Employer: Chicago Public Schools
Salary range for job: $50,000 to $52,000
Time on this job: Almost 2 years
Previous jobs: For 15 years, I worked at Stone Academy in Chicago as a math teacher and then a technology teacher.
Age: 51
Education: BS in psychology and education from the University of Illinois and a master’s in instructional technology from National-Louis University.
How I got this job: While working at the academy, I started writing grant proposals to bring technology into the school system. I was teaching myself computer systems and how to install networks, so when the job was created, I applied.
Why I took this job: It was the chance to pursue my passion of and commitment to technology in the education sector.
Main responsibilities: I work for the department of learning technologies as a teacher trainer assigned to 23 schools on Chicago’s Far North Side. The core of my job is training teachers and principals how to implement computer technology and the Internet into their classrooms and curriculums. I help them understand the shift in educational priorities, so technology becomes a classroom tool that is second nature. I train teachers on how to use multimedia computer programs for visual, audio and tactile projects and how to use the Internet for research. I’m helping administer Local Area Networks at each school and a Wide Area Network that will connect all the Chicago Public Schools’ computer systems. I also consult on the school system’s three- to five-year plan of how technology will evolve in the school system.
Best thing about the job: Helping schools get on the technology bandwagon and working with great people. The job is never routine; every day is different.
Worst thing about the job: Trying to get people to understand that technology is part of the evolution of education.
My ideal next job: I enjoy my job and would like to do this until I retire. When that day comes, I would like to continue consulting and teaching at the university level.
Advice to job seekers in this field: Never think you’ve learned everything about technology; there’s always something new.
