After three long years, I have a new full time job with bennies and have been working at it since August of 2018.
The dry spell is over and I have had some time to look back on the shoals I have been traversing over since then.
What I have learned is this ... never get comfortable in a job and think you are not someone that they can do without. That is a load of horse pucky. Any and every job you have done as an employee can be done by someone else that isn't you.
I have also learned that when a severance is given out, hold onto it like it is gold and live a very austere lifestyle until you find another job that can pay the bills and feeds you. Stretching the dollar is not the easiest thing to do, but after a while, you get used to it and fall into the "do I really need that" mindset.
Do not be afraid to try to do other things that are outside of your wheel house, even if you do not end up with a new career out of it, it will be useful in the long run when you do manage to find something else.
Hopefully, this job will last till retirement, but in case it doesn't, I still have other skills to fall back on again.
Ciao,
Darrell
Monday, March 25, 2019
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Places I Applied at in 2017-2018
Chronological order of places I have applied to (and received no response from or limited response) in the last 200 days.
Does NOT include Chenega or CISD or Costco.
Please note that there are many on here more than once.
Warren Averett Staffing and Recruiting - Houston, TX
STS - Subsea & ES - Americas - Houston, TX
ExxonMobil - Houston, TX
Houston-Galveston Area Council- Houston, TX
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Houston,
Texas - Houston, TX
Shell- Houston, TX
Repsol USA- The Woodlands, TX
Energy Transfer Partners- Houston, TX
Airswift- Houston, TX
IDfour - Houston,
TX
JAB Recruitment - Houston,
TX
Crown Castle- Houston, TX
Exxon Mobil- Houston, TX
Noble Energy, Inc. - Houston, TX
Summit Midstream Partners, LLC- The Woodlands, TX
Hatch- Houston, TX
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company- The Woodlands, TX
Waste Management- Houston, TX
Buffalo Bayou Partnership - Houston, TX
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America- Houston, TX
Airswift- Houston, TX
NACE International- Houston, TX
EMS Energy Solutions - Houston, TX
Energy Transfer Partners- Houston, TX
ICF- Houston, TX
ROSEN Group- Houston, TX
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - The Woodlands, TX
AIM World Services - Houston, TX
Hexagon Geosystems - Houston, TX
WALTER P MOORE- Houston, TX
Energy Transfer Partners- Houston, TX
Access Sciences Corporation- The Woodlands, TX
National Oilwell Varco- Houston, TX
Noble Energy, Inc. - Houston, TX
Harris County Flood Control District- Houston, TX
Jacintoport - Houston,
TX
Emerus- The Woodlands, TX
Houston-Galveston Area Council- Houston, TX
Houston-Galveston Area Council- Houston, TX
UniversalPegasus International- Houston, TX
Wounded Warrior Project- Houston, TX
McKesson- Conroe, TX
Walker Elliott - Houston,
TX
DCP Midstream- Houston, TX
ICF- Houston, TX
The Emery Company - Houston, TX
New Earth- Conroe, TX
Citi- Houston, TX
Citi- Houston, TX
City of Houston, TX- Houston, TX
BHP Billiton- Houston, TX
City of Houston, TX- Houston, TX
Lone Star College System- Houston, TX
KellyMitchell- Spring, TX
Summit Midstream Partners, LLC- The Woodlands, TX
EMS Energy Solutions - Houston, TX
Noble Energy, Inc. - Houston, TX
INVISTA- La Porte, TX
Worldwide Flight Services- Humble, TX
Piper-Morgan Associates - Houston, TX
City of Houston, TX- Houston, TX
Houston ISD- Houston, TX
Confidential - Houston,
TX
GeoDigital- Houston, TX
Cheesemakers, Inc. - Conroe, TX
Pro-West & Associates, Inc. - Houston, TX
Airswift- Houston, TX
Stantec- Houston, TX
Intercontinental Terminals Company- La Porte, TX
Waste Management- Houston, TX
The Creative Group- Houston, TX
Harris County- Houston, TX
ITT CTreat - The
Woodlands, TX
Martin Brower - Conroe,
TX
City of Huntsville, TX - Huntsville, TX
Texas A&M University- College Station, TX
Buckeye Partners, L.P. - Houston, TX
Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department (CFVFD) - Houston, TX
Waste Connections- The Woodlands, TX
AIG- Houston, TX
Boardwalk Pipelines- Houston, TX
Range Resources Corporation- Houston, TX
Houston-Galveston Area Council- Houston, TX
Hess Corporation- Houston, TX
BakerCorp- La Porte, TX
Saudi Aramco- United States
Wood Mackenzie- Houston, TX
3coast- The Woodlands, TX
Woodlands Mechanical Group - Oak Ridge North, TX
NEORig- Conroe, TX
Waste Connections- The Woodlands, TX
Wells Fargo- Houston, TX
Harris County Flood Control District- Houston, TX
City of Houston, TX- Houston, TX
Marathon Oil- Houston, TX
Hart Energy- Houston, TX
Transwestern- Houston, TX
Technical Response Planning Corporation - The Woodlands, TX
New Braunfels Utilities - New Braunfels, TX
3coast- The Woodlands, TX
McKesson- Conroe, TX
DCP Midstream- Conroe, TX
Newfield Exploration- The Woodlands, TX
Williams- Houston, TX
Apple- Austin, TX
Houston Independent School District- Houston, TX
Time for a Third Career in 2018
2017 is at an end, 2018 is a couple of days old I am still not gainfully employed full time.
All I can do is bitch, bitch, bitch.
Lots of shit has happened in 2017.
In March, I landed a full time job as a contractor on the US Army installation Fort Hood in the Public Works Directorate under the Chenega Facilities Management contract. It was a shaweet job ... back in the GIS field where I had made my overall contributions within my career.
Chenega had good bennies. Nice work place vibe. Not so much vertical opportunity,but as a contractor, that is a given. Working under this company, on this contract, would have been a nice finish to my working life. I took a lot of good things away from that job when I quit.
The Chenega opportunity came knocking at the wrong time in my life. The constant travelling every weekend reminded me that this was NOT the place for me at the time. It was a hard lesson to learn and it taught me that taking a position so far from home without dragging my family along with me would bankrupt me if I kept working at it.
So, in September, after a long talk with my Wife, I resigned. No warning, no two week notice. I just quit.
I never did anything that abrupt in my life. Ever.
Dad died in December. I was glad I was already back home for those eventful few weeks. Living four hours away would have been a real pain in the ass to travel to my hometown in support of my Mother during this stressful time.
We stayed relatively afloat after I quit the contracting job. I managed to stay in with the ISD as a Sub and work at the bike shop my brother-in-law owns. Then I got a seasonal position that lasted two months in wholesale during the Christmas shopping season. I thought this would be as good a place to shelter than any, but even that thought would be pushed out in the cold of unemployment.
So, today, I focus on finishing my pedagogy licensing and put in for a Teaching position locally.
Who knows, maybe a local contract will manifest itself and I can muddle through the next seven months making a feeble living before I can become a full-fledged Teacher and get on with a district nearby.
More at a later time.
Ciao,
Darrell
All I can do is bitch, bitch, bitch.
Lots of shit has happened in 2017.
In March, I landed a full time job as a contractor on the US Army installation Fort Hood in the Public Works Directorate under the Chenega Facilities Management contract. It was a shaweet job ... back in the GIS field where I had made my overall contributions within my career.
Chenega had good bennies. Nice work place vibe. Not so much vertical opportunity,but as a contractor, that is a given. Working under this company, on this contract, would have been a nice finish to my working life. I took a lot of good things away from that job when I quit.
The Chenega opportunity came knocking at the wrong time in my life. The constant travelling every weekend reminded me that this was NOT the place for me at the time. It was a hard lesson to learn and it taught me that taking a position so far from home without dragging my family along with me would bankrupt me if I kept working at it.
So, in September, after a long talk with my Wife, I resigned. No warning, no two week notice. I just quit.
I never did anything that abrupt in my life. Ever.
Dad died in December. I was glad I was already back home for those eventful few weeks. Living four hours away would have been a real pain in the ass to travel to my hometown in support of my Mother during this stressful time.
We stayed relatively afloat after I quit the contracting job. I managed to stay in with the ISD as a Sub and work at the bike shop my brother-in-law owns. Then I got a seasonal position that lasted two months in wholesale during the Christmas shopping season. I thought this would be as good a place to shelter than any, but even that thought would be pushed out in the cold of unemployment.
So, today, I focus on finishing my pedagogy licensing and put in for a Teaching position locally.
Who knows, maybe a local contract will manifest itself and I can muddle through the next seven months making a feeble living before I can become a full-fledged Teacher and get on with a district nearby.
More at a later time.
Ciao,
Darrell
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Nibbles On My Job Lines
August is turning out to be the month of interest in lil' ole me.
I have been interviewed a record number of times this month by three different institutions.
Kinder Morgan, BP and Aldine ISD.
Two of them are on my old line of work and one in what I have been trying to get into.
I am anticipating that there will be one of the three extending me an offer soon.
Wish me luck!
Ciao,
Darrell
I have been interviewed a record number of times this month by three different institutions.
Kinder Morgan, BP and Aldine ISD.
Two of them are on my old line of work and one in what I have been trying to get into.
I am anticipating that there will be one of the three extending me an offer soon.
Wish me luck!
Ciao,
Darrell
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
May Have To Give Up The Dream And Go Back To Familiar Waters
I thought I could be a Teacher. iTeachTEXAS told me that I could do it without having to go back to University and getting an Education Certification.
I swallowed the spiel hook line and sinker. I actually thought that I could get an Alternative Certificate after performing an Internship at a school and join the ranks of Texas Educators.
To save some money (it would be $1200 fee from iTeachTEXAS to do an unpaid 12 week Student Teaching gig on top of my $4000+ program fee they already have charged), I opted to try and do a paid internship at a school district. Almost one and a half years later, and lots of substituting under my belt, that dream of becoming a Teacher is on its last breath.
Is it the iTeachTEXAS program that is the issue here? No it is the School Administrators (read School Principal here) that are stonewalling me at every turn.
As a Substitute Teacher my skills are in demand. Principals at every school that I have worked at like it when I am there. Do they even think of me when a permanent job comes open? Hell no. I feel like they see me as someone that is an outsider and has no business in being there as the Teacher of Record. Like I said in earlier postings, it is all Lip Service. String me along, dangle the bait in front of me and then keep it just out of reach.
Well, I am getting tired of this baiting. It is time to search for other employment away from education.
Opportunities are coming my way that could be mine with a great interview. I just hope that I can impress those folks enough to give me a chance. Lord knows the Principals at all of the schools that I have worked at are not even going to glance at my resume.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
UPDATE - Aug16
Last week I interviewed for a teaching position with Aldine ISD. Apparently they will take the plunge that Conroe ISD refuses to take where I am concerned. If I am chosen, then some of my faith in the education system will be restored.
D.
I swallowed the spiel hook line and sinker. I actually thought that I could get an Alternative Certificate after performing an Internship at a school and join the ranks of Texas Educators.
To save some money (it would be $1200 fee from iTeachTEXAS to do an unpaid 12 week Student Teaching gig on top of my $4000+ program fee they already have charged), I opted to try and do a paid internship at a school district. Almost one and a half years later, and lots of substituting under my belt, that dream of becoming a Teacher is on its last breath.
Is it the iTeachTEXAS program that is the issue here? No it is the School Administrators (read School Principal here) that are stonewalling me at every turn.
As a Substitute Teacher my skills are in demand. Principals at every school that I have worked at like it when I am there. Do they even think of me when a permanent job comes open? Hell no. I feel like they see me as someone that is an outsider and has no business in being there as the Teacher of Record. Like I said in earlier postings, it is all Lip Service. String me along, dangle the bait in front of me and then keep it just out of reach.
Well, I am getting tired of this baiting. It is time to search for other employment away from education.
Opportunities are coming my way that could be mine with a great interview. I just hope that I can impress those folks enough to give me a chance. Lord knows the Principals at all of the schools that I have worked at are not even going to glance at my resume.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
UPDATE - Aug16
Last week I interviewed for a teaching position with Aldine ISD. Apparently they will take the plunge that Conroe ISD refuses to take where I am concerned. If I am chosen, then some of my faith in the education system will be restored.
D.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Regular Teacher Contract Signing Day Has Come and Gone ... Time to Troll For a Spot Somewhere
Well, the date has come and gone for current teachers to sign their contracts for the 2016-17 school year. It is time for me to troll the net for open positions at some of the Districts I would like to teach with this next school year.
So far, I have found a couple of interesting JH positions and have followed the protocol of informing the Principals of my desires. Hopefully, there will be some action on those requests.
I have also been trying to return to my old field of employment in the mapping world.
It is in the GIS world that I have had the best luck in interviewing. Just in the last two months, I have had more interviews than in the whole of the last year and a half.
Would my old line of work challenge me as much as teaching? No, but then again, some of the positions that have been coming my way are a bit more complex than what I used to do in the GIS world. I think that I am up for the task.
iTeachTEXAS sends me an email about three times a week with jobs across the State. Many of them are not in my certification field or are just too far away to justify a move for so little recompense.
I am trying to make myself a bit more marketable by attempting the ESL again in a few weeks. A study guide is here, right next to me, and I peruse it several times a week to see if there is anything I missed the first time I read it. It is a dry, not quite Saharan dry, read and can be difficult to push through from time to time; but I persevere till the end of the chapter.
I can hope that this return to a career path from decades ago will bear fruit, but the odds are against that from what I can tell ... mostly the deafening silence from those principals that I have communicated with about their positions.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
So far, I have found a couple of interesting JH positions and have followed the protocol of informing the Principals of my desires. Hopefully, there will be some action on those requests.
I have also been trying to return to my old field of employment in the mapping world.
It is in the GIS world that I have had the best luck in interviewing. Just in the last two months, I have had more interviews than in the whole of the last year and a half.
Would my old line of work challenge me as much as teaching? No, but then again, some of the positions that have been coming my way are a bit more complex than what I used to do in the GIS world. I think that I am up for the task.
iTeachTEXAS sends me an email about three times a week with jobs across the State. Many of them are not in my certification field or are just too far away to justify a move for so little recompense.
I am trying to make myself a bit more marketable by attempting the ESL again in a few weeks. A study guide is here, right next to me, and I peruse it several times a week to see if there is anything I missed the first time I read it. It is a dry, not quite Saharan dry, read and can be difficult to push through from time to time; but I persevere till the end of the chapter.
I can hope that this return to a career path from decades ago will bear fruit, but the odds are against that from what I can tell ... mostly the deafening silence from those principals that I have communicated with about their positions.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Texas Alternative Certification and School District Lip Service
Despair.
Having a career fall out from underneath me, Fourteen years and a few more with other Companies down the drain. The only thing to show is a hefty check from my former employer and a Town Car ride home.
Recovery.
Finding a new career path ... actually returning to an original path from decades ago.
Trial by Fire.
Substituting for Teachers of Record. Finding that I really enjoy teaching and that I think that I have a knack for it.
Hope,
Hope of a new start and a career.
Knowledge.
New things to learn and become familiar with in this new career path.
Grasping.
Finding out things aren't what they seem to be.
Disappointment.
The realization that any hope that I have at gaining a position with any school district is rapidly going up in flames.
Interviews are few and very far between when it comes to getting a teaching position. Just last week, I had an interview for a seventh grade spot. The week goes by with me thinking that I have a chance at getting it ... then reality sets in. Having an alternative certification is not going to get me anywhere with the schools in my local area.
I can say that when I ran into the Superintendent and the Board one day earlier this school year and let them know that I would like to get on at this district, he said that he would make sure that I got an interview. True to his word, later on that day I heard from HR and in less than three weeks, I was interviewed.
Granted, it was for a position well outside of my degree field, but the State, through several exams, indicated that I could perform this job to their standards.
Since February 2015, I have substituted at many schools in my local district and have tried to make a name for myself with the Principals and Vice Principals that run them. There were several teachers that called on me first to sub for them before a general request was made. I answered that call whenever I could, which was most of the time.
This putting of myself in the administration sights for very little pay just to make that all important connection still has not paid off.
Good ole' boy networks that desire a credentialed, inexperienced newbie twenty-something fresh out of school ... not someone like me with decades of work experience, knowledge and the willingness to pass on information to students along with a lot of life experience.
Taking an alternative route to certification is not an easy one and I do not think that it is taken seriously by any of the principals that come across my resume. I also think that anyone that is looking to follow this path needs to really take into account that unless the twelve week student teaching portion is done before taking the pedagogy exam you really stand no chance in getting on at many of the Houston area school districts.
But, as my spouse is fond of saying ... I beat my head against the wall just because I think that it is the right thing to do. She is right, but this is a wall that I feel is not going to give easily nor soon.
Perhaps I would be better off staying out of teaching and get back to my old career.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
Having a career fall out from underneath me, Fourteen years and a few more with other Companies down the drain. The only thing to show is a hefty check from my former employer and a Town Car ride home.
Recovery.
Finding a new career path ... actually returning to an original path from decades ago.
Trial by Fire.
Substituting for Teachers of Record. Finding that I really enjoy teaching and that I think that I have a knack for it.
Hope of a new start and a career.
Knowledge.
New things to learn and become familiar with in this new career path.
Grasping.
Finding out things aren't what they seem to be.
Disappointment.
The realization that any hope that I have at gaining a position with any school district is rapidly going up in flames.
Interviews are few and very far between when it comes to getting a teaching position. Just last week, I had an interview for a seventh grade spot. The week goes by with me thinking that I have a chance at getting it ... then reality sets in. Having an alternative certification is not going to get me anywhere with the schools in my local area.
I can say that when I ran into the Superintendent and the Board one day earlier this school year and let them know that I would like to get on at this district, he said that he would make sure that I got an interview. True to his word, later on that day I heard from HR and in less than three weeks, I was interviewed.
Granted, it was for a position well outside of my degree field, but the State, through several exams, indicated that I could perform this job to their standards.
Since February 2015, I have substituted at many schools in my local district and have tried to make a name for myself with the Principals and Vice Principals that run them. There were several teachers that called on me first to sub for them before a general request was made. I answered that call whenever I could, which was most of the time.
This putting of myself in the administration sights for very little pay just to make that all important connection still has not paid off.
Good ole' boy networks that desire a credentialed, inexperienced newbie twenty-something fresh out of school ... not someone like me with decades of work experience, knowledge and the willingness to pass on information to students along with a lot of life experience.
Taking an alternative route to certification is not an easy one and I do not think that it is taken seriously by any of the principals that come across my resume. I also think that anyone that is looking to follow this path needs to really take into account that unless the twelve week student teaching portion is done before taking the pedagogy exam you really stand no chance in getting on at many of the Houston area school districts.
But, as my spouse is fond of saying ... I beat my head against the wall just because I think that it is the right thing to do. She is right, but this is a wall that I feel is not going to give easily nor soon.
Perhaps I would be better off staying out of teaching and get back to my old career.
More later.
Ciao,
Darrell
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