English - jobs that started in Sept. So I had to student teach in the summer (Senior Composition to incoming seniors).
But, Trailmaster, as I said, you might be able to be hired on the spot and be in a classroom right away, depending on where you are, how desperate the schools are, and what programs the universities have devised to expedite knowledgeable technical people into the classroom.
Also, if you know anyone in the schools, you could take a day off and spend a few hours in that person's classroom (pre-arranged, with permission from the principal), just to see what things are like these days. If you could spend a few hours at each level (jr. high, high school, jr. college), that would help you make your decision.
To teach jr. college, you probably wouldn't have to take ANY education classes...and I don't think you even need a teaching certificate for that level, but I could be wrong.
Sounds like your job really sucks. The pay in teaching has become a little better than it used to be. Some states pay MUCH better than others. But then, some states have higher cost of living than others. And, you have summers off , so you could do consulting or temp. work during those months to boost your income. (I just saw the movie "Dave" again. What a great movie...speaking of temp. work )
I'm an IT consultant. I'm working on projects mostly for DaimlerChrysler. In my previous project, I worked on site at the german DC headquarter. Currently, I'm envolved in a project that will replace Mercedes' current european web applications.
The pros:
+ Working on projects offers a lot of variety: New challenges, new technologies, new customers, new coworkers every year or so. So no (or at least not much) daily routine work
+ In the current project, we have a great team
+ As I'm often working on internet projects now, I can later show the results to my family and friends: I was involved in this or that website. Before that, my job was rather intangible for them ("you work with computers, huh"?)
The cons:
+ Stress / workload. The project schedules always seem to get tougher, the competition gets more fierce ("offshore development" is a well known buzz word now). I'm currently working 10+ hours a day, some weekends, too ...
+ The future gets more and more unclear (see offshore).
Love: about 70%, hate: 30%
Job I'd like to have: My job with a workload from 7 years ago
Hi GSpotter -
I thought what you said was very interesting. But what continually amazes me about your posts is that your English is just SO flawless. You 'are' a native-born German, aren't you? And if so, how have you managed to learn to speak English so incredibly fluently? There is just NO way to tell that your first language wasn't English. I'm SO impressed.
i'm a programmer for a real estate company. sometimes i really hate it, sometimes i really like it. there are some things that are really awesome about it, but the money aint so grand. they make up for it, in general, with drinking. people's birthdays, tuesdays, software upgrades, fridays: these are just some of the many occassions to drink. and when the boss comes out, then its all on the company dollar. the work aspect of the job is ok. like, i'm getting into a lot of interesting technologies, adn i'm expanding myself and my knowledge a lot. for a while i was annoyed, cuz i felt like i wasn't doing any work all day (i wasn't complaining or anything, but if i dont do anything then i can't prove to them that i deserve to be paid more); so now they've got a ton of projects on my desk . i almost like that. another cool thing about work is the people. the money is still an issue tho, so i'd say its like like:dis 60:40. if i can find a bigger check, i'll move pretty quickly; but i'm not actively seeking it out anymore.
I work at the U of MN's science and engineering library. It's very boring and repetitive, but that doesn't bother me nearly as much as it bothers many people. My hours are very flexible, most of my coworkers are really nice, and I don't have to work too hard - much of my time is spent sitting at the main desk waiting for someone to come ask a question or check out a book. On Sunday nights like tonight (6-12 shift), it's common for not even one person to approach the desk or even put a book in the book drop. Everyone just comes in to study.
Sometimes I shelve books, or pick up and sort the mail. Yeah, very boring, but quiet and easy as well. What's funny is sometimes when I'm shelving books, I'll see kids on the computer terminals looking at porn. It's funny to see them when they don't realize anyone is watching. That isn't common though.
I thought what you said was very interesting. But what continually amazes me about your posts is that your English is just SO flawless. You 'are' a native-born German, aren't you? And if so, how have you managed to learn to speak English so incredibly fluently? There is just NO way to tell that your first language wasn't English. I'm SO impressed.
Thank you for the compliments. I have no english roots in my family tree (AFAIK). My first foreign language was french (but due to much less training later, it's not really good anymore).
I started english in my 7th school year (We have a different school systems than yours, so I'm never sure about the junior/senior stuff etc.). From 11th to 13th (final) year , I had english as one of my majors (and did the years best final exam of my school). Our area got cable TV rather early, so I had a chance to watch english TV stations showing american series (took a while to understand Charlie's Angels ...).
I visited the US on 6 trips (partly business, partly vacation) for about 11 weeks altogether.
And finally, in my field, I have to read a lot of english texts and nowadays speak more english (as we do some offshore development with russians which do not speak german, but english).
And I forgot: reading and writing on AppleInsider helps too ;-)
Thank you for the compliments. I have no english roots in my family tree (AFAIK). My first foreign language was french (but due to much less training later, it's not really good anymore).
I started english in my 7th school year (We have a different school systems than yours, so I'm never sure about the junior/senior stuff etc.). From 11th to 13th (final) year , I had english as one of my majors (and did the years best final exam of my school). Our area got cable TV rather early, so I had a chance to watch english TV stations showing american series (took a while to understand Charlie's Angels ...).
I visited the US on 6 trips (partly business, partly vacation) for about 11 weeks altogether.
And finally, in my field, I have to read a lot of english texts and nowadays speak more english (as we do some offshore development with russians which do not speak german, but english).
And I forgot: reading and writing on AppleInsider helps too ;-)
To sum it up, it's just a matter of training.
Well, your use of common expressions is amazingly fluent. I just can't get over it. I'm not surprised you did the best final exam in your school. Has no one ever remarked about your fluency before? I mean, on this board, for example?
I took two years of high school French, four years of high school Latin, four years of university Russian, and I picked up Spanish as a child living in Mexico for 3 years. So I'm well aware of what it's like to deal with a foreign language.
I would give anything to have your fluency in another language. I think I'd love to be fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. I think it's an incredibly sexy language - though perhaps not very practical. I used to listen to German language tapes when I'd sunbathe by the pool. A German who actually heard me speak a sentence or two laughed at me and said I spoke German with an Austrian accent. Oh well. I'd love to speak fluent French, German and Japanese. But I could never be as fluent as you are in English. haha
I always enjoy the differences in British English vs. American English. Like 'whilst' (that always kills me - it sounds so quaint ) And they always say 'as' instead of 'since' (eg. "As I'm already awake, I might as well get up".) And "I was sat at the table", instead of "I was sitting at the table". That one sounds *very* strange to me.
I'm not surprised you did the best final exam in your school.
Actually, I hated it: Normally, it was only a written exam. Only when your exam results differ too much from your recent exam average, you got into an additional oral exam. My results didn't differ too much, but as I had the best results, they called me in 'for reference'.
Quote:
Has no one ever remarked about your fluency before? I mean, on this board, for example?
Nope. Seems like you're the first english teacher here. When visiting a project in New Jersey some years ago, one of the consultants told me that my english is rather good.
Quote:
... four years of high school Latin
Ah, I forgot: I also had 3 years latin, too. But I forgot (repressed) most Latin. Only the first sentence we had to translate, is for some odd reasons burned into my brain: "Incolae romae non indigenae sunt, sed advenae ex asia"..
Quote:
I think I'd love to be fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. I think it's an incredibly sexy language
When I read 'sexy language', I always have to think of the movie "A fish called wanda" where John Cleese starts speaking russian...
Quote:
A German who actually heard me speak a sentence or two laughed at me and said I spoke German with an Austrian accent.
The californian gouvernator speaks german (and english) with an austrian accent, too. So you're not alone. BTW, when speaking english, you could hear my german accent. But at least, I won't say "Ahhl be baack".
And finally, after hijacking this thread, coming back to the topic: I also like the opportunities to improve my english on my job.
Ah, I forgot: I also had 3 years latin, too. But I forgot (repressed) most Latin. Only the first sentence we had to translate, is for some odd reasons burned into my brain: "Incolae romae non indigenae sunt, sed advenae ex asia".
Yeah..."Arma virumque cano..." - know what ya mean. Unfortunately, after all that Latin, I never was very good at translating the motto that many universities, etc., have. It never seemed fair somehow. I mean, what other chance does one ever have to actually 'use' Latin for something practical? But my translation never seemed to turn out with the exact motto the uni intended. Sigh.
Quote:
The californian gouvernator speaks german (and english) with an austrian accent, too. So you're not alone.
Yeah, but he doesn't sound so great, does he? Certainly don't want 'him' for my role model.
I may have mentioned on another thread a few months ago that my great, great grandparents (on my mother's side) came to America from Germany. So I'm part German, part Irish, part Finnish, and must have tons of relatives in Europe - but I don't know anything about any of them. Strange, huh?
I don't like the pace. Anymore. It was nice at the beginning, a break from from my previous job. Working as a paramedic in a 911 center in a mixed rural/resort area. Answering phones, telling people where to go, it's getting old.
Back in school now, finishing up some expired prereqs to enter nursing school. Also working on the last 21 credits for a BS in Biology.
I saw someone above in medic school, very worthwhile. I enjoyed most of the 14 years I spent in the field, and it sounds like you will too.
Looking to find a place in a busy ER, and maybe some agency or travel nursing later on.
My current job is always good for studying or just goofing off. Plenty of down time or QAT.
Comments
I love that I am self-employed.
I hate that my boss is such an a**hole.
8)
He told me that more and more large companies are getting rid of benefits, or are hiring lots of part-time workers so they can avoid offering medical insurance and pensions. He said that, all in all, teaching is a pretty good job.
Of course he doesn't teach English. Only masochists teach English below university level in America today.
More stuff I like about my job:
I like the people with whom I teach. When you think about it, certain kinds of people go into teaching. They are generally outgoing and social; they are brave enough to get in front of a group and speak (including to rooms full of adults, like parents); they have to plan ahead and be organized; they have to be resourceful, flexible and good-humored. They have to like kids and have a certain amount of patience. And lots more. Whenever the kids are gone and we have staff development days, I always feel a bit in awe when I realize anew the kind of people I work with everyday.
Of course, I don't actually work *WITH* them, exactly, because we're stuck off in our own classrooms, doing our own thing. But each of the 50-60 teachers in my school is the kind of person I described above. I feel privileged and fortunate to be a part of such a group. Plus I'm in one of the best, most attractive schools in the state. heh.
My classroom door opens onto a green area, with huge shade trees, grass, and birds singing all day long. We have a squirrel that lives in the roof overhang. He lounges, with arms folded, on top of one of the sidewalk pillars during my afternoon classes.
As a teacher of young teens, I use a LOT of psychological skills and techniques. It's a real challenge. What has given me *tremendous* satisfaction this year is that all the kids who get suspended and are in constant trouble for one thing or another elsewhere, get along with me just fine and do well in my class. heh heh.
The reason I have gone on and on about teaching is that in almost every group there is someone who has seriously considered going into the profession. So I throw in a few extra pertinent details to help them with their decision.
Teaching is NOT an easy job. It has more than its share of stress. But it can be *tremendously* rewarding. You really can change people's lives in significant ways.
I work as an independent contractor for a security and protection service. I've been fortunate(hmmm...) enough to have established myself with the upper income segment of society. As such, I get to see first hand how disconnected so many of the wealthy are from middle-class(and below...) Joe and Jane America. It's very funny and very tragic at the same time. I enjoy my work very much, get paid well and consider myself to be one lucky son of a gun.
I also work in East Los Angeles(a pre-dominantly Mexican/American area) on my spare time helping ex-gang bangers work their way to mainstream life again. Very satisfying work. Despite being blond haired and blue eyed, I get respect because I give it as well as not taking sh*t from anyone.
Originally posted by Carol A
As a teacher of young teens, I use a LOT of psychological skills and techniques. It's a real challenge. What has given me *tremendous* satisfaction this year is that all the kids who get suspended and are in constant trouble for one thing or another elsewhere, get along with me just fine and do well in my class. heh heh.
Flash a little leg when they score well on a test?
Seriously though, topless tutors is brilliant. If only our society wasn't so stupid and insane about sexuality...
I get to see some very distressed people get better through lots of hard work. It's a very satisfying position to be in...
Part I hate:
Having to play "chicken" with some very distressed people. Getting paged at all hours of the night only to hope they make the "wise" decision about engaging in self-harm behaviors.... It can be scary and draining sometimes...
I can't do percentages because right now I'm very excited about doing this work again. Get me on a bad day, and I'm sure I'll feel differently.
The part I hate about it is that we're understaffed. We have one open position that we're trying to fill. After that IMO we need to create one more position and fill that (how 'bout we do that right now!). Then they are thinking of adding new equipment so we'll need to put our foot down and demand nonnegotiable FTEs for it. (oh **** I know what an FTE is).
Plus I get to fit in some research. But it's hard to do when we're understaffed.
Originally posted by trailmaster308
Currently:
Hate 90%
Love 10%
I'm a programmer for a hospital and lately our projects have become insane! I use to be an AIX administrator but we since moved our servers to our sister hospital and are running everything remotely. Now they moved me to a programmer position writting code for these stupid apps in an archaic language. I HATE IT!!! I work 10+ hours a day. I'm on call all the time since the hospital never shuts down plus weekend. I'm thinking about giving it all up to become a teacher. I think I would enjoy a less stressful job that actually had some fullfillment. I have a BS in CS. What else do I need to become a teacher?
Hi Trailmaster -
When you say you'd like a less stressful job and mention 'teaching' in that context, I have to laugh. heeheehaha. Okay, merriment over. (brief, huh?
I'm reminded of the cartoon I found somewhere and put in all the teachers' mailboxes at school. It pictured two air-traffic controllers in a control tower, with planes flying everywhere in the sky. One controller looks especially frazzled, and the other says to him (regarding the intense and unrelenting stress): "You think *this* is bad? I used to teach junior high!!!" (hahaha) We all loved that cartoon. It's a jr. high classic.
BUT, Trailmaster, if you have good classroom discipline, are FAIR, AND like kids, teaching jr. high would be great. You'd love it. The kids are impressionable, as I said earlier, and because of that, you can really influence them in positive ways, by what you say, and even by the kind of person you are.
What could be better in the *world* than having parents come to conferences to tell you that YOU changed their kid's life, that YOU took an unmotivated slug and somehow turned him into a seemingly completely different person, with energy, goals and tenacity. Parents have actually told me this, to my utter amazement and delight. And when I protested that yes, indeed, our school has some wonderful programs, the parent would say, "NO! It was YOU that changed him!" What can one do then, but smile happily and wonder what it was I 'did' or 'said' that accomplished such a miracle?
Anyway, with a BS in computer science, you would be "highly qualified" to teach 7th-12th grade science classes, or computer classes, of course.
Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy has been changing things in schools. They USED to put any warm body with a teaching certificate in ANY class, and tell that person they should be able to teach ANY subject. That might hold true for elementary school, but not really for secondary (gr. 7-12). NOW, the term "highly qualified" designates the kind of teacher that is sought. I think that means 24 hrs. in your subject field. I'm not sure exactly what 18 hrs. would mean; maybe that would count too, since that would be a minor. I have a minor in Russian, and wouldn't mind teaching that.
You could probably even teach in a jr. college with your BS in CS. Normally, jr. colleges prefer master's degrees; but in a technical area, I would imagine a BS would be acceptable. Requirements vary from state to state and city to city. And you can even be hired instantly on an emergency certificate if a school district needs you badly enough. Then you have to start taking some education classes.
I graduated with a BA in English and a minor in Russian, and NO plans EVER to teach. I never considered teaching as a career for even two seconds when I was in college; mainly because 95% of my sorority sisters were education majors, and I didn't have especially high regard for their study habits or their interest in academia in general. Pretty snobbish maybe. (shrug)
But life in the "real world" quickly showed me the uselessness of an English degree, so I took all the education classes post-bacc. - 18 hrs. of education classes in one semester. hahaha - the sheer horror of it
But, I was highly motivated to learn whatever those classes had to teach me, because by April of that semester, I already had five job offers to teach secondary English - jobs that started in Sept. So I had to student teach in the summer (Senior Composition to incoming seniors).
But, Trailmaster, as I said, you might be able to be hired on the spot and be in a classroom right away, depending on where you are, how desperate the schools are, and what programs the universities have devised to expedite knowledgeable technical people into the classroom.
Also, if you know anyone in the schools, you could take a day off and spend a few hours in that person's classroom (pre-arranged, with permission from the principal), just to see what things are like these days. If you could spend a few hours at each level (jr. high, high school, jr. college), that would help you make your decision.
To teach jr. college, you probably wouldn't have to take ANY education classes...and I don't think you even need a teaching certificate for that level, but I could be wrong.
Sounds like your job really sucks. The pay in teaching has become a little better than it used to be. Some states pay MUCH better than others. But then, some states have higher cost of living than others. And, you have summers off
Originally posted by Akumulator
Love the fluffers
Hate the coffee
Love 95% Hate 5%
So...does your comment mean that you work in the porn industry?
Originally posted by GSpotter
I'm an IT consultant. I'm working on projects mostly for DaimlerChrysler. In my previous project, I worked on site at the german DC headquarter. Currently, I'm envolved in a project that will replace Mercedes' current european web applications.
The pros:
+ Working on projects offers a lot of variety: New challenges, new technologies, new customers, new coworkers every year or so. So no (or at least not much) daily routine work
+ In the current project, we have a great team
+ As I'm often working on internet projects now, I can later show the results to my family and friends: I was involved in this or that website. Before that, my job was rather intangible for them ("you work with computers, huh"?)
The cons:
+ Stress / workload. The project schedules always seem to get tougher, the competition gets more fierce ("offshore development" is a well known buzz word now). I'm currently working 10+ hours a day, some weekends, too ...
+ The future gets more and more unclear (see offshore).
Love: about 70%, hate: 30%
Job I'd like to have: My job with a workload from 7 years ago
Hi GSpotter -
I thought what you said was very interesting. But what continually amazes me about your posts is that your English is just SO flawless. You 'are' a native-born German, aren't you? And if so, how have you managed to learn to speak English so incredibly fluently? There is just NO way to tell that your first language wasn't English. I'm SO impressed.
Sometimes I shelve books, or pick up and sort the mail. Yeah, very boring, but quiet and easy as well. What's funny is sometimes when I'm shelving books, I'll see kids on the computer terminals looking at porn. It's funny to see them when they don't realize anyone is watching. That isn't common though.
I'd say about 65% love, 35% hate.
Love 20%
Hate 80%
I do love my hours, salary, and the IT projects I work on. I hate everything else. My company is heavy into office politics.
I would love to become a full time programmer, but I can't seem to make the plunge (i.e, changing careers and taking a $20,000 pay cut).
Dave
Originally posted by Carol A
Hi GSpotter -
I thought what you said was very interesting. But what continually amazes me about your posts is that your English is just SO flawless. You 'are' a native-born German, aren't you? And if so, how have you managed to learn to speak English so incredibly fluently? There is just NO way to tell that your first language wasn't English. I'm SO impressed.
Thank you for the compliments.
I started english in my 7th school year (We have a different school systems than yours, so I'm never sure about the junior/senior stuff etc.). From 11th to 13th (final) year , I had english as one of my majors (and did the years best final exam of my school). Our area got cable TV rather early, so I had a chance to watch english TV stations showing american series (took a while to understand Charlie's Angels ...).
I visited the US on 6 trips (partly business, partly vacation) for about 11 weeks altogether.
And finally, in my field, I have to read a lot of english texts and nowadays speak more english (as we do some offshore development with russians which do not speak german, but english).
And I forgot: reading and writing on AppleInsider helps too ;-)
To sum it up, it's just a matter of training.
Originally posted by GSpotter
Thank you for the compliments.
I started english in my 7th school year (We have a different school systems than yours, so I'm never sure about the junior/senior stuff etc.). From 11th to 13th (final) year , I had english as one of my majors (and did the years best final exam of my school). Our area got cable TV rather early, so I had a chance to watch english TV stations showing american series (took a while to understand Charlie's Angels ...).
I visited the US on 6 trips (partly business, partly vacation) for about 11 weeks altogether.
And finally, in my field, I have to read a lot of english texts and nowadays speak more english (as we do some offshore development with russians which do not speak german, but english).
And I forgot: reading and writing on AppleInsider helps too ;-)
To sum it up, it's just a matter of training.
Well, your use of common expressions is amazingly fluent. I just can't get over it. I'm not surprised you did the best final exam in your school. Has no one ever remarked about your fluency before? I mean, on this board, for example?
I took two years of high school French, four years of high school Latin, four years of university Russian, and I picked up Spanish as a child living in Mexico for 3 years. So I'm well aware of what it's like to deal with a foreign language.
I would give anything to have your fluency in another language. I think I'd love to be fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. I think it's an incredibly sexy language - though perhaps not very practical. I used to listen to German language tapes when I'd sunbathe by the pool. A German who actually heard me speak a sentence or two laughed at me and said I spoke German with an Austrian accent.
I always enjoy the differences in British English vs. American English. Like 'whilst'
Anyway, congratulations on being so skilled.
1. Bachelor of Information systems at school. It's OK, I need the papers.
Hate: 75. Love: 25.
2. Three hours a day part time job at a local IT company as a consultant.
Love: 90 - Easy money
Hate: 10 - A little bit boring
3. Owner of a design company with international partners.
Love: 90 - Really fun
Hate: 10 (oo much work! Not uncommon to be awake 24/48 hours. Really exhausting.
4. Owner of a music store
Love: 100 - Started with a friend because we're both tired of the pressing IT industry. Still pure fun.
Cheers
Originally posted by Carol A
I'm not surprised you did the best final exam in your school.
Actually, I hated it: Normally, it was only a written exam. Only when your exam results differ too much from your recent exam average, you got into an additional oral exam. My results didn't differ too much, but as I had the best results, they called me in 'for reference'.
Has no one ever remarked about your fluency before? I mean, on this board, for example?
Nope. Seems like you're the first english teacher here.
... four years of high school Latin
Ah, I forgot: I also had 3 years latin, too. But I forgot (repressed) most Latin. Only the first sentence we had to translate, is for some odd reasons burned into my brain: "Incolae romae non indigenae sunt, sed advenae ex asia"..
I think I'd love to be fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. I think it's an incredibly sexy language
When I read 'sexy language', I always have to think of the movie "A fish called wanda" where John Cleese starts speaking russian...
A German who actually heard me speak a sentence or two laughed at me and said I spoke German with an Austrian accent.
The californian gouvernator speaks german (and english) with an austrian accent, too. So you're not alone.
And finally, after hijacking this thread, coming back to the topic: I also like the opportunities to improve my english on my job.
Originally posted by Gusto
I have three jobs and university in the day time.
1. Bachelor of Information systems at school. It's OK, I need the papers.
Hate: 75. Love: 25.
2. Three hours a day part time job at a local IT company as a consultant.
Love: 90 - Easy money
Hate: 10 - A little bit boring
3. Owner of a design company with international partners.
Love: 90 - Really fun
Hate: 10 (oo much work! Not uncommon to be awake 24/48 hours. Really exhausting.
4. Owner of a music store
Love: 100 - Started with a friend because we're both tired of the pressing IT industry. Still pure fun.
Cheers
Well, Gusto, when do you find time to eat and sleep? Oh, I forgot; you *don't* sleep.
Is the music store an actual building, or is it an online-type music store?
Originally posted by GSpotter
Ah, I forgot: I also had 3 years latin, too. But I forgot (repressed) most Latin. Only the first sentence we had to translate, is for some odd reasons burned into my brain: "Incolae romae non indigenae sunt, sed advenae ex asia".
Yeah..."Arma virumque cano..." - know what ya mean. Unfortunately, after all that Latin, I never was very good at translating the motto that many universities, etc., have. It never seemed fair somehow. I mean, what other chance does one ever have to actually 'use' Latin for something practical? But my translation never seemed to turn out with the exact motto the uni intended. Sigh.
The californian gouvernator speaks german (and english) with an austrian accent, too. So you're not alone.
Yeah, but he doesn't sound so great, does he?
I may have mentioned on another thread a few months ago that my great, great grandparents (on my mother's side) came to America from Germany. So I'm part German, part Irish, part Finnish, and must have tons of relatives in Europe - but I don't know anything about any of them.
Back in school now, finishing up some expired prereqs to enter nursing school. Also working on the last 21 credits for a BS in Biology.
I saw someone above in medic school, very worthwhile. I enjoyed most of the 14 years I spent in the field, and it sounds like you will too.
Looking to find a place in a busy ER, and maybe some agency or travel nursing later on.
My current job is always good for studying or just goofing off. Plenty of down time or QAT.