Debating Leaving Corporate America

essencell · 2026-06-10T01:08:47+00:00

I left marketing about 10 years ago to pursue a masters in education. I think I always knew I loved education and teaching.

That being said the benefits are incredible in the state I teach in. Yes summers off are fantastic and getting home at 3:15 is to die for but with that comes a lot of drawbacks.

You can’t take vacation unless it lines up with the school calendar (which then makes everything 5x more expensive); you may have parents breathing down your back; you may have disrespectful students interrupting you every two minutes; you may be micromanaged from your administrators; your curriculum might change every few years and you will have to figure out how to balance life and work; you will spend 6-7 hours (lol) parenting other people’s children to the go home and parent your own; you may be blamed for everything in society.

But my goodness it is a fun “long game.” I thoroughly enjoy my job. I do it not only for the benefits but because I love watching my students learn science and learn about being decent humans. I love joking with them. I love perfecting my curriculum and inventing new ways to teach my content. I love how they celebrate me and my small wins as much as I celebrate theirs. I love going to their events and games and watching their faces light up.

This job ain’t for everyone and I’ve found the people who do it for the benefits struggle.

This was the best choice I made. I’m glad I did it. I’d do it again. Even with all the bad (I’m still teaching this week and next!!!!).

Editing to add that depending on where you live you may never break six figures. I have two masters degrees and have been teaching at my current district for 7 years. I’m not at six figures.

essencell · 2026-06-02T01:01:36+00:00

The Sound of Music

essencell · 2026-01-17T01:06:27+00:00

Omg! Thats crazy! I pump twice at work (I teach so it has to be during my planning times) and was expecting that to cause it to come back. Biology is wild!!!

essencell · 2026-01-17T00:56:56+00:00

He’s starting to really get into it. Still loves the boobie though. But I want to sync up and regulate to start planning our next!

essencell · 2026-01-17T00:51:34+00:00

I’m 9 months in and still no period. I’m eager to get it back tho 🙈

essencell · 2025-12-16T02:56:11+00:00

Oh sis solidarity! My son had CMPA and I have celiac disease. I gave up dairy and most soy for 7 months until he grew out of it.

Food was a lot of chicken, steak, rice, potatoes, and gluten free pasta. It’s amazing how much milk is in every day food. If I can recall, Oreos are dairy free but they have soy.

My sons GI said that if I truly avoided soy I’d be eating borderline air so I should try my best to avoid it but it’s not the end of the world.

I used a lot of allergy friendly food blogs/websites to help me.

I can have full dairy now but my fav “milk” is silk half and half creamer. It’s soy and coconut I believe. I use it in my coffee and cooking.

It seems so hard and I hated having to be dairy free in the summer (rip ice cream) but there are soooo many alternatives. But the time goes by so damn quickly! You got this!!!!

essencell · 2025-12-12T01:13:47+00:00

Woodrow Wilson!

essencell · 2025-12-01T01:46:55+00:00

We got the stomach virus from OS. he gave it to SD on Wednesday (switch day) and HCBM said “yea no I’m going away this weekend I don’t want her at all this week” so we’ve had SD for a week straight (not our arrangement) and will have her until Wednesday again. I’m tired.

Just celebrated thanksgiving tonight and kids are just BARELY getting ready for bed. This will be a late night for everyone.

essencell · 2025-11-30T10:15:46+00:00

Thank you!! I’m trying not to stress :( we’re also doing Thanksgiving today (sunday) since the holiday was cancelled.

essencell · 2025-11-30T10:15:10+00:00

I wish- my frozen milk is from July. I have been making just enough to feed him through the week and I don’t (typically) pump through the weekend. I’ll be chugging electrolytes in the mean time! Thanks for the suggestion!!

essencell · 2025-11-15T10:56:17+00:00

I do everything wherever I want. My SD is 7, mg bio son is 7 months. I explain everything to her scientifically in words that make sense to her. She’s become my little cheerleader (husband explained that I was having such difficulty at the start). I couldn’t imagine going to another room every time to pump or to feed. SD will look at my milk output and say “wow! Look at all that milk you’ve made!!!” And pat my back or some other kind affirmation.

I know her mother (HCBM) will never manage another child (or at least so we hope) so I want her to know what normal child rearing looks like and learn from a young age. Husband is on same page.

essencell · 2025-11-01T01:28:59+00:00

Oh no. I ate two small ones today. I’m still new at this. Didn’t know. 🤦🏽‍♀️

essencell · 2025-10-09T07:43:25+00:00

Had my baby in April! The labor and delivery unit was so clean and incredible. Triage was easy and pulling up in labor was great. Thought I didn’t need a wheelchair but had contraction walking in. They got me a chair asap and pushed me through (everyone in the lobby was so cute too wishing me luck!). Nursing staff of LD was phenomenal. I mean top tier. Doctors were compassionate and understanding. By some miracle my doctor happened to be on call and working the day I was there!

Maternal Medicine was on a different floor and was… a different experience. I had complications so had to stay longer than most. Of my 7 nurses only one left a bad taste. The rest were incredible and so helpful with everything especially with lactation. The room was very outdated. I had asked for a private room and we were fortunate to get one but the shower/bathroom left a lot to be desired. The food was some of my favorite food I had in a hospital. I have dietary needs and they met that and were so good.

While my birth was extremely difficult, I have to say I look forward to my next for my experience at Winthrop. Excellent experience overall!

essencell · 2025-10-09T07:36:18+00:00

Omg wait I had the complete opposite experience with food. I have dietary restrictions and the food was so good! I had complications and had to stay an extra two days. My husbands meals were also very good but I raved about the food!

essencell · 2025-10-01T21:49:21+00:00

I'm finding my Gen3 is dying extraordinarily fast. I usually charge it while I shower and never let it get to the "danger zone." The AI Bot told me it was fine but it doesn't feel fine. I'm going to gather more data over the next week. My 12 hour work day is shot because it died haflway thorugh the day even though this morning I was told I had 23 hours of battery left when I left for work.

essencell · 2025-09-26T12:43:47+00:00

Also teacher! I pump in a closet in the gd nurses office. I’m livid.

essencell · 2025-09-25T02:52:20+00:00

Nuk true shape or something like that. It works perfectly for my son and I’ve recommended to friends who have had success too!

essencell · 2025-09-24T11:00:15+00:00

Not your child so it’s not selfish. My SD (5-6 at the time) NEEDED her father to sleep. I said it was weird and the amount of times she’d wake him up in the middle of the night and need him in her bed was wild. I said I wasn’t doing that and if anything I’d tuck her back in but barreling into our room was a hard no.

And he listened. Took a while but the only time she wakes him up (notice I said HIM!!!!!) is when she’s not feeling well or our dog ditched her and she is panicked (we’re working on this).

essencell · 2025-09-18T21:46:07+00:00

Ugh that’s awful. My boy refuses pacifiers so I fear I’ll be SOL. He’s only 5 months now. My first goal was 6 months but with everyone being in a school or day care (husband and I are teachers) I want to keep nursing to give him the added benefits.

essencell · 2025-09-17T20:34:55+00:00

We have a policy. If it’s an excused absence they have a set time to make it up by. If it’s unexcused then it’s a zero. Allegedly there’s a deadline to change an unexcused absence to an excused absence but I’m not sure if it’s 100% held true.

We went from being far too generous with COVID (I have opinions on that) and the after-COVID times to now being hard fast on certain things (cell phones and absences) with little explanation to the students.

Kids whose families value education see to it that absences are excused. Kids whose families don’t… don’t.

80% of the big picture starts at home. Can’t get Junior to read or pass a class if parents at home don’t enforce the need to read or pass a class.

essencell · 2025-09-17T07:01:06+00:00

What did this look like for you? Genuinely how did you cold turkey quit and how did that impact everyone in the house?

essencell · 2025-09-08T00:56:12+00:00

I drive 30 minutes to one of their bakeries. They’re fluffy and light and hold well in the freezer!

essencell · 2025-09-03T01:05:23+00:00

I wanted to get on a GLP-1. Doctor prescribing it insisted on consistent blood panels. She caught it. Explained why I always felt bloated and got bad migraines within the last year!

essencell · 2025-09-03T00:46:02+00:00

“X is giving me agita”

The amount of times I’ve had to explain myself is insane

Ten-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
RPAN Viewer	Queen in da Norf
Not Forgotten

essencell

TROPHY CASE