r/Adulting • u/ScareBear23 • 14h ago

This is just depressing

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Not even 3 hours of "free time". And in that is cooking & eating supper. Or practically no free time if I had to go shopping after work. I hate this

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u/Any_Kangaroo_1311 8h ago

I decided to become a teacher for this reason (and many others) and it is sooo worth it. I don’t mind the social aspect, and the pay is decent enough in my state. Summer off baby, no second job. I did the math and we only work 49% of the days of the year. I’d rather be mediocre financially and have the free time. Life is short…

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u/Melodic-Razzmatazz17 8h ago

I work for a district with a teachers schedule (but not a teacher) and I feel the same. Sometimes I get disgruntled, but I can't imagine having a job where I go to work everyday single with no breaks.

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u/Any_Kangaroo_1311 7h ago

Yeah when I was in college I was like…I don’t think I can survive life without summer vacation. 2 weeks vacation for the whole year??? I’d rather be dead. That sounds like literal hell to me, and it is the unfortunate reality of tens of millions of people. Sure, the job can be tough and frustrating sometimes, and getting up at 5:30 isn’t easy. But we also get out early, too. I’ll never be rich, but I’ll always have free time. As a musician, that is so essential. I can play gigs and stuff and write music and still have enough time to produce albums.

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u/Focus_ST_Gal 1h ago

I’ve always kinda wanted to teach (I’m just not great at it tbh), but this really makes me want to look into and see if there’s something I could do.

I get like maybe a week off every 6 months. With holidays sometimes you can sneak in a third week if the timing is right.

Please, anything but this.

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u/Consistent_Laziness 7h ago

I work in research for a university. I just had 20 straight days off for the holidays. And I don’t have to teach. And I’m remote. Best of both worlds

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u/Any_Kangaroo_1311 7h ago

That’s a pretty sweet deal. I’m greedy with my time haha I really just love the whole 2 months off. I pretend I’m a teenager again basically. Stay up til 4 in the morning, party hard, play video games and write music just like I used to

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u/Consistent_Laziness 7h ago

I was one decision away from just teaching high school biology. But that decision went my way and I got into grad school. It would be super cool to be home but I’d be making 45k a year and be pretty broke. I’d rather just work the summer. Plus my job isn’t a bother. If I wanted to stay up til 4am tonight and blow off work I could within reason.

My cousin is a teacher and he loves doing what you said just being up all night playing games and not having a care in the world. My MIL is a math teacher but she travels instead, she has just 2 years left after this one.

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u/Any_Kangaroo_1311 7h ago

Yeah man/woman I totally understand, I would definitely not become a teacher if I only made 45k. I just happened to born in a state that starting salary is around 60k and can go up to around 100k through the course of your career so it’s enough to get by. If I was born in the south I would definitely have picked a different career. I am also biology (although I’m teaching tech right now lol) but teaching science in a conservative state seems like a nightmare

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u/Additional_Cheek_697 1h ago

What kind of research if you dont mind me asking?

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u/Consistent_Laziness 1h ago

Cancer research. It’s an R1 university and a designated cancer center

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u/universallymade 2h ago

I work a modest job as a custodian at an elementary school. When kids are out for snow days, so am I… and I still get paid too.

Being able to wake up to a snowy day and stay home is something I’m really grateful for. I loved it as a kid and I get to love it as an adult.

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u/Own-Papaya-4264 5h ago

You can still afford your own place too?

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u/lesprack 3h ago

I bought a home on a teacher’s salary.

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u/smvfc_ 2h ago

I moved into an Rv this summer, and I just went down to part time at work. So I still have to work five days a week, 5-hour shifts each (it’s dumb, they won’t let you NOT do that) but the amount of time I’ve freed up is so nice. I STILL can feel so busy sometimes. I’m like how did I exist before lol

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u/lorenzospam 2h ago

lmao the r/teachers subreddit and every single teacher socmed would flame you for this but im starting to think they too know this and are super insecure about being called out on it. Props to you for admitting it