Now I was fortunate to be in a large school for most of my time and was given different assignments which made the career interesting. I was asked to teach industrial Arts once. That would have been way out of my comfort zone. I was also asked to teach music once and that would have been sad. I'm not in the least musical. The guy who offered me that job had not done his homework.
Now this was teaching! I was on Great Bear Lake and got a chance to do some fishing. This is a 34 pound lake trout. At the time teachers did not get a summer off . We got a two week holiday. However, the pay was very good.
However, there is one position that I turned down and I have always regretted it. I was very active in the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) . I was familiar with staff officers.
A new president took over. She did not like flying in small planes . She was not comfortable in northern situations. She knew that I had much northern experience and was familiar flying in small planes. She asked me if I would do her appearances in the northern part of Alberta. I turned it down very quickly . It would have meant being away from home for quite a bit of time. It would have meant extra work as I would have to make sub plans and sometimes I would get home very late and have to teach the next day. I also felt that the northern people deserved to have the president visit them.
So at the time it was easy to not accept the position. Over the years I've continued the think that it would have been a very interesting position. Bonnie was president for her two year term and then my job would have been over. I have regrets about not taking the job but I know it was the right thing to do.
So have you had to turn down a very interesting opportunity?
You were blessed to have worked in a time when things were better economically and opportunities were plenty. Sadly things are not quite the same. I think you've led an interesting life by living so long in the north. Maybe I say that cause I'm a northern girl, lol. I'm sure you made the best decision for you at the time even though you may have enjoyed the assignment you turned down. I did turn down a few opportunities myself over the years but I have absolutely no regrets.
ReplyDeleteI just happened to be born at the right time.
DeleteThat was an amazing opportunity, close to my heart, you see my son is a bush plane mechanic in Nakina Ontario, far north, no roads beyond where he is, fly in only, it’s such a wonderful life he has, we love it there, I’m sure you made the right decision , we always have regrets don’t we, I regret taking the job out on the isolated island where I fell, if I hadn’t taken that job my life would be different today, sorry not what you asked lol,
ReplyDeleteYour comment on your injury is right in the ballpark. These things happen all the time ...some time for the best and some time for the worst.
DeleteWhen I graduated, in 1981, they kept saying there would be lots of jobs. It didn't happen. And still they are cutting jobs.
ReplyDeleteI took a job working in a garden greenhouse. I quit after 3 days. The boss hated women, and timed us on exactly a 5-min. break. I'm sorry I took it.
Good for you for having standards. It would have been difficult, I think. You made a wise choice.
Those times were sad. We had highly trained people who could not get jobs.
DeleteHello, love the photo of you with the fish, that is a big catch. I have not regrets, I was offered and took the jobs I wanted to do. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!
ReplyDeleteAnd life goes on!
DeleteProbably at some point in my life I've turned down something I should have gone ahead and done, but at the moment nothing comes to mind. I've always enjoyed taking on something new and learning it. But these days I have no interest in travel, other than in my mind. :-)
ReplyDeleteGetting new assignments kept my career interesting.
DeleteNo. Guess I led a sheltered life.
ReplyDeleteEverybody know their own comfort zone.
DeleteIt does sound like that job might have been really interesting for two years, but it also made sense to turn it down at the time. I don't think I've ever turned down a job, but there have been jobs I should have applied for and didn't.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different situations and and decisions when it comes to employment.
DeleteWell, that doesn't sound like such a terrible missed opportunity. It might have been interesting but as you said, you had plenty of reasons to turn it down at the time.
ReplyDeleteI've never turned down a job and regretted it. I once applied for a job I didn't get, and at the time I was sorry I didn't get it -- but in the long run it worked out well because I wound up moving to New York City for a different position!
I did have incredible luck as I didn't have any hard and fast goals.
DeleteI came into the workforce during the inflation and recessions of the 1970s ... it wasn't easy getting a good job at that point, I can tell you, altho' it did get better. Anyways, I think for all of us, we regret the things we didn't do rather than even some of the bone-headed things we did do.
ReplyDelete"bone headed" I have lots of experience in that department.
DeleteThe only regrets I've had were for things that weren't work related.
ReplyDeleteSounds like some blog post here!
DeleteOh, I have in the past- but much better now. Just required a hell of a lot of therapy. The short version is I sacrificed my own emotional well being being polite to despicable people because I convinced myself I had to keep my mouth shut- all for emotionally abusive sisters who threw it back in my face. Sufficed to say, I will never waste time being polite to such people, and I will never speak to either of those sisters again.
DeleteInteresting! Yes I turned down a position managing a Plant Nursery in Northern Idaho ...I always wonder how that would have turned out :)
ReplyDeleteI bet you'd still be there. It's a beautiful area.
DeleteI had to to teach phy Ed one year and 6th grade English another. Yoiks!
ReplyDeleteI turned down a chance to teach English in China. I still regret not doing it but it was a two year commitment and my first grandchildren, twins, were due to be born. How could i miss that?!!
There are some odd ball assignments we get to make everything fit into the time table. I taught gr two phys ed one year!
DeleteI can't remember having turned down an interesting position. Maybe my life hasn't been as exciting! HAHA
ReplyDeleteYou were smart and just took all the interesting positions.
DeleteWhat a wonderful photo to remind you of a fantastic fish!
ReplyDeleteLet’s see. I have a regret that was both mine and my husband’s. We were newly weds and trying to make ends meet. My husband had a very good job with Bell Helicopter. Out of the blue he was offered a job by a different company that paid more, but it would have us move to a different town. ...and there were lots of unknowns .We just couldn’t decide and decided to flip a coin. Heads we stayed...which is what we did. Six months later he was laid off....
the helicopter business is like that...very changeable. My first helicopter ride was out to a ship!
DeleteI don't have any regrets about jobs that I have turned down. It is hard to say that also on mis-opportunities as well because I like very much where I am at now and had I taken those opportunities I maybe somewhere completely different. Sounds like you did the right thing though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Hiawatha House.
DeleteLast year I could have taught in The Philippines for six months - free flights and accommodation and easy teaching but I turned it down - partly because my son's first book was being launched and also because I had only four days in which to decide to go and then travel. I wasn't ready for it.
ReplyDeleteOnly had two major work experiences. First was with Boeing doing contract administration. Cool job, travel, etc., but very political. Left that for teaching and enjoyed it much more. That's an interesting story about the job you turned down. I probably would have done the same. One thing for sure ... I really did not like making up plans for subs.
ReplyDeleteIt actually sounds like you did the right thing. I'm trying to think about some job I regretted turning down. I had a friend who said there was a teaching position open for me when I graduated with my degree. But then I met my husband who said I should get my Masters so I turned that job down. When I got my Masters, teaching jobs were now hard to come by so I did have some regrets. But then we moved to Illinois where having the higher degree enabled me to get another teaching job with better pay so it all worked out in the end.
ReplyDelete