The
traditional breadwinner of the family gave up what might have been a
lucrative career in software development for a variety of reasons (boredom,
location, and the fact that strengthening our defense capabilities is not
high on his list of priorities) but primarily out of a desire to go back to
school, get a PhD, and eventually teach. This stemmed from the
notion that it would provide more productive contact with a wider range of
people and, with more mathematical expertise, give better access to those
parts of Asia he is interested in.
Well, as you can see from the resume, he wound up teaching a whole spectrum of people, but opportunities haven't exactly expanded as envisioned. As a result of complications in the grant for the PhD research, much time was devoted instead to teaching - home school, high school, summer school, community college, university - algebra, linear algebra, calculus, business math, computer applications, computer programming, web design - to individuals, two or three students, or whole classes.
Ironically this has left a bad taste for "scholarly" research and it would not be unreasonable for any higher level academic institution to look somewhat askance at the 12 years of graduate school on the resume. Opportunities may indeed exist in Asia but with a home and family it is a bit more difficult to pick up and go than it was at the start of grad school. Instead he is sticking closer to home and currently doing the occasional tutoring and teaching a couple math classes at the University of Richmond and VCU.
Fortunately, the better half is a very professional sort, well-qualified in her field and with people and organizational skills on top of it all. However, she secretly desires to run a home business or a bed and breakfast somewhere.
