re: Tired of life going by and missing out (Update on pg 7: new job)

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Currently a band teacher

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That explains a lot - I have plenty of friends that are band directors - it’s very intense

I’m glad I changed majors

Reading your post was exactly what my life used to be. Coached all 3 seasons, taught full-time, and was AD. Burnt out in 5 years….

But, then we both changed careers and things improved drastically.

You are a teacher. Grow the hell up.

was the second profession of every hs coach in town where I grew up

Teacher. Same. So I’m finding my way out of the classroom. The demands and hours are too much even if you don’t coach or run clubs. My coaching pay equates to $11/check after taxes. Also, start to say No. Anything like Leadership or after school tutoring - I say no. My time is valuable.

When people on here post all that nonsense about teachers, this is the part they really don't understand. Teaching is an absolutely brutal profession, and you will spend all of your evenings working instead of time with your family. Your choices are to move up or move out.

Yes… and to get yelled at by parents that just put their kids on the bus and never check in on them until they’re failing. When I come home and don’t even have the energy left for my own kid. It’s brutal and in our hallway of 10, half are actively job searching. We love teaching kids, but so much of it is babysitting. The whole days is teaching, so grading and planning all must be done after hours. Then the clubs, sports, etc.

Wow!

You could give up all of the extracurriculars and work one shift a week in retail or the service industry for more than that. That is brutal.

Someone made a good point about transitional teaching. I can see that being common for sure. As a fellow liberal arts degree holder, I get the allure of teaching when you're young. I certainly didn't start out at $45,500 I'm seeing listed as starting salary for EBR. My first job out of college was like $26k.

But after 7 years, those people's teaching salary is $47,075 and mine is at $75k and climbing. With a useless English degree.

At a certain point, that would be hard to reconcile. I know OP mentions knowing what he was going into, but be easier on yourself, OP. You were 21! You had no concept of salaries and likely saw $45k as "good money". I know I did.

Blow up your TV
Throw away your papers
Move to the country
Build you a home
Have a bunch of children
Feed em all peaches
Try to find Jesus
On your own

Teaching is an excellent profession for retired people that have spent their life doing something else and have a lot of wisdom to offer. Anyone else, generally speaking, is a lazy grifter. A teacher is a person who never left school their entire life. No wonder most the teachers I know are evil scum. Plus you have no kids and are complaining about being a teacher? I’m genuinely intrigued how you seem so miserable? Quit your job if that is the case. There are tons of other careers out there.