I'm Quitting my Job to Teach High School Computer Science

In a few short weeks, I will be leaving my job as Director of Engineering "in the industry" and starting a new one as a high school Computer Science and Cybersecurity Instructor.

I am equal parts excited and scared shitless—or some other type of scared that is more professional... like.... panicked poopless... concernedly constipated?—so I have been calling this transition my Big Scary Thing™️. Because it is big and scary, but it's also something that excites me and deserves my respect (or at least the capitalization of a proper noun).

While I will be teaching at the high school level, what makes this opportunity especially exciting is the focus. The program I have joined is a public career and technical education center specifically for high school students that offers a particularly unique value proposition:

For 3 hours a day, Junior and Senior high school students who apply to the program leave their home schools in order to receive a tuition-free education in a trade or career of their interest or choice. From dental assisting to cosmetology to airplane maintenance to graphic design to (you guessed it) computer science and cybersecurity, students have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to kickstart their futures.

As a former student of the exact same program I am taking over (albeit a program I went through 20 years ago), I am deeply grateful that something like it even exists and provides a huge range of career paths for students who may not be able to afford or attend college due to that tricky thing called "life circumstances."

The fact that it exists at all is a blessing, and I am honored to be a part of it.

To anyone who knows me, a mid-career shift from working as an engineering leader "in-industry" to teaching at the public high school level is probably not all that surprising; mentorship and coaching are the things that I have enjoyed the most in my leadership roles—at this point in my life, they are just about the only things I enjoy in those roles anymore—and a not-insignificant amount of my personal time over the last few years has been dedicated to volunteering with various STEM and Computer Science programs within the state of Colorado.

That said, in many ways, this isn't a new chapter in my life, but an entirely new book. For the first time in my career, I will be working solely for the betterment of others, rather than myself or my employer. I believe in the life-changing possibilities a background in computing offers because college isn't in everyone's future, but a financially secure life can be.

It is a profound responsibility; one that I won't be taking lightly.

As the new instructor, my goals for the program are going to primarily be career readiness. While it looks good on college applications—and I get to offer college credit to boot—my primary goal will be inspiring a passion for computing, while simultaneously driving industry certifications and internships.

My hope is to give my students an opportunity to build their resumes before they even get their high school diplomas.

It's going to be a lot to take in, and I know that I will be learning just as much as I am teaching, so I intend to document this (potentially insane) journey from Professional Nerd to Teacher of Professional Nerds. From lesson plans to lessons learned, I hope to build a platform both on and off HackerNoon to help others who are considering making a similar leap of faith in their own careers.

It's going to be a journey, and I'm excited to bring the world along with me on it.