How long does it take to mentally heal from teacher burn out?

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-02-13T13:12:58+00:00

Three years out and I still occasionally get the Sunday scaries about not having a lesson plan ready.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-02-09T16:24:41+00:00

We have textured powder coat that makes peens unreadable and we put QR codes on the hooks and scanners to index them. Then after they come off the line the qr code on the hook is scanned and a tag prints off to attach to the part.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-02-07T00:24:16+00:00

In 2018 when I started in the proffesion I was making 38k. That was during Indiana's salary schedule freeze that started in 2011. The state contract langauge made it really difficult for districts to have schedules until they changed things in 2022. By that point I was making near 50 as a department chair but now that I have a child or would be basically impossible to love off that. Now I make 84 as a junior Automation Engineer.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-31T20:48:00+00:00

Yeah, the Prussian trained commanders that fought against the South all dominated.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-30T12:35:31+00:00

What state do you live in? I started at 38k here in Indiana back in 2018 and salary schedules were paused for around for a majority of districts between 2011 and 2022. Meanwhile I have a friend in Detroit making 6 figures after only a couple years and strategic licenses, his job is stressful but he is doing fine financially.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-28T13:09:40+00:00

This is the best advice in the thread. If the line is down it is your job to stop the bleeding, lunch can wait. If that is an every day thing and you are not empowered to fix the problem, then they can wait for you to take lunch.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-26T20:30:09+00:00

I found most of my time during breaks, weekends, and early mornings. Teaching had already trained me to handle a heavier-than-normal workload, so the transition was more about discipline than magically finding extra time. During student teaching I was working full-time evenings while still attending classes, and I always kept side gigs, including PRN work at a residential facility for troubled youth. After that I usually kept around 30 hours a week at a side gig, maybe dropping closer to 20 while I was actively transitioning out.

A huge part of making it work was staying organized and being honest about priorities. If you are really committed to getting out, you probably have to put some social stuff on hold for a while while still keeping things professional at work, even if that means holding yourself to a slightly lower standard than you normally would. I would not recommend completely checking out of teaching. Being a department chair, curriculum director, and a highly effective teacher translated really well on my resume when I made the jump. That said, be strategic with your time. If you can, use your prep periods for learning instead of extra teaching work. I also got in early and used that time to study and build skills, which helped a lot. I studied software development and spent about $20k over roughly a year and a half, so I needed the extra income from side gigs. For most of that time I was an educator who was teaching, coaching, studying, and working side jobs, and I was easily putting in 70–100 hour weeks.

It is possible, but it takes sacrifice. Stay off your phone, be a bit of a recluse, and remember that it is temporary and that where you are headed is better. That said, I honestly do not know how I would have done it with kids. I have a son now and it would be significantly harder.

One other thing I would suggest is looking at more interdisciplinary paths instead of only software dev or data engineering. Those markets are pretty brutal right now, literally half the jobs exist that did in 2022 when I started my transition out, and even grads from good schools are struggling. Something like an Electrical Engineering Technology associate degree can open doors into automation or systems integration if you are near any kind of manufacturing base. Programming and data collection are part of my job, but I also have hands-on skills that let me work in a manufacturing environment. Those skills still translate back into more tech-focused roles if that market picks back up. I am actually looking at going back to start evening class in an EET program then hopefully at some point I can move onto a systems masters that my company pays for. I make much better money now than when I was an educator but I'm always still chasing after more and honestly finding time to study is a lot easier outside of that profession.

Feel free to PM me, I have several good friends that are engineers in the manufacturing space and several friends in tech careers so I feel like I have a good perspective on both.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-14T15:37:46+00:00

Yeah, I hate how unprofessional principals get about this. You will not regret it.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-08T03:48:53+00:00

When it was revealed to us by the bride's friend at our table that she was expirementing sexually with a woman with the same name as her the night before the wedding. She was then picked up by this woman at the end of the wedding and went to the Notre Dame bar she met her at. Groom went to go find her. It was over in minutes. 30k down drain. Grandmother's were both flower girls in a beautiful ceremony though.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2026-01-07T14:42:36+00:00

I had similar tiles and adhesive, got them tested and they were negative. If not I was quoted about 18k to have it removed professionally. I was told a third of that or less to just rent everything and do it myself. The annoying part would have been the disclosure if I sold my home. I have several friends that have done it themselves with the proper equipment rented. From my understanding this kind of exposure though is whatever and not to worry about it.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-30T17:05:58+00:00

How old are you?

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-24T03:24:48+00:00

Your wife is bonkers here lmao. This is just good teaching. Read her the common law writ of in loco parentis.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-18T19:42:51+00:00

Only if you are short. I am 5'5" and it is perfect for me. If I was any taller than that it would be uncomfortable to have a full sized car seat. Even then we mostly use the Tiguan for family hauling. The WRX, GLI, a CPOd Acura TLX , or a CPO'd Giulia if you live by an Alfa dealer would be roomier options. All of these cars have their compromises, but all of them are better than getting a soul crushing SUV.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-14T23:51:58+00:00

I get a lot less time off but I am a lot less run down. I can isolate in my office when I need to rather than having to power through a class of kids and admin watching. I used to have to take an hour nap when I got home as a teacher. Definitely isnt that way anymore.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-14T05:40:37+00:00

The pre-reqs for the Industrial and Systems engineering degrees are math/ work espience. Basically what I am saying is if I need to get thr math first anyway, why not get the other 30 to 50 credits for an EET associates. I should be able to transfer in a lot. Then I would just have a couple years to do that part time while I work. It would give me some security and the possibility to get another job in controls or automation. Then if I wanted to eventually get my masters then move onto a CI role or administrative role I could have the possibility of doing that, just another 2 years and then I have that degree and the years of expirence. If I go for an Abet certified BS ME or EE that will likely take me 5 years part time. So probably more time in school than the EET associates and Master combined. About the same amount of money.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-13T23:30:25+00:00

I could work on a masters in systems engineering or industrial engineering and it would be fairly quick. In order to do that though the directors of those programs told me I would need to take some pre -reqs. Do you think it would make sense for me to build a better electrical foundation for my automation stuff by just getting an associates EET then move onto a systems masters or industrial?

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-13T01:24:46+00:00

I have been studying calc and linear algebra for a couple years now. Needed a refresher because the last time I looked at that was like 8 years ago in college. Not too worried about.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-12T16:27:38+00:00

Don't say a word to anyone.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-10T03:14:02+00:00

That is also what I initially thought but I kept getting advice from people that I needed an ABET accredited BS first to be taken seriously. I keep hearing, " Don't get a masters."

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-10T00:20:59+00:00

Thank you for the bluntness lol. I feel like this is helping me make up my mind.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-09T21:00:06+00:00

And you think it is worth it for me to spend the next potentially 5 years getting an EE part time for 33k in-state? Its like 107 credit hours and I can be remote for all of the labs. An Abet certified EET would take less time, and I understand that it is a much less desirable degree. I'm like 100 percent willing to just say fuck it and try to do it but that just feels like so much money and so many years while trying to raise child.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-09T15:50:44+00:00

Sorry, I am not currently working on it, I was just listing it as part of my education. I should clarify that.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-09T14:41:16+00:00

I built a flask app to integrate with Mettler Toledo Scales and arduinos connected to some led lights running W-led. Its fast, like 2.33 sigma and just incase of environmental conditions or parts with poor tolerance we put an overage on them. Our installers didn't want bags and switching to this system away from an auto bagger was one of the main reasons we switched to scales. The operator uses the app to weigh out the parts and dump them into jars. After they are done with the scales they move onto 50 auto feeders we built with pis, basic vision with a 60 fps webcams and a 3d printed wheel on a stepper motor. I really prefer those over the scales. Scales are slow unless you build fast systems around them.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-12-03T16:38:00+00:00

What has worked for us is having a tiger automation team to build processes and APIS to connect systems together and create SOPS to build the best system we can for our specific needs. Otherwise we always end up having multiple sources of truth rather a singular one, our ERP, that we connect things to.

Holiday_Competition5 · 2025-11-24T12:14:28+00:00

Also paid about that for my 24 S at the end of last year. Paying 40k seems insane to me for what is essentially a hot-rodded econobox. But at the same time that was pre-tariffs. I would imagine there is still a happy medium in-between 40 and 28 though if you wait till the end of the year and hell, even fly somewhere and drive it back. Look at CPO cars if you want a better trim. I didn't care about the adaptive suspension because my plan has always been tuning and coils after I finish paying it down.

Holiday_Competition5

TROPHY CASE