Time for a Career Change? (Interview with Darin Nakakihara) [S5 E109]

career-change

Listen to the full episode below:

Do you ever feel like the position you are currently in as an educator just doesn’t quite fit? Maybe it’s because of the grade level you’re in, the specific school you work at, or the colleagues that you work with. 

Whatever the reason, if where you are in your career as an educator doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to stay there. If your passion is teaching, and you know you want to stay in this career, there are lots of shifts that you can make while still staying in the classroom.

You’ll hear from Darin Nakakihara in today’s interview, who has experienced several shifts in his career until finding the one that was perfect for him.

Darin (Mr. N) is a high school teacher in Southern California. He loves connecting with students and building relationships and community, and his passion for education comes through in all he does. When he is not teaching you can catch him fishing, building amazing edtech tools, or spending time with his family.

Darin’s story is unique because he had an entirely different career before entering the world of education. He didn’t start going after his teaching credential until he was 40 years old. Making this kind of change can be scary, but it can also make the greatest impact on your life and the lives of those you teach. 

He tried several different teaching positions before finding the right one where he felt the greatest connection with his students. As Darin tells us in this interview, “I’ve had so many jobs. This [being a high school teacher] is the best career I’ve ever had”.

As we all know, teachers are leaving the profession in droves right now. For many, that is the best solution for them. But for those of you who still have that deep love for teaching, we encourage you to explore other changes within education. 

Being a career teacher isn’t for everybody, but for the people that it is for, it’s part of our identity. Your career can look different while still keeping that identity. A change in grades, schools, or subject matter could be the one thing that sparks your joy for teaching again. Just remember, there’s never a “right time”, so take that leap if you feel called to do so!

Topics Covered:

  • Darin’s origin story of how he became an educator

  • The toxicity of negative teacher talk on social media

  • Leaning into your zone of genius and doing what lights you up

  • Exploring career changes, even later in life

  • Darin’s advice on the first steps to take if you want to be in the classroom, but you just don’t quite fit where you currently are.

  • The importance of surrounding yourself with other teachers who are passionate about what they do

Resources:

Connect with Darin:

Related Episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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Amanda Cardenasinterview, discussion, inspiration, advice