Smart couple, will work for fun and adventure.

July 27, 2009 6:39 PM

I didn't get into grad school, but instead of vast disappointment, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Sigh, another question for someone who wants a fulfilling job, preferably not in the US, in the midst of an economic meltdown.

My husband and I had it all worked out: I'd get accepted into a small, very exclusive PhD program at the only school with my specific department. My undergraduate advisers said I was a shoe-in, so we'd mentally prepared ourselves to move to a university town where I would devote the next 7 years to research and getting published. As it turns out, I was less of a shoe-in than originally advertised, and just received a definitive rejection after being waitlisted. Naturally I'm quite embarrassed--but I also feel oddly relieved. Even though I love this field of research, I was secretly dreading a life of dry coursework, and living in a teeny college town, and having to put my life (and my husband's life) on hold for 7 years while I got my doctorate. Maybe I'm coping with disappointment, but if that's what keeps me from jumping off a bridge, so be it.

Everything following the rejection letters feels very open-ended. My husband works as a freelance graphic designer, but he's bored with his career. We both have majors in the humanities. I've been a freelance writer, editor and substitute English teacher. And now that I'm not packing my bags for the academic life, I've wondered if we have more options. We'd like to embark on a new career path where we're not living in PoDunk USA while I slave away in library. We don't need glamor, or wealth, as long as we have an opportunity to enjoy our lives while we're young, childless, and in good health.

I know it seems silly to ask about interesting work in such grim times, but I'd also be mildly surprised if there are literally no options for two educated, articulate people who are willing to move anywhere and with open minds regarding the next career move. PeaceCorps? Teaching English in Asia? Train hopping?

Do we have options?

posted by anonymous to work & money (9 comments total)

There used to be a blog, written by a couple (but primarily the wife). I cannot remember where it was, but I used to read it with tremendous envy. They both worked for an IT company in California (if I remember correctly). They telecommuted, in a serious way. So, as they worked they traveled through Europe and maybe some other places.

She was a technical writer. He was (I think) a programmer. I could seriously see this working with you as the technical writer and your husband the graphic designer for a company (chasing boredom with a heavy dose of traveling wherever your hearts desire).

I hope the blog sounds familiar to someone else here, so they can link to it and you can see how amazing it was.
posted by Houstonian at 7:10 PM on July 27

Extreme Telecommuting was the blog! Take a look.
posted by Houstonian at 7:11 PM on July 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

>Teaching English in Asia

the world being what it is it's my general impression that 20-something women won't find too much difficulty landing a teaching gig for adults in E Asia. All things being equal, schools prefer to hire women, male students prefer women, as do female students.

Japan has been the traditional go-to place, but with their labor market and economy all screwed perhaps Korea or China have surpassed them now.

Both of you can live on one pidly teaching salary since the dominant expense in a foreign country is the housing.
posted by @troy at 7:51 PM on July 27

A lot of publishers aren't retaining their current staff, much less hiring now, so you're freelance writing and editing probably wouldn't sustain you. And given the current economy, I don't think you have much in the way of other college-degree-needed options, especially if you're trying to get some sort of package deal—that is, something for both you and your husband.

I'd try something that doesn't use your smarts. It's amazing what kind of stuff you can think of when your work doesn't mentally exhaust you. Basically, you want good food, shelter, and entertainment. If you don't have fix bills to pay, you could float from winter tourist community to summer tourist community pretty easy. The rich are still going on vacations, and they need people to serve them food and wash their dishes. These are jobs you can get good enough at quick. And you'll meet a lot of interesting folk.
posted by ifandonlyif at 7:56 PM on July 27

Teaching English in Asia is not a "career path." It's a valuable thing to do, but it's certainly not a profession, and it's probably not something you should do for longer than a year or two, unless you've got a good exit strategy. I know way too many people who are teaching English in their 30s, but feel like they can't go back home because they don't have any useful work experience. Do it if you want to, but remember that you are putting your life on hold. There's nothing wrong with that, though, if you keep it in mind.
posted by smorange at 9:04 PM on July 27

One college educated couple I know bought a Peterbilt with a sleeper, and is running the country for Mayflower High Value Equipment Shipping. This is a lucrative, schedule dependent section of the trucking business, willing to pay a premium for fast transport, and careful handling. About 1/2 their runs are on the trade show circuits, hauling exhibits and show equipment from exhibit service contractors to Chicago's McCormick Place, Atlanta's GWCC, New York's Javits Center, and various other national exhibition hall venues. They are often paid for the distances they run, and for time they wait, between unloading and reloading, while the shows run. In their down times, they often park the truck, and put up at hotels or resorts. Sometimes, they park the truck in a Mayflower yard, and fly out to family gatherings, vacations, while the trade show they are moving runs its course. Then, they reload the exhibit, and return it to storage at the exhibit contractor, or move it along to another trade show.

The balance of their runs are corporate headquarters moves, executive relocations, and high value commercial events. They ran about 40 weeks last year, and cleared in the low six figures, after fuel and truck expenses. You would both have to get your CDLs, and some commercial road experience with a smaller carrier, before an organization like Mayflower would likely contract with you. But, if you can live with each other for weeks at a time in a space the size of a sleeper rig, it's a decent living and great way to see all of America.
posted by paulsc at 9:59 PM on July 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

My former partner and I quit our jobs (and he sold his business) in our mid-30s to go volunteer for two years with Voluntary Service Overseas. He was a creative director/art director/designer type; I was freelance project manager/writer/editor. We went to a tiny village in the middle of the Cameroonian rainforest; he was a small business advisor, a position for which he was perfect, having owned several of his own small businesses. I tutored school kids in English and organized and taught an adult English class. (I was an English major in college but hadn't had any teaching experience -- but I took a summer program before we left about teaching English to speakers of other languages. While not super comprehensive, it was adequate preparation.)

Totally changed my life.

Not sure I agree with what smorange says above re: "putting your life on hold" if you do something like this. My experience was the exact opposite: without getting into my complete life story, my VSO experience not only launched me into a whole other amazing experience (cool job/work, started a nonprofit, lived/worked in the Congo and France -- mefi mail me if you want more info), I also found that, when I came back to the US four years later, my out-of-the-norm experiences only enhanced my appeal with prospective employers.

Do it!
posted by hapax_legomenon at 10:09 PM on July 27 [3 favorites has favorites]

I think smorange's comment was directed at the stereotypical mid-20's early-30's english teacher in Japan/China/southeast asia who is not planning to go anywhere. It's definitely possible to teach english for peanuts for a year or two and then get a cool job back in your home country, but you have to do some planning and strategize what you are going to get out of teaching english.

If you do other things while teaching english (as hapax_ did) and properly pitch it, then the experience will help your employment chances. If you simply state "taught english for peanuts" people will not be too impressed.
posted by mezamashii at 10:28 PM on July 27

I'll put in a good - and personal - note of confidence for the teaching English in Asia idea. I started teaching English in Korea in March 2008, am writing this from my apartment in a fairly ritzy part of Seoul, South Korea, and can't recommend it highly enough. After concluding that my business major neither adequately prepared or interested me in the business world - and taking the jobs and trying them out to prove it - I needed something different.

Depending on the country you go to, you won't be teaching for peanuts. Do you own research, obviously; but in a nutshell, Japan and Korea pay first-world wages - you'll be able to save some money (IF you're able to save money - some people aren't) and enjoy a lifestyle where you won't always know what's going on. Other places like China, Thailand, etc. pay you enough that you'll be in the upper-middle class in the area, but there's not as much to send home if you have any bills. Taiwan, from what I've heard, is somewhere in between. IANAR (I am not a recruiter), but submit your resumes / CV's to a few and see the response you get. People often forget about the public schools in a given country as well of private schools - and English isn't necessarily the only thing you might be able to teach. A friend of mine teaches theater (in English - the parents see it as to birds with one stone), while other jobs open up by getting a network up and going.

At the risk of drawing the ire of MeFi for self-promotion, I recently answered a similar question in more detail on my blog at http://chrisinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/question-from-reader-teaching-english.html - feel free to MeFi mail if you're interested or want more information.

As for going back - ask yourself why? From my perspective, there's not a lot of reasons to return to the US while the unemployment rate is 9.5% and there's a recession. What's next. Anything you want.
posted by chrisinseoul at 1:47 AM on July 28