Career Crossroads-California Social Studies High School Teacher or California Lawyer?

[NiceGuyResearcher]

Title: Career Crossroads-California Social Studies High School Teacher or California Lawyer?

Intro.

Hi,

I've hope I've reached the Karmic level of positive positive, useful, and at the same time Entertaining info., by my various posts last year and this year

Here's some more useful info., really dark chocolate high in flavonoids is good for the Prostate gland

Another is at the very bottom where my friend who works 3 jobs and is married and who lives in California like I do, filmed the "Foreman" which appears on Epix, 1 full length seamless documentary that's inspirational (link is at the very bottom)

Background

I'm a writer by trade. I type 60 wpm, and have self published a novel which I tried to push into making a film as the American film industry is running out of ideas as evidenced by soo many remakes. I think I've heard of 2 Red Dawns, 2 dirty dancings, several Spidermen, 2 Footloose etc etc in my lifetime LoL

No such luck, my self published novel which has a photo of it on the back cover for which I paid $500 extra to help be more attractive to women, has made me $20 since like 2016; .... but there's still the hope of it being "discovered" by some Hollywood filmmaker

At 49 yrs old at several months, I've worn several "hats," worked at different jobs

One of which was helping lawyers as a legal assistant, typing boilerplate forms, and going to court and filing documents with the clerk, etc.

I graduated an accredited brick and mortar college with a B.A. in Government...with honors at a 3.7 g.p.a.

Sadly, about 1 month ago my mother in her early 70s was diagnosed with Essential Tremors, a condition that makes the head move up and down, left & right, and her hands shake so bad that she can't drink a cup of coffee without a lot of time & effort

It is 1 of thee scariest health problems anyone can get, especially if the person who gets them is a woman because it makes putting on make up and getting ready in terms of what women do to appear their best version, difficult, if not not doable.

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about it to help her.

More Info. Closer to the Heart of My Dilemma

I've taken the Law School Admission Test like 6 times, I've done very poor, I'm talking about 120 scores 130 scores from a range of 120 to 180

Even though my GPA is high, law schools look more towards a half day long standardized test than to 4 years of continuous college accomplishments

Recently, I watched the film "Paper Chase," it's an older 1970s film with John Houseman as a law school professor & also the chic who played the Bionic Women (let there not be a remake of this on the big screen, please lol haha)

So, in that film, 1 of the First year law students says Hey my memory is great, but, my analytical skills are really bad...I can remember laws, but I'm not really adept at applying them.... He FAILS AT LAW SCHOOL

Well that's me, writers have an excellent memory & observational skills, but their Formal Logic....if a then b and if b then c , etc., stuff like that which is really mathematical, ..well those skills they're not good at....

HERE'S THE QUESTION:

Nowadays, In 2021, with cellphones in schools, with something called cancel culture" which is basically be careful what you teach, you may get in trouble for teaching it, or less problematic, not allowed to teach it at all or a certain way,

With children's Attention Span shot to pieces, resulting from video games, and from fast frame to frame MTV video-type films (most of which are action films or films based on comic books)

With every kid having access to porn through the internet at home on their laptops or in their pockets with their cellphones, at school

.... with calling Thanksgiving.... "Indigenous People's Day,"

with both sides... (not to sound like Trump)..... but with both sides, both political parties and the parents that belong to them, complaining or wanting a teacher to teach something some way,

With the Venomous, Visceral Subject Matter of Politics Nowadays....just look at Facebook which didn't exist in the 20th century

With sadly all the mass shootings at school.....

With teachers being bullied and made fun of at school,

With all of this,.... with all of the above ^ and more...

* IS IT STILL WORTH GETTING INTO THE CAREER OF TEACHING JUNIOR HIGH OR HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES" ?

Here are some factors you may find interesting....

The education for a teacher would be about 1.5 to 2 years versus a lawyer 3 years to 4 years

The cost of education would be less expensive

A lawyer has to pass the toughest bar exams in the U.S., the California Bar Exam

I currently make $16,000 per year in income

A Social Studies High School Teacher Median Salary is $40,000 per year

A lawyer average yearly salary is like $70,000 per year

The Ancient Greek Philosopher, Epicurus, has said.. "We are Most Happiest Choosing Goals that are Realistic"

High school students are forced to be in school..... compared with being a College Professor, where they pay to learn and thus are not Rebellious or Unruly, but there are like 30 college professors to 1 college professor university job opening

*Here's the Real Interesting Part..... CALIFORNIA TEACHERS HAVE 1 OF, IF NOT THEE BEST RETIREMENT PLANS / RETIREMENT SYSTEMS IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA...with HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN CALIFORNIA BEING ABLE TO LIKE RETIRE AFTER 5 YEARS OF TEACHING AND REACHING 62 YEARS AT LIKE 40 TO 60 % OF THEIR REGULAR YEARLY SALARIES...

There is a demand, which I will attach at the bottom of this.... ever since the Capitol controversy, early this year in 2021, there IS a demand for Social Studies / History / and Civics Teachers

**Both, the "Foreman" documentary on Geo. Foreman, who wins 2 Heavyweight world championships, 1 of which in his mid 40's age group and the article on the Demand for Social Studies / Civics Teaching and the Massive Influx of Money appear soon.... at the bottom, my gift to you...and if you have a favorite charity to donate to, please let me know after you help me with this crossroads (2 choice dilemma).... I've been known to donate to Prostate Cancer funds, St Judes Children's Hospital, Feed America, THE Wounded Warrior Project, and the American Kidney Fund...either on my own directly or through my little Ebay store sales...

Thanks, again... and dont' forget to maybe read 1 of the 2 below links (the Washington Post article on the increased demand for Civics / Social Studies / History Teaching after the Capitol incident in like January 2021....)* and to Enjoy the Spiritually-Enriching, motivational full length (no part 1 part 2 part 3) video my buddy made on George Forman. 1 of his training tactics, is putting a steer (baby cow on his back while running up and down hills) Hey, Conor McGregor...take notes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/educa...Kmnp7XyBtyOGII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T098tDQ22VQ

[Fluidic Kimbo]

Do you intend to retire at 65 (i.e. 3 or 4 years from now)?

[NiceGuyResearcher]

Do you intend to retire at 65 (i.e. 3 or 4 years from now)?

65 years of age would be 16 years from now.

i might just retire at 70, if i don't inherit essential tremors (like my mother recently was diagnosed with) where my head shakes up and left to right uncontrollably like the Robert DeNIro character in the film, "Awakenings," God forbid and I am rendered unsociable to be outside in a school setting.

my own hands always shook, but much less after I quit medical marijuana & tobacco cigarettes for 11 years,

it might afflict me at any age now, I''m 49 and several months in age

[NiceGuyResearcher]

You don't have to go think about the films on teachers to remember all the ones that have been dumped on

from the film "Blackboard jungle," to that film Lean on Me in the mid 80s about a Jersey city high school principal who took a bat to school with him at all times,

to ... "dangerous minds," with Michelle Pfiffer....


my own experience as a nerd in jr & high school witnessed the savagery unleashed on teachers, especially substitute teachers

they have security guards in high school, but... it's a different game now, the music is very violent and materialistic,...

at least in the court house they have metal detectors

it's probably true that every generation, the older folks complain about the declining lack of morals of youth... that's just the way it is,

but the thing that makes it worse is the constant technology, back in the 1950s, there was Not an immediacy of bullying and things that can get people hurt or into trouble or fired from employment like in the 21st century.

[NiceGuyResearcher]

I guess it's how you look on things as half full or half empty.

It's just a job at the end of the day with real possibilities of reaching people and making lasting impressions...and a good retirement plan

I remember my own social studies teacher back in jr high school, and it was 1 of my favorite subjects, full of history and current events...

like... many things, you just drown out the "noise," and complain to the proper authorities, like the principal about a class clown or a problem child, or at the parent-teacher conference.

i have a chance to be the well-liked teacher i guess? with some life experiences to bring to the table...

[wango]

Having transferred from the medical profession to teaching high school in California for 20 years, I am not sure where you are getting your info from.

First off you better love your job and in some professions you can fake it your entire career. In teaching, the kids can tell in a second and know that you are a fake and it’s a losing battle from there. We have/had teachers in our school that have been lawyers, engineers, auto mechanics or had MBA’s. They, like myself, got tired of not loving the previous careers as much and we’re drawn more to teaching.

If you want to teach in a “good” school or district, it’s tougher to find a position if it ain’t math or science related (not social science).

I’m not sure where you are basing your lengths of education on. What is your current degree and have you discussed this with a college counselor to find out the courses that you need?

Not sure about your retirement stuff as well. You ain’t making squat after 5 years, no matter how old you are. The best is 30 years, anything less than that and you are leaving $ on the table. Just retired after 21 years and make approximately 65% of my salary. What sucks in states like California though, is that I lose more than 1/2 of my social security retirement payments.

The bottom line is if you have the choice, you really should pick a career that you love. Good luck!

[wango]

65 years of age would be 16 years from now.

i might just retire at 70, if i don't inherit essential tremors (like my mother recently was diagnosed with) where my head shakes up and left to right uncontrollably like the Robert DeNIro character in the film, "Awakenings," God forbid and I am rendered unsociable to be outside in a school setting.

my own hands always shook, but much less after I quit medical marijuana & tobacco cigarettes for 11 years,

it might afflict me at any age now, I''m 49 and several months in age

I just saw this.

I am going to be brutally honest. You might be able to teach grade school and the tremors will not be an issue. In high school, the kids will mock and ridicule you. They can and will be merciless. If the administrator/interviewers catch it and still hire you, prepare yourself for a rocky ride.

I’m sorry. I see how bad it can get in a “good” school. Again, good luck with your decision.

[Honkey_Kong]

It'd probably be easier to find work as a lawyer. I've got a family member that is an elementary school teacher in a large socal district. She said it is very difficult to get a job.

She also works almost every evening preparing for the next day. That low teacher pay (and she makes quite a bit more than $40k a year, but in California she's still poor) doesn't seem worth it when you add all the hours outside of the "school day" she has to work to be ready for when the kids are there.

Not to mention, there are problem kids you have to deal with. She's had kids physically attack her and even after that, they wouldn't remove them from her class.

There's also the fact that you're going to have to teach curriculum that you may be morally or ethically opposed to.

[Mooseman33]

grow pot man.

make a fortune

[Honkey_Kong]

grow pot man.

make a fortune

[lovbyts]

Lawyer. Makes as much money as you can before retiring and count on it taking you longer than you think.

I would not be a teacher because of all the reasons posted above. I always said while I was in high school I wanted to be a PE teachers, at an all girls school of course. if I was a teacher you would probably end up hearing about me on the news. lol

If you dont mind being poor then social services. I think they only people who should go into this are those who already have a lot of money so they dont have to stress about that also.

[NiceGuyResearcher]

Thanks everyone for your help.

There was really good information from everyone.

I believe that where there's a Will, there's a way and visualization, so although my hands always shook, I'm determined NOT to have these essential tremors *and* determined to really assert myself to get a high enough LSAT score

I was a hardcore pot addict and at the prices, an 8th of an ounce every day could be enough to pauperize someone into poverty. Yes, some of us are impulsive by nature

I'm not impulsive to take just a quarter 0.25 per day and only 0.25 per day of Clonipin prescribed to me, what I consider to be a wonder drug. I respect it the way the Native Indians respect peyote

...when we had a grow tent with everyone's recommendations, the problem would be electricity prices were too high, and if the local cops every came over, it was and still is a Federal crime to grow cannabis with stiff penalties

In fact, I wasted so much time on pot, that's why I am where I am

I don't demonize it anymore like on a crusade, I just work on my own model, just like I'm a natural bodybuilder right now

Yep, most of the demand is still in teaching math and science

and... 1 other person, a teacher, told me they stick the younger teachers or the ones fresh out of school at any age, they stick them with special-needs kids, who in the case of this person, gets abused and once had staples thrown at him while teaching

It's one of the fields that's gotten worse over the years with regard to perq.s and the clientele / customers / kids

Thanks so much. I owe you all something, let me know how I can help. I'm going to pray that this year is 1 of thee best for you, stay strong, safe, and keep your Spirits up... knock it out the park.

Thanks again

[wango]

Hope I helped. Hey, I want to add to what I said about the tremor. I wasn’t making fun, hell I have a very small one. It’s not noticeable, but I can’t write legibly. It’s just some kids pick up on every little thing. I wish you the best of luck with your goals. Keep striving!

[Honkey_Kong]

Hope I helped. Hey, I want to add to what I said about the tremor. I wasn’t making fun, hell I have a very small one. It’s not noticeable, but I can’t write legibly. It’s just some kids pick up on every little thing. I wish you the best of luck with your goals. Keep striving!

Would those kids still have the balls to make fun of a tremor, if you're jacked on gear?

[NiceGuyResearcher]

Would those kids still have the balls to make fun of a tremor, if you're jacked on gear?

true, you always give great advice, thanks, Honkey Kong, your a good guy here

essential tremors make the head and body shake and children of those who have it, have a 50 percent chance of getting it. they have trouble sleeping and it's some scary stuff. some people have it worse than others.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone, it's almost like a paralyzing effect, many eat just with hand held food, there is ultra sound, where they zap the brain with some type of ultra sound scan, but what happens to some is about 3-4 years later the tremors return 80 % and on top of that they walk around drunk, really bad sense of balance and lose all their sense of taste.

some other real messed up diseases: parkinson's and lewy body disease what Robin Williams developed... and brain cancer which i don't know if a lot mpre people are getting these days or if it's because of the age of instant info. / internet that just the same amont of cases are noticeable

[Honkey_Kong]

true, you always give great advice, thanks, Honkey Kong, your a good guy here

essential tremors make the head and body shake and children of those who have it, have a 50 percent chance of getting it. they have trouble sleeping and it's some scary stuff. some people have it worse than others.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone, it's almost like a paralyzing effect, many eat just with hand held food, there is ultra sound, where they zap the brain with some type of ultra sound scan, but what happens to some is about 3-4 years later the tremors return 80 % and on top of that they walk around drunk, really bad sense of balance and lose all their sense of taste.

some other real messed up diseases: parkinson's and lewy body disease what Robin Williams developed... and brain cancer which i don't know if a lot mpre people are getting these days or if it's because of the age of instant info. / internet that just the same amont of cases are noticeable

I wouldn't say I was giving advice. I was more or less asking Wango, but thanks. I would think if you looked like a brick shithouse, kids would tend to hold their tongue.

[wango]

Would those kids still have the balls to make fun of a tremor, if you're jacked on gear?

For a new teacher, absolutely. For a teacher that’s been there a while and has a “reputation”, possibly with a smart-ass student or one that is having a bad day (and when you see over 200 kids per day, there are a lot of kids with bad days or smart asses).

Jacked doesn’t mean that much to most of these kids, what are you going to do with those muscles to them? Flex? Yeah, my varsity football players, the kids that I see in the gym after school or we talk about training together, they get it. The only students bigger than me are a couple of the linemen and they are a lot of fat and not as much muscle. We’ve had one teacher and one administrator that used to be in the NFL (both over 6 feet and in great shape). One is gone now, the other gets very little added respect and I’ve seen him so upset by student behavior that he was near crying.

First year or two is merciless and without tenure you better be an all-star or the kids will boot you out before administration does. I’ve seen it happen to first and second year teachers every year, and you hear it from the kids first.

[BG]

Op did you quit the cigs and weed at the same time or did you do one then the other?

[NiceGuyResearcher]

both at the same time, when i started in '88, it was 1 joint and then a cigarette chaser....after that, the 2 went hand in hand. Klonipin is my wonder drug. very helpful in quitting a 20 year cigarette habit and pot habit...and also lots of water...and not doing anything stressful for the first 3 weeks. i also did a regular system of rewarding myself after every time I reach my exact quit time every day which i remember was 3 pm each day. Ate a delicious apple pie every day at 3 pm to reward myself. I don't take 1 mg, take a quarter every day, and if i need to go to sleep cause i took too much ginseng or caffeine tablets, b-12 etc I take a bitter unisom , or kirkland doxyclamine succinate.... people here may laugh at a pot addiction, but look at the high amounts of thc and pesticides they in today's weed, ...and a look at some fb groups will show a growing number of people desperate to quit pot from every state.

[NiceGuyResearcher]

edited for Klonipin a/k/a clonazepam *not clopin* also edited for very and not *bery. i'm older so not too much savvy on tech, im from the days of atari and commodore 64. heck i don't know how to remove an old post on JELQ @ 1,500 reps over 3 days on an amphetamine which is an ancient system for growing the 3 rd muscle even bigger than it is....and developed a swollen finger. id like to erase that permanently lol

"IF ALL THOSE THINGS ARE AVAILABLE....THEN WE DO IT" -- PARAPHRASE OF ARNIE S. FROM "PUMPING IRON"