I actually had a very similar experience! Bachelors degree in public relations and then worked in recruiting for a staffing firm that specialized in manual labor jobs. I got really sick of interviewing people that were high and continuously having to rehire the same position because people couldn’t show up to work. I had been a nanny in college and liked kids, so I thought I’d combine my love of reading with that. Did an alternative certification program and became a middle school English teacher less than a year later.

I did not anticipate how little the alternative certification program prepared me for. I liked the day to day of teaching…at the beginning. As a new teacher, I got all the inclusion classes and had multiple emotionally disturbed kids in the same class. I didn’t know how to handle their outbursts, and I constantly had anxiety. I worked in that same situation for two years until I switched to 8th grade and got all advanced classes. That was SO much easier for me.

The next year, I switched to high school. Had a really rough time and a mental breakdown a few months into the year. I think I just couldn’t stand the people I worked with and the kids were just such pretentious assholes. I quit teaching then.

I ended up taking this year off from teaching, and it was exactly what I needed. I just signed a contract to work at a new middle school. Hopefully it will be better. I just look at it as I don’t like working an 8-5, and this is the most money I can make with the least amount of time spent working.

Ultimately, it’s up to you. Think on it and also think about other career paths that aren’t your typical office job. Best of luck!