This probably belongs in the Teaching Forum but I’ll put it to begin…
How many people have hit the glass ceiling while living here? I feel as though I have it with teaching, and just have come to a point where I am exasperated in trying to make an effort to create something that seems, futile at times. I have made efforts to apply to jobs that I have skills for but can’t seem to get in the door for the interview, or maybe to the reviewers don’t think I have the exact experience they are looking for. I feel that I have gained all that I can gain from teaching english on a personal level, and I’m trying to break out before it becomes a ‘pick up a paycheck’ situation.
Has anyone been here before? If you made the career transition how did you do it? Thoughts anyone?
[quote=“Namahottie”]This probably belongs in the Teaching Forum but I’ll put it to begin…
How many people have hit the glass ceiling while living here? I feel as though I have it with teaching, and just have come to a point where I am exasperated in trying to make an effort to create something that seems, futile at times. I have made efforts to apply to jobs that I have skills for but can’t seem to get in the door for the interview, or maybe to the reviewers don’t think I have the exact experience they are looking for. I feel that I have gained all that I can gain from teaching English on a personal level, and I’m trying to break out before it becomes a ‘pick up a paycheck’ situation.
Has anyone been here before? If you made the career transition how did you do it? Thoughts anyone?[/quote]
I didn’t actually hit the glass ceiling, I just decided I could do a beter job and have more fun teaching on my own…with the wife that is. Why help other people make money when they don’t appreciate you?
When I’m feeling like that workwise I usually take a break from work and question what I’m doing here and my reasons for it and then return feeling refreshed.
[quote=“Feiren”]Are you talking about teaching jobs or other jobs? It’s a little unclear to me what you are looking for.[/quote]It’s not just teaching that people get to that point. I used teaching as an example, because that’s where I am at. But have you ‘hit’ that glass ceiling in your job, studies, life here in taiwan. You know where you wanna expand, but it just feels like you aren’t able to…
with that attitude you wont break through anything. bassman hit it best i think. keep yr chin up and look for something new, different. i am heading back shortly to start my own biz. TW is full of opportunity, you simply have to take that leap… baby steps are a good start. start thinking about what you love, what is missing in TW , could you provide a product or service to ill that gap… do some google searches creative problem solving… brainstorm, talk to others, go to the boiler room meetings… scale back on classes to slowly spend more time thinking and planning a biz… sethgodin.com/sg is pretty much the only blog i read… he seems to hit it on the head for me everytime
[quote=“AWOL”]
with that attitude you wont break through anything. bassman hit it best I think. keep yr chin up and look for something new, different. I am heading back shortly to start my own biz. TW is full of opportunity, you simply have to take that leap… baby steps are a good start. start thinking about what you love, what is missing in TW , could you provide a product or service to ill that gap… do some google searches creative problem solving… brainstorm, talk to others, go to the boiler room meetings… scale back on classes to slowly spend more time thinking and planning a biz… sethgodin.com/sg is pretty much the only blog I read… he seems to hit it on the head for me everytime[/quote]
I do take offence to you saying that I have an attitude. I am not interested in starting a business because I know that I don’t have that aptitude. I believe with this post that I was doing a brainstorm and asking others. If you would like to offer something other than a critique(sp), then please do so.
[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“AWOL”]
with that attitude you wont break through anything. bassman hit it best I think. keep yr chin up and look for something new, different. I am heading back shortly to start my own biz. TW is full of opportunity, you simply have to take that leap… baby steps are a good start. start thinking about what you love, what is missing in TW , could you provide a product or service to ill that gap… do some google searches creative problem solving… brainstorm, talk to others, go to the boiler room meetings… scale back on classes to slowly spend more time thinking and planning a biz… sethgodin.com/sg is pretty much the only blog I read… he seems to hit it on the head for me everytime[/quote]
I do take offence to you saying that I have an attitude. I am not interested in starting a business because I know that I don’t have that aptitude. I believe with this post that I was doing a brainstorm and asking others. If you would like to offer something other than a critique(sp), then please do so.[/quote]
I think AWOL was trying to offer constructive advice rather than putting you down, IMHO, but YMMV, so TTYL.
Yes… yes I was… good lord. Nama - you wrote “but it just feels like you aren’t able to”… which I took as a downer attitude and tried to perk you up with some advice and supprt - “keep yr chin up” etc…
I feel like my blog has just hit the glass ceiling .
I’ve read a lot of those books about… uh, you know those books “You can have/do anything you want!” “The world is your playground!” “Hypnotize any woman you want!” .
Anyhow, them kinds of books all seem to have a lot of things in common. One of those things is…
You need to have a really clear idea of what you want.
That’s probably the biggest message I’ve gotten (and get) from those kinds of books.
After you know what you want (I think) it’s easy to get it.
So Nama, what exactly is this job you want in Taiwan that you think you can’t get.
Very few people in this world are blessed with a dream job in which they are happy all the time…
My advice is as such… Work is something we all need to do so that we can do the things we want to do in our free time…
If you love to travel, then its gonna be pretty hard to do so without doing that job which you may not absolutely love.
MAke the mlost of your spare time, don’t get too worried about your job, and most of all… don’t take emotional baggage from work around with you… just dump it all at the door on your way out…
I sympathize with your situation as I’ve also been stuck in a job that wound up making my life and everything in it miserable. Unfortunately I waited until about a year after it became “just a paycheck”… and worse… before getting out, and now I’m on a bit of a leave of absence shall we say…
anyway, the good advice so far has been to have a clear idea of what your goal is. It sounds like you’ve already done that, since you mention getting rejected from specific jobs. Maybe we could be more helpful if we knew what kind of jobs you were considering? Perhaps there’s something about the way that you’re presenting yourself, or about unspoken requirements, or something or another that someone here could see.
Then again, it’s also the case (in north America) that 90% of jobs aren’t gotten through cold-sending resumes, but through connections. I’d imagine that’s all the more so Taiwan, what with guanxi and all the other forms of nepotism we know and love. Is there anybody that you know who’s already doing what you want to do? Maybe somebody on the boards is already doing it and can give you some advice about how s/he landed that first break?
[quote=“yisha’ou”]
Then again, it’s also the case (in North America) that 90% of jobs aren’t gotten through cold-sending resumes, but through connections. I’d imagine that’s all the more so Taiwan, what with guanxi and all the other forms of nepotism we know and love. Is there anybody that you know who’s already doing what you want to do? Maybe somebody on the boards is already doing it and can give you some advice about how s/he landed that first break?[/quote]
I don’t think Nama has said what it is she’s looking to do, has she?
I don’t think it’s all that complicated, at least not with opening your own school. There are certain considerations about legality that need to be answered first though…
We opened our school at the bottom of the housing crash in a crappy economy. Why? Why not? We knew we could do a good job and doing that was better than working for anyone else.
My advice is: Don’t wait for the perfect time. It will never arive. have a plan, but it need not be a perfect plan…just workable.
you see tho, if it is not your run-of-the-mill ceiling but a glass one as stated, then it should be possible to smash right on thru it, if you believe you can.
You might get a few cuts and bruises, but thru it you will be.
Nobody is going to strain their back opening the gates to the city of gold for you.
If you want something from life, you have to go for it. There is no well paved road to success. Each person has to clear a path through the jungle and pave the road themselves.
YOU are FULLY responsible for your success or failure. Of course there will be setbacks, and of course people will get in your way. It’s up to YOU to overcome these obstacles and slog your way ahead.
Success does not come through a good idea. It does not come through talking to people. It does not come through complaining. It comes through YEAR after YEAR of hard work. It will exhaust you. It will come close to ruining you. While other people have loads of fun and enjoy the merry life, you will be slogging in the gutter and working 10-15 hour days.
Given all of the above, you might still need a bit of luck and good timing.
Of course, that’s just one man’s take on the matter.
I haven’t put too much thought into this thread yet, but my personal snippet of the top of my head:
Look for an opportunity to do something either no one else wants to do, or is unable to do.
Get really good at it. Success will follow without number 5.
Well, I know plenty of people who gab day and night about this and that great idea. But those people never go anywhere. The really successful people I know work hard at it. They don’t just talk, dream, and/or complain. They work - hard.
Too many people assume that success lies in finding The Great Idea or The Great Product. Or they want to hit it big from some speculative enterprise. They have dreams of winning the lottery, betting on the winning horse, finding Mr. Right, or catching that Next Great IPO just at the right time.
Real success comes from hard work, day in and day out. Everything else is a pipe dream.
[quote=“Jefferson”]Well, I know plenty of people who gab day and night about this and that great idea. But those people never go anywhere. The really successful people I know work hard at it. They don’t just talk, dream, and/or complain. They work - hard.
Too many people assume that success lies in finding The Great Idea or The Great Product. Or they want to hit it big from some speculative enterprise. They have dreams of winning the lottery, betting on the winning horse, finding Mr. Right, or catching that Next Great IPO just at the right time.
Real success comes from hard work, day in and day out. Everything else is a pipe dream.[/quote]
…and too many people expect others to take them to the promised land.
I have no pity for those who complain about their current situation in life but do nothing about it.
.