Those that remain

Jake substitute teaches for the local school district, and on MWF he teaches math at a private school in town, so he's unable to sub. On these days, however, they (the automated system) beckon him to come work. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the jobs that are left unfilled are almost all special education jobs. As I've watched the job list update, as soon as a non-special ed job comes up, it's gone within minutes. But the special ed job remains.

What does this say about society? And since a lot of substitute teachers are young people/those in college, what does this say about those entering the workforce, my peers?

Quarterlife Crisis

The growing trend today is to talk about graduating college students as having a "quarterlife crisis." Midlife crisises, as we're more familiar with, are when the tension of 3 conflicting desires climax: to have a successful career, to have satisfaction in your work, and to have a rich personal life (Guinness in The Call, 143).

Some in the media and church like to criticize the younger generation for being slow in growing up and lazy in pursuing financial independence. This generation takes time to choose what they want to do, are slow to settle down on a one-track career, and want immediate gratification in their jobs (instead of climbing the corporate ladder to meaningfulness). Could it be that we've seen the incontentness and midlife crisis' of our parents and other elders, and are protecting ourselves from that from the beginning? This is my thesis; we'll see how it works out in 20-30 years.