I have officially quit my job as an engineer for a large oil company and have moved to Florida to become a public school teacher.
That sentence has seemed at times both inevitable and impossible. Even though I had been dissatisfied with my job for quite a while, it was still a big part of my self-identification. I was Jeb Britt: Engineer. Had a nice ring to it. But I have to remember that the only reality is that which we make for ourselves, and that "Mr. Britt: Math Teacher" will no doubt grow on me.
Logistically, the move is more or less complete. I have transferred my car's title to Florida, gotten a Florida driver's license, even registered to vote. Really, the only thing left to do is *ahem* sell my house *cough!*. Ok, that seems like not-so-minor an issue. But so far the move has gone smoothly! Everything fit into the U-haul, nothing got broken in transit, and everything fits into my new apartment. OK, so the trailer I was using to tow my car KIND OF got stolen on my first day here, and I MIGHT HAVE heard gunshots outside my window last night... but the trailer was found and the gunshots weren't directed at me, so what else can you ask for, really?
Now I'm off to go eat, because I realized recently that between T/A and moving I've lost about 10-15 lbs over the last few months. Time to start packin' it back on. I'll leave you with a copy of the last e-mail I sent out before leaving work at the refinery. Have a good one:
To all my friends,
As most of you know, I have decided to part ways with ExxonMobil and pursue other paths for my life. At the moment, that means teaching 9th grade algebra at a public school in Orlando, FL. I've gotten mixed reactions when I've announced this, everything from congratulations to inquiries about my sanity. I've made an effort over the last few weeks to reassure people that I'm not leaving out of anger or frustration, that this is something I feel like I have to do.
To quote the great philosopher Peter Gibbons: "It's not that I'm lazy... I just don't care!" As I wake up each morning and ask myself why I should come to work, I increasingly find that my only motivation to work hard is to earn the approval of others. The problems we solve are not that entertaining, which I could tolerate if I felt like it was important. Unfortunately I don't, and I find myself worrying that if I let that fact slip out it will affect people's opinions of me. When I realized how often this was on my mind, I knew that I had to go. I have spent too much of my life worrying about what others think of me to make that the primary driver in my professional life. So I'm leaving the upkeep of the refinery to more interested parties, and I wish all of you the best of luck with it. Meanwhile, I'm off to find my passion.
I find myself wondering not only how I will be remembered but how I want to be remembered. How I will be remembered has already been established. How I want to be remembered is a more interesting question. I hope that I have entertained you. I hope that I have challenged you. I hope that you think I'm a little weird, but that maybe being weird isn't such a bad thing. I hope I lightened up your day. I hope that you see the world from a slightly different angle after having met me. Lord knows I have a different perspective having met you.
I have learned that relationships take conscious work and that sometimes it takes some real digging to get to the source of differences. I have learned that it can be satisfying to write off those who disagree with me as stupid or crazy, but that it's almost never true. I have learned that the greatest source of disagreement is a refusal to get inside the other person's head and see what they see, and see that it's legitimate. I have learned that conquering others may boost the ego, but it never gives you what you want. I think I learned some stuff about valves, too.
Be well, do good work, and take care of each other. We're all we've got.
Thanks, everyone. I'll miss you. Throw some frisbees for me.
John E. Britt (Jeb)
Former Fixed Equipment Engineer
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