TheProfessor
The Professor
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2019
- Messages
- 232
I’m a former adjunct instructor (hence my Professor moniker) in Southern California* who started working at Target earlier this year. I taught English at the community college level for 12+ years after having gotten my MFA in creative writing. Recently, I was laid off due to low enrollment. I had wanted to leave for a while, but this forced my hand. I remained employed at the non-teaching job I have during the day time, but it wasn’t enough without the classes, so I got a job working Hardlines at one of the local Targets (where there are three of them, each 3 miles away). So far, I like working there and I like most of my coworkers. The job hasn’t been without its challenges and nightmares, though.
One nice thing is that I don’t have the pressures of teaching anymore. No more prep and no more grading. I do not miss the pointless admin deadlines (which were never hard to comply with, just tedious and pointless. Now I have new pointlessness to deal with). I had long considered going into teaching in high school, but the issues of teaching in community college had cured me of that, especially after leaving it. I’m still trying to figure out what to do in my mid-life career-wise, which is not a fun place to be.
I’ve only told one coworker that I used to teach college. She turns out to be a former preschool teacher, so we are both ex-educators here. HR does know and I’m sure the store director does too, though I haven’t talked too much about it with them since the interview.
In closing, here are a few more things about me:
I am big Star Trek fan (Trekkie) and Doctor Who, an avid cyclist who enjoys commuting on bike, a reader of science fiction and literary fiction (favorite author is Ursula K le Guin), a collector of bow ties, and a creative writer (fiction). I love 1980s music, especially new wave and post punk, along with indie music that sounds too much like my teenage years. I occasionally enjoy craft beer (hard to get away from in the city where I live*). I also survived prostate cancer several years ago.
*Very South Southern California, though I’m not volunteering which city at this time.
One nice thing is that I don’t have the pressures of teaching anymore. No more prep and no more grading. I do not miss the pointless admin deadlines (which were never hard to comply with, just tedious and pointless. Now I have new pointlessness to deal with). I had long considered going into teaching in high school, but the issues of teaching in community college had cured me of that, especially after leaving it. I’m still trying to figure out what to do in my mid-life career-wise, which is not a fun place to be.
I’ve only told one coworker that I used to teach college. She turns out to be a former preschool teacher, so we are both ex-educators here. HR does know and I’m sure the store director does too, though I haven’t talked too much about it with them since the interview.
In closing, here are a few more things about me:
I am big Star Trek fan (Trekkie) and Doctor Who, an avid cyclist who enjoys commuting on bike, a reader of science fiction and literary fiction (favorite author is Ursula K le Guin), a collector of bow ties, and a creative writer (fiction). I love 1980s music, especially new wave and post punk, along with indie music that sounds too much like my teenage years. I occasionally enjoy craft beer (hard to get away from in the city where I live*). I also survived prostate cancer several years ago.
*Very South Southern California, though I’m not volunteering which city at this time.
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