Company Size: 10-49 (United States)

Job security is changing in the teaching field. My advice is to be honest and loyal to the job. Principals will respect your work if they are honest people. I think principals should not have a great deal of power over the teachers that work in their building because some or not loyal to the job but use the job for other purposes. There are good principals out there but when you choose principals that don't understand the grade levels then the district will have a problem.

I have found that working for the Department of Defense offers great job security that is recession proof. The pay is generally higher than civilian employers with some great benefits offered. After three years you are fully vested, and in the meantime you have a great opportunity to learn and crosstrain. Most educational opportunities are not only encouraged, but reimbursed. If you get bored, you can also use the army locations to transfer without loss of time, status, or pay.

I was let go from my company, not because I didn't do the job; only because I did my job too well and made my manager look bad in front of the boss. I confided to the higher boss that the manager was not doing his job and kept harrassing me and it came back at the end to bite me. If I would have standed my ground with my immediate manager maybe things would not have gone to this point.

Every job you do for your employer is a reflection of you, no matter how small or menial the job may seem. Never give a bad reflection. Take pride in what you do and never give less than 100%. The work you do is also a reflection of the Company you work for. You may not like your employer but THEY PAY YOU. The better a company looks the more money they make, in turn, you have more to bargain with for better pay. They have the funds and you have helped them achieve that.

Document in a calendar, notebook or email what you are doing to improve the company where you work.

I've been through it all, from being layed-off twice within a two year span to, to only covering 16 hours in 2 weeks, and I was also the guy who got the hours(+ o.t.) while others suffered. And to be completly honest, I felt like a total dirt bag during the times I was working and my co-workers weren't. That's just me though. I'd rather be a big part of the team, than the whole team.

There are only TWO professions out there that will not have a slow period; post office & Gov't offical.

Keep all your options open, even if you are feeling secure at your present job. You never know what the next day will bring, and just when you think your safe. Bam! You're starting over.

The old expression - "One bad apple can spoil the barrel" is good advice. Get along with people - have a good additude - don't take everything too seriously - and treat everyone with respect - no matter what their job. Also maintain consistency. Avoid being judgemental. Many of my "first impressions" of someone new - almost always changed as time went by. A person I thought might not work out - ended up a great friend. Someone I thought was cool, turns out crazy. Give people a chance.