So...Do you have a job?

The answer is yes, I do have a job.

As mentioned briefly in earlier posts, I have recently been hired at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing (HMH). I am a per diem associate. The job entails visiting schools and training teachers on how to use and incorporate the HMH curriculum resources. I'm on the sales side, so I'll primarily be supporting teachers during pilots.

I have now worked exactly one day.

Last Thursday I observed a training for the Farmington School District. I will be attending another one later in September. Soon I should be meeting with a couple of my managers to learn and practice making presentations myself.

Once trained, I will be able to make my own schedule, beginning with school visits in Missouri.

After that, I will branch out into the whole Missouri-Iowa-Kansas region.

Ultimately I anticipate being to called into other regions and travel nationally.

This last one, while not a 100% guarantee, is actually very likely. Most per diems like to stick with only one subject or age group. I, on the other hand, feel comfortable with a variety of subjects, many of which are hard to fill. Luckily for me, most people confident in math and science go for higher paying jobs than education.

I'm so grown

I do not know how long this will take to progress, but I feel optimistic. Even if HMH doesn't go the way I hope, it is a means to an end. Already I've learned a lot about what I want from a job in the context of work-life balance.

Questions come up rather often about my employment status. People are politely curious about how I'm able to do this. I don't mind. Often it amuses me to see folks having their own internal struggle with comprehending my less traditional choices.