Would you take this job?

Agree with Duke about skipping AutoCad but I'd also skip Revit and just roll SketchUp into the curriculum.

Revit's learning curve is absurd. Have used it for about 15 years.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

While I don't disagree that Revit has a learning curve, I think for simpler, more diagrammatic stuff like stage sets, most of the difficulty can be postponed until needed.

I think Revit's behavior of modeling object analogs will appeal to Curtis's construction-based mindset.  I love SketchUp and it has a lower learning curve, but its representation of the actual built product is much weaker.

I think the easy button here is to just switch the curriculum to use Sketchup.  I learned that the students have to buy a Student license to use it, so I'll just switch to Sketchup.  If the school doesn't like it, they can fire me.

I think that's a choice.  I'm already going through my list of panics and looking for alternatives to easier things.  I already know a fair bit of Sketchup, the students only have to pay $50, and then they can use it to start making money.

I have only read through the first and fifth page, so I apologize if someone already brought this up, but:

Another benefit is working and talking with college kids. You will always have another set of eyes and experiences on what's currently happening, and my boomer parents (whom basically work for kicks at this point) have mentioned that it's been invaluable at keeping them abrest of things going on (though in their case, it's working alongside them and not teaching them).

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I think that's absolutely a great idea.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I think Sketchup is an excellent choice. 
 

In a community college setting, the majority of your students are not going to be on a path for careers in technical theatre. Acting and directing students will all be required to take Tech Theatre 101 too.

The important thing is that design students can express a design, and Sketchup is perfectly capable of that. It's not necessary for students at this level to have the most complicated tools or excessive detail in the designs. 

SV reX said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

As a homeschooler, let me just mention one thing...

You don't have to be fully knowledgeable in any subject to teach it. You only have to be knowledgeable in what you expect to teach on the first day. 
 

Rinse, repeat.

This.  My company builds power plants and my job is to teach the control system to our customers.  Most classes are 2 weeks but can be as long as 5 weeks.  There are many different flavors of the control system so there's a lot of stuff to know.  However, just like SV reX said, you don't have to be an expert on the whole thing - all you have to do is stay 1 day ahead of it.  Deliver your material then go home and prepare for the next day.  Rinse and repeat.  The first semester will be hard.  The second will be easier.  By the third or fourth it will be absurdly easy.

Sounds like you've made up your mind about taking the job as soon as the Dean dots your i's and crosses your t's.

You're worried that you'll screw up a class or two this semester because you're already behind, and you don't know the previous curriculum.

You're saving the dean's bacon, getting him out of a jam, so teach what you can that's related to the course, it'll be 70% applicable and add in more bells and whistles next term.

For this semester, you don't have to teach the same class as the last guy, and you don't need to teach the perfect class. Just something that gets the job done. Challenge grade "good enough is good enough".

Bad news.  I'm pissed.

I asked her for the terms we discussed in writing, and she refused.  One of the conditions was that I must have a month off in the summer to tend to the Canada property and she agreed the whole way through.  We even negotiated pay based on 11/12ths of a number, but today it was "oh, no, sorry.  I just checked the schedule and we would need this to be a 12 month position."

berkeley all the way off.

They have a class starting in two weeks with 15 students who are graduating in May.  The former TD is already retired and out the door, and that's their sticking point?

Declined.  Hardcore.  Ball's in their court.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Oofff :(. Sorry to hear that!   Glad you were smart enough to get it all in writing before, though!  Hopefully she pulls her head out of her arse in time!

That sucks.  Hopefully they will see reason.

If their paperwork is the sticking point (happens), see if they can do the 11/12ths (or forget to bring that up) with an extra month of PTO, pre-approved for those dates. That might fit the pre-existing check boxes in their procedures/policies.

+1 on now not being the time to cave.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Good job. 
 

Keep in mind that putting it in writing might be more than she can do.

I work 4 day work weeks. But no one at my company is allowed to work 4 day work weeks. I don't talk about it, it's just an understanding. I've been doing it for 8 years without a hitch. 
 

Maybe you can still work it out. 

Despite folks being able to get away with stuff (sometimes it's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for forgiveness) , ALWAYS remember : it it ain't in writing, it didn't happen!!!

If she is not "able" to put it in writing... DO NOT go into it thinking you might get something she wouldn't put in writing!!!

Hold tight. Remember, they need you A LOT more than you need them. 

Well crap.

Maybe SVReX's thought works and there is an unofficial middle ground. Use your PTO on top of a semester break? Use PTO plus whatever they do for unpaid time off? The good side of that plan is you could potentially get the 12 month pay rate and still get the time off you want.

SV reX said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Good job. 
 

Keep in mind that putting it in writing might be more than she can do.

I work 4 day work weeks. But no one at my company is allowed to work 4 day work weeks. I don't talk about it, it's just an understanding. I've been doing it for 8 years without a hitch. 
 

Maybe you can still work it out. 

Well, she ducked the question for a week, and when I put it in a point-blank question, she said "no, I need this to be a 12 month position."  It wasn't we'll work it out, she just basically admitted to avoiding the question in the hopes that I would find out about the bait and switch later..

That also made her lowball salary offer even more of an insult.

She asked me to still take on the teaching, but that headache for $6000 and no benefits is not something I'll consider, even if she hadn't been a lying troll.  She told me to take the night to think about it, and I agreed to, but it's a hard pass for me.

I can agree to it being a 12 month position as long as we agree I will not be here for one of those months.....

MrJoshua said:

Well crap.

Maybe SVReX's thought works and there is an unofficial middle ground. Use your PTO on top of a semester break? Use PTO plus whatever they do for unpaid time off? The good side of that plan is you could potentially get the 12 month pay rate and still get the time off you want.

Vacation time over there accrues like this:  I would get 10 days PTO right away, then 2.88 hours for each 2-week pay period.  Since there are basically 12 pay periods through the end of this year (July 1 is their fiscal year start), that means I would have banked an additional 4 days.  The original verbal agreement was 1 month plus my accrued PTO for a total of 44 days. (one month plus the accrued 14 days)  I even negotiated in good faith to accept a lower salary to offset the person they would need to overhire to cover my position.

The real reason they need it to be a 12 month position is that they rent the theater out for events and performances through the summer to generate revenue.... but the retiring TD has already emphatically stated during the interview that she would be thrilled to come in for a month or two in the summer to do the job she likes and make a little retirement income.

None of us really know what the Dean is thinking.  I know and have worked with everyone in that department through interactions at my theater and they all really wanted me.  The Dean is just being a doo-doo head.

Steve_Jones said:

I can agree to it being a 12 month position as long as we agree I will not be here for one of those months.....

Right?  None of us understand.  5 phone calls, 4 emails, a retired TD who would gladly cover, an impending class matriculation... and not even a negotiation on salary, let alone ripping away the ONE key thing that I said was non-negotiable from the start.

Well, Dave, the guy who retired last year and is directing a show for us right now understands.  He's not at all shocked that she would pull this crap.

Its going to be more her problem than yours in 2 weeks. As it gets closer, your salary requirements go up :). I know it sucks as. It sounded like a good fit, but better to find out now.  IF she changes her mind, I'd want something longer than a year in writing too at this point. 

Sucks that it was too good to be true, it did sound like it was worth a try though...after this I would recommend strongly against working for them even if they come crawling back to you soon, because you've seen how they'll carefully set you up for a rug-pull.

The best part is you are neither desperate nor disliking your current job. Sorry it's going down like this because you seemed genuinely excited and nervous about the opportunity - but you seem very clear headed here. Keep that up.

Wait her out or just go back to the community theater and be appreciated even if not reasonably compensated. 

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Have you been told what your schedule would actually be? You may not actually have to be on campus as much as you think. Your 14 days of PTO you would have earned by the summer might get you the full month off you need (you might need to make some office hours available by zoom). You would then still get spring break, Christmas, etc.  Plus if she said she was going to pay you for 11 months, and now its back to 12, it should go back to 12 month pay.

You may decide to go back and edit a few of your comments in this thread, just in case you end up patching up negotiations.

In reply to the_machina :

I said nothing here that I wouldn't say to her, although I would do so more tactfully.  It would be no less true if we patch things up and I would still feel the same.

I'm calling today to decline the teaching-only option and I am desperately hoping she asks why.