Post #109674 by Formikahini on Sun, Aug 22, 2004 6:22 PM

Hey Sam!

I too feel for you. I formerly made my living in a line of work that everyone would think was wonderful, a dream, creative, glamorous, blah blah. Yes, I was a (not-teenage) rock (not-very-big-at-all) star. I won't go into any whining, but suffice it to say I was eventually hating my life on the road and wanted out.

Best thing I ever did.

Now, I was lucky. 1.) I didn't have a mortgage, dependents, or any debt and 2.) I had a side gig (grading essays for the Georgia state writing test) that I could slide into and make a fulltime job, so it's not like I took a huge leap (like you Bong) or took on enormous debt with further education. But I lost that fulltime job (state cutbacks in education) and went back to substitute teaching fulltime. And then it hit me; I was meant to teach.

Terrified, I accepted a real teaching position that opened up mid-year. But it was so obviously meant to be (again, I was lucky that it was so clear). After that semester, THEN I took the big plunge of getting more education. I'd been warned; it would be hell for those two years of working fulltime while attending school fulltime (nights), and it was. But it meant a payraise - yay!

And now I LOVE what I do, and I get paid (with consistent paychecks) to do it. And I can take it with me anywhere (everybody needs high school Spanish teachers), especially thanks to getting the masters (even though you and I and everyone knows that Ed Masters are stupid degrees!).

Moral: Do whatcha gotta do! If you hate your job (or hate what it keeps you from), life is too short to stay there. Sometimes really short. I don't think anyone on his deathbed reflects on his past and regrets having done what he loved and taking big risks to do it, even if sometimes they failed. (I'll say the only exception is if a HUGE, stupid risk failed to the point of putting their wife and kids out on the street. But does anyone blow it that big? Nope. So relax!)

Good luck with your mental inventory, Hon!