My Journey Begins

I am always prepared for the next thing in my life. Maybe it comes from being a Boy Scout and heeding to the motto of “Be Prepared” or possibly my training in the Navy where we slept with a full set of clothes next to our rack in case of a General Quarters. I like to think that it is not just being prepared but to have a plan or a goal. Proverb 29:18 in the bible loosely translated says “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” I have taken that verse to heart and always had a plan or vision in my life.

I retired from the Navy after 20 years and went right into corporate America landing a job with a major aerospace company. I worked there for 5 years and then they let me go, my position was no longer needed, but I was prepared. At the time, I was attending college and with a small part time job was able to support my family while receiving GI Bill assistance for school. After graduation I applied and got a new position with the same company but always had in my mind that I would not be with this company or any company of this type until retirement. I was right, and after 5 years at the company I was again let go but this time I had a college degree to fall back on and a plan. I now wanted to be a teacher as I saw when attending college that corporate America was spitting out an alarming number of people who were approaching retirement age for the younger folks who would be less of a burden and would work cheaper. Guys, age discrimination is out there and I think it will only get worse. The smart ones became college professors after they were let go.

So my new plan was to teach, something I had done and enjoyed while serving in the Navy. I love children and want to interact with them and see the smiles on their faces and the looks in their eyes when they learn something new. I have a love for English and literature so I had to find a way to teach English. Since my wife and I both wanted to retire in the Philippines we built a house and I decided to teach English in the Philippines. My next step was to find out how to get certified to teach English and where I could teach English in the Philippines. In future posts I tell you how I come to pick the TESOL route, so stay tuned to this blog.