In 2022, I turned 30, quit my eight-year teaching career, and got a job at Costco.

When I tell people this, they often respond with: “But is Costco your dream job?” or, “Do you think it’s a valid career?” To me, it implied that they thought my decision was a downgrade. And for a long time, I might have agreed. My identity and value were completely tied to being an educator.

But I no longer find my fulfillment or sense of worth in work alone.

My priority is to have a clear divide between my personal and professional lives. I want to spend time with my husband and our two kids, and pursue the things that are truly important to me.

This fall, I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate my first anniversary working at Costco — and I’ve never been happier.

For eight years, I taught middle and high school history and language arts at public and private schools. In 2022, during my final school year, my salary was $47,000.

I worked 60 hours a week and put in tons of unpaid overtime. Between administrative pressures, testing requirements, and the endurance required to teach during the height of the pandemic, I was exhausted. I felt like I lacked purpose.

So I started looking for alternative paths that would give me some breathing room.

At first, I just wanted a “good enough for now” job. I got offers from Costco and Amazon in the same week, but Costco seemed like it would be a better fit and offer more opportunities down the line.

Plus, I liked shopping there and I knew employees were treated well.

In September 2022, I started full-time on the memberships team at a new warehouse in Athens, Georgia. I had two 15-minute breaks, and 30 minutes for lunch. Otherwise, I was on my feet all day.

At first, I made $18.50 an hour — a little less than what I earned as a teacher. I put in 40-hour workweeks, five days a week, and got a $1-per-hour raise when I hit 1,000 hours.

A few months in, I got laryngitis. I couldn’t help members at the cash register with no voice, so I requested to temporarily fill in at the bakery.

I loved it. Whether it was baking a cake for a 90th birthday or for someone who just completed their PhD, making a tangible contribution to someone’s special day gave me a renewed sense of purpose.

When the marketing training team came to our location, seeing them work showed me that I could still be an educator — just in a different context. So when a position opened up in Issaquah, Washington, I immediately applied.

Now I’m a content developer and marketing trainer for the corporate office. I create internal materials to educate employees about policies and customer service procedures. I travel to different warehouses and train new team members.

I’m earning what a teacher with 15 years of experience made at my last school district — and 50% more than what I made when I quit.

My work is no longer my identity. I put energy into my job when I’m there, and I leave work at the office. When I come home, I’m present and able to spend time with my family doing what I love, like being outdoors.

I’ve never felt more fulfilled.

There are a lot of caregiving professions — teachers, social workers, emergency responders, home health aides — that aren’t highly paid, but are viewed as higher callings.

Having a lot of passion but not enough institutional support is a recipe for burnout. My best advice is to set boundaries and have a clear understanding of your responsibilities.

When I am asked to work on a project, I make sure I understand the stakes and the timeline required to complete it. I’m not afraid to ask for more resources if I need them.

We’re taught from a young to think about dream jobs in terms of: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Now, I spend more energy thinking about: “Who do you want to be?”

↪ https://www.cnbc.com/2023 .. 0-percent.html

I don't give a fu#k where this bi#ch works

Man it’s disgusting how disrespected these teachers are with pay, when in reality they have one of the most important jobs in America. That sh1t is a hard fu#king job.


I came in here ready to sh1t on her but man fu#k that…ain’t nothing more valuable in this world than yours peace and happiness.

For guys I always say pick a trade. You can go anywhere and make at least $25 an hour. I would recommend Electric or Hvac.

Creasy said 🔗 For guys I always say pick a trade. You can go anywhere and make at least $25 an hour. I would recommend Electric or Hvac.

I got my HVAC cert, the basics of electricity was covered in that training so I could do both. Anyways, HVAC is a career that you have to love because you're gonna be miserable if you don't. It wasn't for me.

My priority is to have a clear divide between my personal and professional lives. I want to spend time with my husband and our two kids, and pursue the things that are truly important to me.

She can afford too

I wanna know about the husband. Your wife just decides to up and quit without a solid plan? His career must've been stable enough to pay all the bills.

Sometimes I hate my job but I know I flat out work for one of the best companies in the world. It's just getting the motivation to expand because I swear this sh1t has a n1gga comfortable

CELE91 said 🔗 She can afford too

mistatnn said 🔗 I wanna know about the husband. Your wife just decides to up and quit without a solid plan? His career must've been stable enough to pay all the bills. Sometimes I hate my job but I know I flat out work for one of the best companies in the world. It's just getting the motivation to expand because I swear this sh1t has a n1gga comfortable

🔗

🔗

She got a corporate upgrade, and he has the classic anti-masculine face, so expect the heavy drinking to start and the risk of office situationships to increase.

She’s just classy/professional enough to not straight up say it . So I’ll tr@nslate

“I RATHER PACK SHELVES THEN TEACH YALL BAD a$s KIDS FOR NO MONEY”

Could’ve went into admin at a school lol

Who wrote this article, ChatGPT? The CIA?

Murderers said 🔗 I got my HVAC cert, the basics of electricity was covered in that training so I could do both. Anyways, HVAC is a career that you have to love because you're gonna be miserable if you don't. It wasn't for me.

Got certified in 08.
Still in the field.
But there are those days/customers/janky
Company owners that make me say
A higher education or a different job
May be best for my sanity.
But the money I get to demand for my experience
Pulls me back.

What things specifically caused you to leave?

I thought her pivot was cool honestly. If it went like it read, her disposition and all? Dope.

You can make decent living off costco.

mistatnn said 🔗 I wanna know about the husband. Your wife just decides to up and quit without a solid plan? His career must've been stable enough to pay all the bills. Sometimes I hate my job but I know I flat out work for one of the best companies in the world. It's just getting the motivation to expand because I swear this sh1t has a n1gga comfortable

Well, my dude, most people that are smart (seems like she is) don’t quit a current job until they have another one. It’s called “tr@nsitioning careers”

She even said when she started at Costco she made a little less than what she made Teaching. So, combined with her Husbands salary they were still able to make it, hence, the $1 raise after she hit 1000 hrs.

Do you all even read this articles are just say sh1t to put people down or make it seem like a joke.

She’s basically saying, you can do anything in any field. sh1t, it’s no different than writing a cover letter for a job in which you have no experience for but your education and experience can back it up.

I became a teacher back in 2013. I now work in administration.

Administration is a lot like being a coach of a sports team: You're only as good as the talent of your players.

I haven't noticed much difference in students from the start of my career until now. All this talk about the pandemic and how it's affecting students, I haven't really seen it. They're the same to me. However, I have noticed that teacher quality has dropped significantly. I spend 90% of my day putting out fires started from poor decisions made by teachers.

CornerShooter said 🔗 She’s just classy/professional enough to not straight up say it . So I’ll tr@nslate “I RATHER PACK SHELVES THEN TEACH YALL BAD a$s KIDS FOR NO MONEY”

00010111 said 🔗 In 2022, I turned 30, quit my eight-year teaching career, and got a job at Costco. When I tell people this, they often respond with: “But is Costco your dream job?” or, “Do you think it’s a valid career?” To me, it implied that they thought my decision was a downgrade. And for a long time, I might have agreed. My identity and value were completely tied to being an educator. But I no longer find my fulfillment or sense of worth in work alone. My priority is to have a clear divide between my personal and professional lives. I want to spend time with my husband and our two kids, and pursue the things that are truly important to me. This fall, I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate my first anniversary working at Costco — and I’ve never been happier. For eight years, I taught middle and high school history and language arts at public and private schools. In 2022, during my final school year, my salary was $47,000. I worked 60 hours a week and put in tons of unpaid overtime. Between administrative pressures, testing requirements, and the endurance required to teach during the height of the pandemic, I was exhausted. I felt like I lacked purpose. So I started looking for alternative paths that would give me some breathing room. At first, I just wanted a “good enough for now” job. I got offers from Costco and Amazon in the same week, but Costco seemed like it would be a better fit and offer more opportunities down the line. Plus, I liked shopping there and I knew employees were treated well. In September 2022, I started full-time on the memberships team at a new warehouse in Athens, Georgia. I had two 15-minute breaks, and 30 minutes for lunch. Otherwise, I was on my feet all day. At first, I made $18.50 an hour — a little less than what I earned as a teacher. I put in 40-hour workweeks, five days a week, and got a $1-per-hour raise when I hit 1,000 hours. A few months in, I got laryngitis. I couldn’t help members at the cash register with no voice, so I requested to temporarily fill in at the bakery. I loved it. Whether it was baking a cake for a 90th birthday or for someone who just completed their PhD, making a tangible contribution to someone’s special day gave me a renewed sense of purpose. When the marketing training team came to our location, seeing them work showed me that I could still be an educator — just in a different context. So when a position opened up in Issaquah, Washington, I immediately applied. Now I’m a content developer and marketing trainer for the corporate office. I create internal materials to educate employees about policies and customer service procedures. I travel to different warehouses and train new team members. I’m earning what a teacher with 15 years of experience made at my last school district — and 50% more than what I made when I quit. My work is no longer my identity. I put energy into my job when I’m there, and I leave work at the office. When I come home, I’m present and able to spend time with my family doing what I love, like being outdoors. I’ve never felt more fulfilled. There are a lot of caregiving professions — teachers, social workers, emergency responders, home health aides — that aren’t highly paid, but are viewed as higher callings. Having a lot of passion but not enough institutional support is a recipe for burnout. My best advice is to set boundaries and have a clear understanding of your responsibilities. When I am asked to work on a project, I make sure I understand the stakes and the timeline required to complete it. I’m not afraid to ask for more resources if I need them. We’re taught from a young to think about dream jobs in terms of: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Now, I spend more energy thinking about: “Who do you want to be?” ↪🔗

Congratulations Ms & thank you for your services as an educator. It's cool you feel more fulfilled & don't link your identity to your career...you're appreciated.

drose1985 said 🔗 You can make decent living off costco.

You can make a good living doing a lot of things, as long as you don't fu#k off the money you do make

Tweezy12 said 🔗 I don't give a fu#k where this bi#ch works

There was a feeling inside of me when I read that article but couldn't articulate it...

We’re taught from a young to think about dream jobs in terms of: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Now, I spend more energy thinking about: “Who do you want to be?”

this

lots of wealth and success are achieved by horrible people

it's wild how people will neglect their kids to get money

and slave away for a company while life passes them by and they don't have any personality or interests because they're too busy making the rich happy and comfortable

you can't worship money - and - have a society that places value on education, equality and compassion

if you're a garbage collector, it doesn't matter if you're a good person or you're happy, you're still a failure in this greedy, pretentious, faith-based society, even though your job is crucial to society, you're a failure and you don't deserve to be comfortable and among the successful

most of the "good jobs" or "dream jobs" are not needed and neither are the people who work them, meanwhile, you guys convince everyone that the jobs we actually need in society are for failures and don't deserve healthcare

you reap what you sow when everyone chooses their job based on how much money they can make and how much harm they can do to society instead of helping each other, reducing suffering and making the world a better place

Qbofficial said 🔗 Got certified in 08. Still in the field. But there are those days/customers/janky Company owners that make me say A higher education or a different job May be best for my sanity. But the money I get to demand for my experience Pulls me back. What things specifically caused you to leave?

Well a little backstory.. My uncle was one of the best HVAC techs in the country, he was literally listed in the HVAC textbooks at the time as he was one of the guys who was creating the curriculum at the time. As a nephew I was so proud of my uncle man especially being black and knowing his history of where he came from, it was so inspiring to see him overcome his past and become a success. He was an independent HVAC tech, had built in clientele that he had built up over years, and he was also the head of the HVAC department at this tech school called MTI. One day we'd had a talk and that's when I told him how much I looked up to him and wanted to follow in his steps. He convinced me to sign up for the HVAC classes and I did. Anyways the plan was for me to get certified and then we would work together, looking back on it I had it made because I was gonna be working with his clients and whatnot. I even shadowed with him and man this guy was working in parts of the city I didn't know existed, we literally were in millionaires' cribs. The whole experience was just inspiring for a young n1gga like myself. So I eventually get my cert and then it hits me. I was more in love with the idea of the money I'd be making than actually being a tech. I didn't like being in inclement weather, I didn't like going into crawlspaces, I didn't like going in people's basements where rodents were always present etc. I got offered a job right off the bat as a maintenance man for an apartment complex that another family member was running and I was gonna do that while also working with Unk. Mind you, this is all while I had my first child at 20 years old. Idk man I declined the maintenance job and I kinda distanced myself from Unk. My Grandma(his mom) would tell me that he would ask about me to see if I was still interested and looking back i think I only finished the cla$s to make him proud because I had these feelings of resignation about hvac even before I completed the class. Little did I know Unc was going through some things at home with his ol lady which is a whole other story... he was battling demons unbeknownst to the family and he offed himself a few months after I had got my cert. When he died, that pretty much ki1led any faint HVAC dreams as him and the idea of us running a family business was the only thing that would've made me reconsider a career in that field. After he passed my Grandma told me everything going on with him and his lady and I can't help but think of things had been different had I fully accepted being his protege. I mean I know his su1cide was mainly due the issues at home but there's also a tinge of guilt that hits me.

whatevaitakes said 🔗 ↪🔗 She got a corporate upgrade, and he has the classic anti-masculine face, so expect the heavy drinking to start and the risk of office situationships to increase.

I like root beer

Dream job....who the fu#k dreams about working?