Quit My Day Job

The summer semester is on. It's a beautiful Friday morning and I'm buzzing on a latte, enjoying student papers, working to the beat of some fun 80s music in the background. I'm at Twiggs, my favorite coffee shop, and I just had a full-circle moment. About this time four years ago, I was in a government job I hated. Ugh. I had the boss from hell, and while I loved the students I was working with, I felt like a cog in a bureaucratic machine, no longer fulfilled or challenged, watching some of the senior employees rot as they wilted and waited for retirement and a pension. It was a dark time. 

I remember coming into Twiggs one morning before work, looking around to see people happily clicking away on their laptops, reading, enjoying coffee and music, peaceful and productive. I was so sad to be headed off to another miserable day at work. I literally felt sick and remember thinking, I hate this. I need a new job. A job where I choose my own hours. A work environment that lets me read, and learn, and think every day. A career that challenges me and lets me be creative. An employer that gives me autonomy and lets me do some of my work from a coffee shop. Postsecondary teaching seemed to be the answer. It was at that moment, that morning when I first seriously considered leaving my relatively well paid, permanent position with the state. It was 2009 and the recession was in full swing. A lot of people told me I was crazy to leave such stability. My dad, who always has pitch-perfect advice, told me to follow my heart, and reminded me that in this country, we're lucky that we can find what we love and go make a job out of it. With the encouragement of my family and friends, I had a timeline to leave. Though I was terrified, a heavy weight was lifted. I resigned three months later, and received a teaching job that same week. As I wrote in this post, teaching has its ups and downs, but an unfulfilling 9-to-5 under fluorescent lights is just not for me. And life's too short to spend 40+ hours a week doing something that doesn't make your heart sing.

I haven't thought of that sad morning in Twiggs in years, but here's the lesson: You can have any life you want. Unhappy at work? You can change things. If you follow your passions, and work hard to craft a life that is meaningful to you, even if that meaningful life means deviating from a stable plan or your comfort zone, you can build something fulfilling, and find your bliss.

Happy weekend. xo