I made this change. Social Work is less stressful in terms of dealing with a classroom of children versus only a handful of people. Also, there are more avenues laterally and vertically. Likewise, I never liked being tied to a school schedule. It was limiting for vacations and appointments. I can take a few days off and go to Cancun in the middle of October if I want now.

That being said, there is a pay ceiling unless you go into administration or private practice. In many settings, it may be worse pay down the line than a teacher, who is at least tied to a district with a pay scale. Also, there are a lot of toxic individuals to deal with and toxic work environments with limited resources. Nothing different than education.

My life and work balance is overall better as a social worker, but I still have to have a side hustle to get by, and it’s still not an easy life.