I finally got out of the “1099 Contractor” loop of death that had been plaguing me for these past five or so years.  I have recently (6 month-ish) took a job at a Technical College teaching Multimedia Design to High School Students as well as Career Technical Adults.

After six months here is what I have learned:

“Holy shit this is a weird way to earn a buck.”

Don’t get me wrong… I rather like teaching.  I feel it comes pretty natural to me actually.  I had no idea, but I have been teaching for years (mostly teaching small-minded business owners not to be quite so good at wasting money… to no avail).

“It may sound cliche but I think I may have actually been LEARNING more than TEACHING.”

First off, it has been forever since I touched some of the programs I am teaching (like Premiere, After Effects and *gag* Dreamweaver), and I have had to re-teach myself… fast.  You never know just how much you have forgotten about CSS or Animation until you try to jump in and do it again.  I have had a pretty rocky career (thanks to the “1099 Contractor Death Cycle”) but through it all I was the Creative Director.  I had squads of rookies to do the actual design work while I got to sit back and judge and push.

I though teaching would be similar to that, and it is in some aspects… but in actuality it is more like constantly LEARNING so that I can TEACH.  It’s a strange feeling to be sure, and a challenge no doubt, but honestly… It has already shown me how rewarding the job can be.  I think back on all the times I have heard a Teacher talk about how rewarding the job can be and how quickly I dismissed the idea.  Now… with my boots on their ground I can see exactly what they meant.

“Another very strange realization is that most Students don’t even want to be taught.”

They don’t even want to freaking come to class or do any work…  Why register?  Why pay the Tuition?  Why waste the Instructors time?

I am trying to think back on my days of attending classes… where was my head at?  I recall being super busy and missing classes a little too often (I was working two part time jobs at the time)… but did I seem like that too?  I certainly hope not.  I wanted that piece of paper really badly… but did my Instructors know that… or did they see me as another guy who was just wasting their time….?

I cannot recall the exact names of my Instructors back in the day when I was studying Game Design at IADT Detroit, but I wish I could send them a quick text:

“Sorry for being a pain in the ass, and thanks for trying to teach me something.”

All considered, I have been more than a little surprised by what the last six months has done to me, and what things it has made me realize.   I am curious what the next six months will show.