The back up plan

[trenton]

I would love to be a chess teacher.  The problem is that this job is rare.  I found a opportunities in California and New York, but I live in Ohio.  In order to be a better chess teacher I also need a better rating.  Currently there are only online tournaments.  I started playing over the board tournaments as soon as I got out of college, but they all shut down about a year ago due to the virus

While I was in college I became lost and undecided because I could not find a clear path to get what I wanted.  I was not optimistic about the career prospects in philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, computer science, or engineering.  I never had and passion with engineering, but based on my aptitudes, I excel in mathematics and would be suitable for this.

I finished an associate's degree in General studies.  When I felt lost, I started watching actualized.org.  I pressured myself with personal development because if i don't change my life situation, then I could be a bag boy at Kroger, living paycheck to paycheck after my grandma dies and i have nobody to support me anymore.  These future possibilities make me feel stuck and frustrated.  Although spirituality and philosophy are interesting, I don't think it is what I need.

Possible back up plans.

I am considering going back to college for business.  I don't have a passion for business now, but it may be necessary to make a back up plan.  My goal would be to build my own chess school where I can train people to become masters.  I could expand on this idea of a school, by including personal development like emotional mastery.  I also want children in low income families to be able to attend because I don't want poverty to cause people to waste their talents.  I could give scholarships to some of these families like the school in New York did when I tried to join.  If I can't join a school to become a chess teacher, then I could build my own school.

My other back up plans include engineering because of my mathematical aptitudes and writing because it helps people to understand autism when I reflect on my thoughts.  I often laugh out loud instead of in my head.  This can be problematic and makes me stuck on what to do about my immaturity.

How else could I form a back up plan?  Should I go to college for business and education or engineering?

[flowboy]

Having a back-up plan is a good way to undermine your resolve.

When things get hard, on track for your life purpose, and the next step seems impossible to figure out, the person with the back up plan will choose the back-up plan and choose to fail. The person without the back-up plan will figure it out somehow and succeed.

Screw back-up plans. Really. It's self-sabotage. Unless you're starving in a third-world country.

[integral]

@trenton What is your online rating? Just wondering, if your going to be a teacher. 

[trenton]

@integral my online rating on license is about 2200.  My peak rating was 2264 in classic.  In rapid I am currently 2130.  In blitz I am rated 2006.  It took me many games, but I eventually managed to break the 2000 barrier in blitz.  At one point I was in the top 200 players on lichess.  I defeated 3 players rated higher than 2300 in classic time controls.  They are very difficult opponents for me and I lost many games against these tough players.

I won many tournaments and I trained the walnut hills chess team well enough to place second in the queen city classic.  It was because of the fact that I was the first student in walnut hills history to win the scholastic tournament series.  Chess club became much more crowded after my victories were announced as I represented the school well.

[integral]

Goods stuff man, have you looked into online coaching on lichess or chess.com? You can sign up as a couch and get paid.  Build a student base online. 

Edited March 28, 2021 by integral

[Consept]

You probably know but streaming your chess games is a great way to make money from chess. Or a YouTube channel teaching people how to play

[trenton]

@integral I have been getting advice from other chess coaches.  They said that I could make a pay pal account and I could use some kind of video chat to teach individual students.  I can ask coaches in chess.com for more information.

This will be a great way to get me more experience in what I want to do.  One challenge is that I am not clear that I will make enough money and I may need another job.

[trenton]

7 hours ago, Consept said:

You probably know but streaming your chess games is a great way to make money from chess. Or a YouTube channel teaching people how to play

I should probably do that.  I like having my thought process formalized so I can make my best thinking system habitual.  By offering my best to the people learning from me it pushes me to improve myself enough to compete with very strong players.

[Consept]

1 hour ago, trenton said:

I should probably do that.  I like having my thought process formalized so I can make my best thinking system habitual.  By offering my best to the people learning from me it pushes me to improve myself enough to compete with very strong players.

Granted, some of their success can be attributed to looks, but i think the Botez sisters are a good example of making money from chess, without formally competing 

 

[integral]

Got to develop a entertaining personality. 

[melodydanielluna]

@flowboy This is very true.  I’m in a job I like okay that isn’t my LP.  And it’s very easy to get stuck in that and lose motivation to realize my LP.