Hi Blind, Can’t help sometimes but feel like im wasting my talents by being a teacher. I tutor in the wealthy DC suburbs and pull about $200k a year through my small business. Sometimes, I feel trapped in my current positin and like I really don’t I want to do this forever. However, when interviewing, the best offer I’ve received has been $74k per year working for department of defense. I just can’t justify that kind of pay cut. I just feel like I screwed up by majoring in chemistry at solid state college followed by materials at top online program. I had solid grades, but the marker for semiconductor engineers is just doo-doo. I have some pretty impressive stats otherwise. 1600 SAT score 800s on math II, chemistry, and physics subjecy tests 168 Q GRE score 163 V Could probably clear 750 on GMAT if i took it tomorrow. Business school just seems like a joke/waste of time/drinking the cool aide. The idea of walking away from $200k a year to spend $100k each year seems like an opportunity cost I’d never recoup. Anyone find themselves in a similar position? Have any pivot ideas? Consulting seems to be the only opportunity that comes to mind. Age: 28 YOE: 8 TC $200k
Ha, I used to teach GRE in DC suburbs, similar to you (but making far less). Pivoted to software.
Was your background (undergraduate degree) in software engineering?
No I did a humanities degree. Never took a CS course in my life. Started coding when I was 30 and made the switch a few years later. A bootcamp sped things up. Have you taken engineering courses? You'd pick up on it quickly with your quant background, but it will be a ton of work, and will be a long time until you reach your current TC
You stats is irrelevant once you’re outside of school. The skill impressed me most is able to pull 200k out of teaching. Watch other skill you have that can be used outside of teaching?
Not sure I have much beyond a very deep understanding of high school science and math courses. I can show up and answer any high school physics, chemistry, or math question (Up through Calc BC)- no review needed. Soft skills - I’m well spoken, great at relating to students, and understand how to market myself and the other tutors I work with. I’m also just good at getting students motivated. I’d say my students usually see 150-250 point improvements after 5-10 sessions of prep. I’m sure there’s a way to call this “leadership skills”, but I hate the sound of generic terms like that. On the technical side, I worked for a government contractor for a few years and am pretty versed in semiconductor engineering. Mainly working with Process machines and fabricating devices. I have a good knowledge of organic chemistry and basic device physics. However, both of these areas are deteriorating the longer I’m out of school. I’ve completed 85% of the python course on code academy. Will probably get back to it (and maybe another course) after the March SAT date.
What’s the market for professional certification training? You have a education business for kid, and you’re doing pretty good. I assume you’ll make more if you teach adult, given how much they charge for those classes.
Keep making and earning and saving. You make what three teachers make annually trying to educate STEM potentials. Don’t take this the wrong way but wait until you have your First real recession and cutback.
You’re saying, “wait for the recession and then cutback?” As in cut back on students and just chill a bit? Use the slow period to recoup/reevaluate?
looking at the above comments, if you realli want to switch career, mba is the best investment you could make, assuming u can get into a top program however, u seem realli good at ur job and making way above average than other teacher, so if the opty cost for mba is too high, you should think of ways to scale ur teaching business up and you'll be less involved in teaching but more in business. what you do, what you want to do, and what your good at typically don't fall in together. you're lucky to have two already.
OMSCS might make sense if you're trying to get into tech!
Wow,someone same age as me, same issues as me as well. I did contractor work and then a few campaigns. Started my own little business. But because I've been consulting / freelance since literally being 20 it has been nigh impossible to get moving. network offered me low pay like GS13-14 jobs, but it's a huge paycut and it would mean moving back to beltway. My skillset is soft skills plus blockchain analysis and large scale management. Which limits me in regards to tech industry jobs. Def following.
If your goal is to match your current TC then I do not recommend MBA. You will have to become a banker or consultant to make 200k in real money (some tech companies will get you to 200k in paper money). If you are looking for more career opportunities and fulfilling work, then try an mba. You may take a pay cut in the first few years, but you will have way more options and opportunities to make it up in the long term. Also, based on what you shared about your background, you might find it difficult to get into a top school and convert into a banker/consultant (unless you are an underrepresented minority candidate) I got an mba from a top 10 school.
Train others to do what you do, start a prep school, keep a cut if their income
what's ur small business? make it big?
I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. The income is from teaching, but also managing a few other teachers. I get I’m fortunate in that regard, but I’m getting pretty sick of factoring, balancing equations, and explaining the difference between a colon and semicolon.
Given your hours, you make only c. $45/hour. Is this really where you want to plateau? From TC perspective, going to business school will have an upfront cost of -200k but you can easily pull $300 as soon as you graduate. Run the numbers