Bringing Home the Bacon

Each of us has been given our own skills and talents not just as dads, but as employees too.

I consider myself fortunate to be able to work full time and also teach Java Web Programming and General Computer Science at Portland Community College. I started teaching about 4 years ago for some extra cash, with the expectation that I'd only do it for a term or two (at least that was what my wife and I discussed at the time).

We got used to the extra income in no time, and it didn't even take a year before that extra income became part of our regular budget. I was stuck. I even tried quitting one summer in hopes that it would force us to scale back on our budget. Wishful, naive thinking. I guess some can do it, but not us Shocked.

A couple of weeks ago I negotiated a significant raise for my full time job as a software consultant. It's almost enough to replace my teaching income, and it would only take me a couple hours of overtime each week to completely match my teaching income.

Hmm... it sure is tempting to quit teaching. I still have a little over a month before the next term starts. And the income from a few web sites I started this last summer is starting to roll in. So I think the money situation will be ok. I sure would like more free time too. But if I keep teaching then we'd have a chance to get ahead, so I'm still undecided.

Feel free to throw advice my way - I'm all ears. What do you think I should do? Settle for the regular ration of bacon, or bring home the whole pig? Puzzled

One possible compromise would be to limit my teaching availability to online classes only. The class I'm teaching this term is an online class, which means I can log on any time of the day to answer questions and grade assignments - but I don't have to show up for a lecture. It doesn't kill my family time, and the pay is the same. It involves a lot more writing to create the assignments, but that's all been done now, so it's just a matter of tweaking the assignment each term as technology is updated. Not all instructors like this approach, but it works great for me Smiling

getting off the treadmill

when i was younger, making money seemed like the most important thing in life. i honestly thought that i could handle any job as long as it paid well. i was willing to do anything. and i did...

along the way, i adjusted my budget to the increasing income.

now, as i approach "mid-life", i'm realizing that the trappings of a large income are fleeting. i find myself trapped by my budget, doing work i don't love, or even like. what i really love doesn't pay very well but it would be so much more rewarding...

i say don't fill your life with drudgery because you think you need the money. instead, change your lifestyle to meet your smaller budget and find rewards you weren't expecting.

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." Matt 6:19-21 The Message

As an online instructor I

As an online instructor I can tell you that online classes take time away from your family EVERY day -- whereas onground classes only take one evening away. But the bigger question that we all face as fathers is the feeling that we need to provide a better life for our children than our parents provided to us. I look back at my grandmothers comments about how poor they were during the depression and how my dad only had sticks and rocks to play with. My dad worked two jobs so that he could let my mom stay at home with us and so that we could have everything that we wanted. The net result was that we never saw our dad. Looking back -- I would rather that I played with sticks and rocks and had my dad around all the time than having had all the cool toys. But the vicious cycle continues. I feel like I have to out do what my parents did for me - and in today's world that's nearly impossible. Like you I am consulting 50-60 hours a week, teaching anywhere from 1 to 4 classes at a time and running our online businesses (www.webuyyourbooks.com) We're in a situation where we too have adjusted our standard of living to where working 3 jobs provides us with what we've come to expect. I too have thought about dropping teaching -- and its hard because its my personal passion. Its a terrible vicious cycle. Getting off the treadmill is the hard part.

Committee Approval

I have the email typed up to PCC, and committee approval (ie. the wife said it's my decision Eye-wink). We agreed to wait until tomorrow to send it, but I'm pretty sure it's going to feel really good to let go of it.

And we're still a far cry away from sticks and rocks for the kids to play with - LOL. Man, my kids already have it way better than I did growing up! But you're right, getting off the treadmill is the hardest part.

Bombs Away

I went ahead and sent the email letting PCC know I'd only be available for online classes in the future, effective next term (winter 2007). For me, an online class is much easier because I have all of the course work prepared ahead of time, and it's mainly a matter of answering a few questions during the week via email and grading assignments (which only takes 2 hours tops). I can also spread the time out during the week so that it doesn't affect my family much at all.

There are two classes I teach online at PCC that are already prepared like this, so there's still a good chance that they'll let me teach one of them for winter or spring term. There's also a chance they'll just let me go, in which case I'll enjoy the extra free time.