How the Wabash "network" connected a teacher to a career that really fits.
I was getting burned out after eight years of teaching at the high school and college level. I enjoyed working with bright, enthusiastic young people, but the nights and weekends spent grading and preparing lessons were really getting to me.
At the same time, I had become a father. I knew that I could not happily sustain both my desire to spend time with my family and the duties of a not-so-9-to-5 job. (As any teacher will tell you,a teacher’s work never ends.)
So I knew it was time for me to move on. With my wife’s blessing, I began to look for another line of work. But what would I do?
I quickly learned how hard it would be to secure a job in a field for which my qualifications were not necessarily apparent from my resume. Having spent most of my professional life as a French teacher and holding primarily foreign language degrees, it became very hard to attract potential employers in any field. Two summers came and went with only the slightest hint of something new.
Strangely enough, I’d never set out to be a teacher in the first place. It just kind of happened. With an advanced degree in languages, working in the academic field made sense, but I had always hoped I would use my French in a practical sense—in international business, consulting, or as a translator or an interpreter. I never really gave up that dream.
After September 11, 2001, I felt compelled to do something for my country, but joining the military was out of the question. Instead, I chose to see if the U.S. government might need someone with language skills, and I applied for several federal positions. Still no luck.
Finally I decided to contact a Wabash alumnus in Muncie, hoping to gather any leads he might have for a possible career change. I had met John "Beck" Hannaford ’71 through Wabash recruitment events, and I knew that he was well acquainted with the Wabash network in the Muncie and central Indiana area. What I did not know was that one of his former fraternity brothers was a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy living and working in the DC area. When I told Beck that I was looking for a job with an international flavor that would give me a chance to use my French, he immediately pointed me in the direction of RADM Alex Miller ’71, former Chief of Staff for the National Security Agency. The Wabash network was starting to work for me; my life was about to change in a major way.
I contacted Admiral Miller out of the blue. He not only responded to my messages in a helpful manner, but he also took a personal interest in me as I went through the process of applying to become a linguist for the Department of Defense. This time around, I did get an offer. Although it meant my family and I would have to move to the DC area and leave behind our beloved home state, this was an opportunity we could not pass up. So, with my wife’s blessing, I agreed to sign on as a government linguist, and I bid farewell to teaching.
Just over a year into my new career, I love it more each day. The work is challenging, exciting, and fun; I cannot think of a job that would be better suited for me, or that I would enjoy doing more. Thanks to Beck Hannaford and Admiral Miller, as well as Tom Runge ’71 who facilitated my initial contact with Admiral Miller, I have been given this opportunity. I owe them all a deep debt of gratitude.
And as I expand my Wabash network in the DC/ Baltimore area, I welcome the opportunity to help other Wabash people in turn, as they seek to achieve their personal and professional goals.
Photo: Matt Zimmerman relaxes with his wife and kids at home in Columbia, MD.