This post has been in my heart for a very long time. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I used to be an accountant for several years before transitioning to classroom educator. Every time I share this fact with people, I always get the same question, “Why?” Why spend all that time on a career just to leave it? The answer seems simple at first, but it’s actually somewhat complicated.
ROAD TO COLLEGE
I always knew I wanted to go to college. This was a fact. I worked really hard in high school to get good grades. And although I did get some of my tuition covered by scholarships, financial (federal) aid was the real reason I was able to afford college. It paid for almost 90% of my total expenses. Unlike many, I didn’t go away to college, I stayed in my hometown. Truthfully, we were too poor to send me to another city let alone another state! This was something my mom made sure I knew. Let me quickly add that I do not blame nor fault her for this. I was well aware of our social economic status from a very young age.
When the time came to enroll, I decided to major in accounting for two reasons. One, I was “good at math” and, two, everyone kept telling me that a business degree was the best choice. I didn’t question it, but I remember panicking during my final semester because so many of us couldn’t find jobs. My college friends were taking sales and retail jobs despite having a business degree. Months after graduating, I finally got a job offer as an accountant. I was ecstatic that I didn’t even think to negotiate my salary. I felt lucky to even get the opportunity!*
*I’ll talk about how problematic this is/was later on.
CAREER
Getting an MBA was the next logical step. Both my boss and supervisor had one. They basically promised me a raise and change in title upon graduation. So, off I went! I signed up for Saturday and evening classes and earned my degree in two years. This time financial aid wasn’t there to save the day, but the promotions started pouring in. I went from accountant I, II, III, and financial analyst in just a few years. At the risk of sounding cocky, I was the youngest person in my department, and I was making really good money. But after that final raise and change in title, something inside me started to change.
WHAT CHANGED?
Most days, I felt bored and unmotivated. Every day, I put on a pantsuit, drove to work, sat at a desk, made small talk, and went home. It felt weird getting paid so much for hardly doing anything. I looked at spreadsheets and balanced numbers all day. Was I making a difference in the world? No. That bothered me.
I also found out that despite what I believed to be a great salary, I was making much less than my male peers. You see, they negotiated their salaries every year. The final year that I was there, I decided to try something new. When my supervisor presented me with a small raise, I countered. She gave me a puzzled look, one I will NEVER forget. I was basically told no, and she reminded me that salaries weren’t really negotiable. This was a lie. Several days later, the department head pulled me into her office and offered me a very generous raise. All I remember her saying was, “We don’t want to lose you. We value you, and this is what I’m prepared to offer you.” By then it was too late. I had already started looking for something else. But what was I looking for?
ENCOUNTER
As I was questioning my accounting career, I ran into a good friend from high school who had gone to law school to become a copyright attorney. He informed that he was actually an 8th grade math teacher. What?! He told me the same story I’m telling you now. People convinced him to go to law school even though he really wanted to become a teacher. He told me how he woke up one day and quit his job. That five-minute conversation might seem insignificant to most, but it actually changed my life. Before saying goodbye, he gave me the name of the alternative certification program he went through to become an educator. And that’s when it hit me. If I was going to do it, this was the time.
I enrolled in evening and weekend classes, and by the end of that summer I was ready to go on interviews. Once I got offered a teaching job, I went into my boss’ office and gave her my two weeks’ notice. Needless to say, she was not happy. I, on the other hand, felt a huge weight off my shoulders.
I’m sharing this with you today because I want you to know that you are valuable. Sometimes people can’t or won’t see that, and that is when you must say goodbye. Let me be clear: I left accounting because I was bored. I wasn’t making a difference in the world, and I was unequally compensated. I always knew I wanted something more out of life. Teaching gave me that. It made me come alive.
IN THE END
You see, ever since I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to go to college. Does this sentence sound familiar to you? I wrote it at the beginning of my post, but here is the rest of that sentence that I never had the courage to say: AND I always knew I wanted to teach. I let other people’s opinions convince me that business was a better option for me when I knew it wasn’t. Don’t do what I did. Follow your gut. Follow your dreams. And remember, it’s never too late to start again.
*Ten years ago I felt lucky just to have a job. Today, I know that I can always negotiate. 🙂 Once I resigned from my accounting job, I met with the HR department for an exit interview. I shared my concerns about unequal pay and filed a complaint against my supervisor.