The Adventures of Julie Muller; Executive Director of Worldwide English
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I'm pleased to write this article about my working life! Although I have to say that my working life so far (I'm 59 and not slowing down!) looks a bit like a patchwork quilt. From a very small child, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.....and a singer, dancer and actor. But the teacher was the overriding passion and so I studied and came away with a university degree in two areas of teaching which eventually expanded to four areas of teaching! I was divorced very young and he died soon after that, so I raised three children on my own. Teaching was a good profession because I had the same holidays off as my kids and we left and got home at pretty much the same time every day. I was teaching teenagers and raising teenagers. Whew! Glad that's over with!
As I continued to teach, I began to acknowledge a desire to own my own business. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to own - I just knew I wanted to give something a try. Through a series of unusual events (there are no accidents!) I wound up leaving the teaching world and starting a construction and remodelling company. I was a female residential General Contractor and there are very few of those around. To start with, I knew very little about what I was doing, but I learned over time through rigorous experience, my best teacher in life so far. This was about 20 years ago and I struggled through that business for about 14 years. It had its ups and downs and overall was a lucrative venture filled with the most incredible headaches. Tearing up someone's home for several months at a time does not bode well for good relationships even though they may end up with the place of their dreams. It's the in-between stage that's a killer!
And after 14 years, I decided I had had enough.
Once again, my heart turned back to teaching and in truth, I had never really left it. Through my stint as a GC, I taught classes to homeowners on the remodelling process, wrote magazine articles, and did a lot of volunteer work in Texas prisons teaching meditation techniques.
Once a teacher, always a teacher!
This time though, I decided to stay away from the public schools and went to work as an ESL teacher (not one of my certifications!) and wound up teaching and living in Beijing, China and later briefly in Sudan, Africa. I came home last year loaded with ideas and now I'm a teacher who owns her own business teaching English one-on-one.
So now to the present!
My company is taking off in a leisurely, roundabout way, you might say. So I'm filling in with freelance writing and other types of coaching/teaching jobs. My routine is a bit erratic. This week for example, I am editing a children's book on child abuse, writing song lyrics for a pop band in Poland (terrific musicians) and writing a piece for you good folks! This afternoon I'm meeting with the Saudi Arabian consul general here in Houston about giving his son lessons to prepare for the SAT's. And last night I was helping an 8 year-old boy from Thailand with his homework. In between, I take care of my granddaughter who's 11 and dreams of becoming a fashion model. So we practice the runway walk a lot!
One of your questions I was asked to answer is, "How would you rate your success in your current role?" That's a good one. Am I happy? Absolutely! Am I making enough money? Not nearly enough, but I'm adjusting and making changes with the intent to go forward with my plans. I see progress, much slower than what I had originally imagined, but progress nevertheless and it's enough to keep me going. And opportunities I never imagined are happening too and in the most amazing ways!
What would I recommend to a person entering my field? I would say to market the ____ out of yourself! Leave no stone unturned - reach out every day to let others know about you and expect the unexpected. I blog, answer posts, make YouTube videos, write opinions and all this has slowly found its way into the most unlikely places. Fortunately, I'm at a place in my life where I don't have to worry about supporting anyone but myself (God, please just give me enough money for Starbucks!). And I have a family that supports me and stands behind my efforts.
Life is beautiful and filled with wonderful possibilities. There are days when I feel a dread for an unknown future but I think that's part of the cycle of life- not knowing what's around the corner can be both exciting and nerve racking. In my mind, people just need to get to know me and they'll love me! It will take time, but I believe that what I'm doing is a valuable and needed service and as I continue to let the world know who I am, things will catch on. Believing in yourself is hard work! It's not something that comes naturally, but something that you have to renew everyday as you go forward with your dreams. You have to have a strong conviction inside about why you're the perfect person to do what you're doing. That's what inspires me to do this job every day - knowing that I'm good at what I do and when the right people figure that out, success will follow.
One last word - in going into the oil and gas companies to teach, I encounter a cold, "soul-less" environment. Instead of trying to fit in, women should understand that their natural compassion and qualities that make them women can counteract this environment to make it more human. It should never just be about the work. Know what you bring to this world as a woman and celebrate that!
May your career be filled with wondrous opportunities and may you continue to grow and thrive with each success.
As I continued to teach, I began to acknowledge a desire to own my own business. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to own - I just knew I wanted to give something a try. Through a series of unusual events (there are no accidents!) I wound up leaving the teaching world and starting a construction and remodelling company. I was a female residential General Contractor and there are very few of those around. To start with, I knew very little about what I was doing, but I learned over time through rigorous experience, my best teacher in life so far. This was about 20 years ago and I struggled through that business for about 14 years. It had its ups and downs and overall was a lucrative venture filled with the most incredible headaches. Tearing up someone's home for several months at a time does not bode well for good relationships even though they may end up with the place of their dreams. It's the in-between stage that's a killer!
And after 14 years, I decided I had had enough.
Once again, my heart turned back to teaching and in truth, I had never really left it. Through my stint as a GC, I taught classes to homeowners on the remodelling process, wrote magazine articles, and did a lot of volunteer work in Texas prisons teaching meditation techniques.
Once a teacher, always a teacher!
This time though, I decided to stay away from the public schools and went to work as an ESL teacher (not one of my certifications!) and wound up teaching and living in Beijing, China and later briefly in Sudan, Africa. I came home last year loaded with ideas and now I'm a teacher who owns her own business teaching English one-on-one.
So now to the present!
My company is taking off in a leisurely, roundabout way, you might say. So I'm filling in with freelance writing and other types of coaching/teaching jobs. My routine is a bit erratic. This week for example, I am editing a children's book on child abuse, writing song lyrics for a pop band in Poland (terrific musicians) and writing a piece for you good folks! This afternoon I'm meeting with the Saudi Arabian consul general here in Houston about giving his son lessons to prepare for the SAT's. And last night I was helping an 8 year-old boy from Thailand with his homework. In between, I take care of my granddaughter who's 11 and dreams of becoming a fashion model. So we practice the runway walk a lot!
One of your questions I was asked to answer is, "How would you rate your success in your current role?" That's a good one. Am I happy? Absolutely! Am I making enough money? Not nearly enough, but I'm adjusting and making changes with the intent to go forward with my plans. I see progress, much slower than what I had originally imagined, but progress nevertheless and it's enough to keep me going. And opportunities I never imagined are happening too and in the most amazing ways!
What would I recommend to a person entering my field? I would say to market the ____ out of yourself! Leave no stone unturned - reach out every day to let others know about you and expect the unexpected. I blog, answer posts, make YouTube videos, write opinions and all this has slowly found its way into the most unlikely places. Fortunately, I'm at a place in my life where I don't have to worry about supporting anyone but myself (God, please just give me enough money for Starbucks!). And I have a family that supports me and stands behind my efforts.
Life is beautiful and filled with wonderful possibilities. There are days when I feel a dread for an unknown future but I think that's part of the cycle of life- not knowing what's around the corner can be both exciting and nerve racking. In my mind, people just need to get to know me and they'll love me! It will take time, but I believe that what I'm doing is a valuable and needed service and as I continue to let the world know who I am, things will catch on. Believing in yourself is hard work! It's not something that comes naturally, but something that you have to renew everyday as you go forward with your dreams. You have to have a strong conviction inside about why you're the perfect person to do what you're doing. That's what inspires me to do this job every day - knowing that I'm good at what I do and when the right people figure that out, success will follow.
One last word - in going into the oil and gas companies to teach, I encounter a cold, "soul-less" environment. Instead of trying to fit in, women should understand that their natural compassion and qualities that make them women can counteract this environment to make it more human. It should never just be about the work. Know what you bring to this world as a woman and celebrate that!
May your career be filled with wondrous opportunities and may you continue to grow and thrive with each success.
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