I -used- to be an Educational Assistant (fancy-shmancy word for Teacher's Aid) in the ESL department at an Elementary School. I got the job because of my older sister who'd been at the school for like 12 yrs already - she started off teaching 1st grade, then fell in love with her ESL kids and switched over. It was a fun job. I was pretty much a teacher, just without the college degree. I made my own lesson plans for my individual groups and got to teach them pretty much whatever I wanted during regular teaching hours. And then for the "lower" kids / those who had problems getting homework done at night 'cuz Mom & Dad barely spoke English or couldn't be bothered to try helping them, I'd have a homework help group in the afternoons before classes got out so that they'd have it the next day for their teachers.

And now, for the last 6 years or so, I've been a server. Sure walking out with cash at the end of the night is tops as opposed to living paycheck to paycheck, but it makes it waaaay harder to save & budget money. It started off as just a 2nd job, but after I lost my school job, it became a full-time thing. I'm good at what I do.. Actually, I'm really good at it. I've just gotten burned out doing it and I absolutely -loathe- the job now.

Since I've moved back to TN from TX, my TN liquor license has expired (it's required to have one if you work in a restaurant that serves alcohol), and it's pretty expensive to get - a mandatory 6 hr class and a total of around $70 not including gas to get to the TABC office in downtown Nashville. I have no desire to get back into the job field, even with living in Clarksville. Because of Ft. Campbell Army base, it's not an economically dead area like where I used to live is... I could probably make bank, but I just... No. I'm done. For every 1 or 2 great table/group of guests, there's about 50 horrible ones.

Anywho. I'm not working right now, but I'm looking for a job... Fingers crossed that I land an interview at the liquor store down the street. It seems like a really laid back place - there's not much of a dress code, the few girls that work there are really sweet, yadda yadda yadda.