How to Manage a Career Change (after age 40+): Part II - The Rationale

So here's the thing:  I never had a strong ambition to change my career.  As I mentioned before, I was relatively good at what I was doing as an Information Technology Project Manager and certainly had the experience to qualify for new positions that I might apply for.  The money is certainly nice and there are some really good professional challenges and rewards for following that path, but it can also be very stressful.  Yes I know - like most jobs, dumbass!  The problem for me was that there were too many degrees of separation from those who actually benefited from the end result and what my team had actually accomplished after deploying a new tool or process.

OMG - I can almost physically see some of you blinking heavily and thinking about shutting this post down!  Thanks for the buzz words, Brian!  The buzz sounds like a saw cutting through wood as I slowly fall asleep...  I apologize.  Sometimes a backstory is important.  Back off.

WHAT THE HELL AM I GOOD AT + HOW CAN I MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY!!!!

These were ultimately the words that were screaming through my head on a daily basis which started
as a gentle buzz to a bad case of Tinnitus after the 2016 presidential election.  I have to admit that the election of Donald Trump to the highest office in America had a profound impact on me and solidified my stance on a lot of issues and values.  There was a fundamental sadness and anger that I felt on November 9th, 2016.  I'm not afraid to admit these feelings even if it will alienate some friends, acquaintances and relatives.  At this point, I don't care.  I know in my heart what human decency is and I now know what it isn't.  How can someone so profoundly awful be elevated to the highest office in the country and become the most powerful person in the world of 7.7 billion people?  Why did this happen?  What is my role in why this happened?  What am I missing?

When I have experienced a severe mistake in which I have made, I either sunk deeply into my own melancholy and eventually pulled myself out in due time or I actually do some self reflection on what transpired, decide if I had any control over the situation, if I could have handled things better, and if I could have acted upon it.  The former is a process for coping and the latter is a process for learning.  I may be way off on this assessment as I'm certainly not the smartest person, but it's how I manage mistakes.  The results of the 2016 election was such a heartbreak for me, because I felt like the better candidate did not win and I knew the winner would have such a negative impact on America.  This got me thinking about me station in life and if I was contributing to the problem rather than the solution.

Being comfortable in life is a nice feeling.  I've got it made!  Steady income, nice house, two reliable vehicles, a retirement fund, etc. etc.  I started realizing through my work at Girl Scouts that there are SO many people in my town, city, region, state, country and world that are not well off without any reason beyond not being born in the right situation or the right skin color.  But, why should I care?  I'm a white, middle aged male who can sell himself and prosper no matter what.  Well educated, well spoken, affable, etc.  Shouldn't I just continue to try and make more money for the sake of making more money?  Isn't the ultimate goal to work, raise kids, and then be able to retire on the money you have earned throughout your working years?

It dawned on me after having an intimate conversation this past summer with my childhood friend, David H, that your ultimate legacy is what experiences and lessons you leave behind for your loved ones.  What do your loved ones want to remember you for and pass on to their children or loved ones?  Holy shit.  It's that simple.  Why do my strengths and skills always have to be translated into maximizing how much I earn?  Now, I am definitely self aware as an upper middle class white male that not everyone has the opportunity to take advantage of this self reflection.  There are so many people with extraordinary talents that cannot realize their potential whether it be due to debt, drug addiction, past transgressions, skin color, etc.  I get it.  OK - how do I maximize my self-worth at the same time create a lasting legacy for my children while also helping humanity so we don't re-elect an abomination of a human in Donald Trump?  No problem, right?!

A seed was planted in my head.  A very slow sprouting seed that required months and months of nurture.  My Aunt Janet tried to tell me that I would make a good teacher after we visited her this past summer in Washington D.C. while on Epic Summer Trip 2019.  She mentioned that her son (my cousin who works for the federal government) while he was fur-lowed during the government shutdown last spring, volunteered as a substitute teacher.  Why don't you do the same thing, Brian?  Apparently my mom had told me decades ago that I would make a good teacher, but I had disregarded it because I thought I had more grandiose plans for my life.  "Yes, teaching is certainly noble, but it is beneath my talent, mother.", I probably thought at the time.  I knew that I had an innate talent for engaging children (and adults for that matter) in complex concepts and breaking those concepts down into relate-able ideas where I could get the light bulb to shine above their head.   With a natural sprinkling of humor and a dash of charisma, it's just not hard for me to do.  The feedback from others started trickling in even if it was second or third hand. Unsolicited feedback from at least one degree of separation if you're removed from the conversation can make a world of difference on how you perceive yourself.  You don't always get completely honest feedback when you're the one asking for feedback.

I reached out to one of the founding father's of Starbucks, Howard Behar, via LinkedIn after the kids and I had completed our cross country trip this summer.  I was struggling.  What should I do?  There were signs pointing me in a the direction of teaching, but there was also this pull to stay on an entrepreneurial track with a potential focus on humanity.  Howard and I spoke about my professional history and my interests, etc.  Ultimately, it came down to the stupid Nike slogan of "Just Do It".  He asked me, "If it's something that you think you're good at and it fulfills the boxes in which you'll be happy, why are you trying to find excuses not to do it?"  It was definitely a catalyst, but there was still a lot of self doubt.  Aren't I destined for something greater?  Shouldn't there be a company or street named after me?  Why am I currently chasing some sort of award? 

I finally convinced myself that teaching (specifically elementary children 4-6 grade) was the right direction.  The reasons are as follows:

1. I love engaging children where they can learn and have fun at the same time.  I cannot count the number of times I have simply made up rules for a game with kids simply to have fun.  I can become the referee and coach at the same time!  Teaching isn't just learning the facts, it's about applying those facts so you understand why they're applicable in daily life.  When you can provide rules that everyone agrees upon and test those rules in simulated scenarios you never know what will happen.  Maybe the rules are broken.  Maybe the rules get changed because they're unfair!  Who knows!!!  At least we're learning and thinking critically, right?  
2. My son is now 11 years old.  I realized that he was finally understanding complex concepts which created a much more enriching dialog between the two of us.  We were finally having robust conversations about soccer and other activities which were very stimulating for both of us.  I talked to his principal about it and he completely agreed that that age was precisely the point where cognitive thought increases exponentially.  Yes - I'm not making this up!
3. Looking into secondary education (8-12th grade), I didn't want to lock myself into a singular subject.  Maybe that will grow in time, but I need some space to really discover what I would be passionate about teaching my students.   I love the fact that I could teach multiple subjects.  Honestly, if I had to chose it would be civics/social science/economics/history.  We need more children to understand humanity and equity based on today's current political climate.  This brings me to the next reason of why I felt like being a teacher is important.
4. I am ashamed that more than 30% of the population in the USA will follow Donald Trump off of a cliff.  There is a severe lack of empathy, critical thinking, and education in our country that can only be remedied through quality education.  I am in no way saying that today's teachers are the fault of this calamity, but I can see that there is a shortage in our society to make sure an educated population makes decisions based on sound information and an ability to think based on knowledge rather than prejudice.
5. Finally, I broke the news to my dad who was a civics/history/social studies/current events teacher for his entire career.  I explained all of the reasons above about why I should be pursuing this career and he said, "What took you so long?"   Do I seriously need any other reason than getting approval from my own dad who made a career out of it?

Now, I have no silver bullet to figuring out this whole "career" thing.  God knows, I certainly didn't do it the right way.  Ultimately, it boils down to what you're good at, what makes you feel self-fulfilled, what you can be proud of, what is good for humanity, and what do you want to be remember for from the loved ones that you leave behind.