I’m Thankful I Quit My Full-time Teaching Job, Unemployed, And Lived A Life To Change The World
Teaching is the noblest profession in the world. But I decided to leave and lived my own life to change the world. No one could ever understand that, not even my own family.
Pretty insane, right?
Who would think a straight A-lister like me would quit a full-time teaching job to pursue a worthless dream? Who would think that you’re competitive classmate, the most favorite student of your teachers, would quit a job with a stable income to pursue a stupid ambition?
Yeah, that’s me.
I was a student who’s considered a straight A-lister, thinking about competition most of the time for the past 16 years since primary school. I graduated top 1 or top 2 until high school. In college, I have quite a long list of student government involvement from volunteering to student council presidency. I was considered the most competitive person everyone could ever think of. The person who couldn’t ever foreseen a quitter or an idiot.
After three years since I graduated in college, a lot of my batch mates were looking for me. They haven’t seen me for a while. One of them asked me yesterday, “You know what, I was thinking about you like where you are now. And here you are, I’ve seen you after so long time.” Her name was Theresa, my classmate in primary school. She’s working in a local fast food chain as a manager. In 2005, when we were still classmates, she’s not an achiever. Getting a B mark on her subjects made her smile. Compared to me, even A- is never enough.
Aside from Theresa, a lot of them are looking for me. But only a few of them saw me walking along. Some of them have seen me in the malls or somewhere in the city. All of them are asking how am I and what’s my job. All of them are expecting me having a fortunate job, a job with at least thirty thousand (Philippine) pesos.
When I told them, I am a member of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), they’re shocked. They thought I am in school teaching full-time with lots of money or perhaps, working in a corporate job with a higher position. They never thought about unemployment as my status. Obviously, they were curious about my decision. If you think about it, no one could ever understand why I left my job and remained unemployed. Not even my own family. They, too, have asked me if my decision was right. At first, I was in a state of shock myself of what I did.
Yet, I never felt so good since the last 16 years of pressure and consistent agonizing pain from hidden depression. My obsession for perfection left a huge mark in me that until now I’m striving to get my freedom from it. Imagine leaving more than a decade of training to perfection to seal the envelope and finally leave it in the drawers of my past.
The whole course of walking my new beginning as an unemployed was difficult. Readjusting my mind from competition and self-worth were the priorities to help me survive the depressing moments of my life which I considered my personal turning points. My mind was trained to compete against anyone and my self-worth was always measured to how high my grades are and how people praise me from my excellent performances. Neither of them appreciated my worth as a person with hidden creativity and personal ambitions.
My quitting made a big impact to different people like my sister. She has always seen me in a pedestal leaving her in my shadows. Her discomfort lead her to keep herself secluded from the family. The moment I quit, she discovered another side of the coin. She never expected her sister is as creative as she is and the most humble person she could ever meet. Like her, I also have my failures and mistakes. She never saw them before. She never seen my cry and vulnerable. Who would guess that a straight A-lister like me leave a pedestal to live poverty? No one besides me.
By thinking about these things making me realize how long have I fought to forget my dreams and forsake my aspirations for a long-time pretense. For 16 years of living my charade, I have decided to live the life I have always wanted. To speak and to make influence to the world.
If it was possible for me to quit a full-time teaching job as a straight A-lister with tons of gold medals, certificate of recognition, and all the other awards any award-giving body could give me, you can. You can not because you choose to live poverty, not because you want to be famous, not because you want to look stupid, but because you want to leave the cloak you’ve always worn keeping your unique talents and ambitions hidden.
Never did I expect myself to be a writer, a blogger, and an entrepreneur. Never did I see myself as a craftswoman making my own handmade journals and sold them to people. They never saw that from me. They never saw that I could touch people’s lives with how I write. But, now, they did. And so do I.
With my fiance beside all along with my troublesome journey, I was able to see the outcomes of my hidden talents and ambitions as a natural visionary. From a pressuring life of a straight A-lister, now, I am living the life of peace, calm, and faith I never experienced for the past 16 years.
The kind of life I have right now is far more enjoyable than living a pedestal surrounded by unhealthy game. I’d rather leave my cloak of perfection behind and live the freedom I have never had before.
That’s why, I can really say I’m thankful I quit my full-time teaching job, remained unemployed, and lived a life to change the world.
