In my late 20's and leaving teaching at the end of this school year (6 years in public schools) to hopefully start a machine mechanic apprenticeship at a shop where my buddy works (I'll make just below what I did teaching). I'm sick of struggling to disrupt a system that does not truly liberate anyone, least of all the marginalized, while also trying to find some meaningful, respected place within it. I'm sick of being expected to work unpaid hours preparing lesson plans, teaching curriculum that does not meet students where they are, and spending my own money on useful materials and healthy snacks for the class because the school can't provide them. I could go on but I think the problems associated with teaching in US public schools are pretty common knowledge these days.
Anybody else find themselves at points in their lives when it couldn't have been more clear to them that a change was needed? Had a job that maybe you once loved or dreamed about that turned into something that made you physically ill each morning? Or maybe became bored with what they were doing and took on a new and exciting challenge? What were you doing, and what did you end up doing instead?