The Joy After Quitting the 9–5 Grind

Because happiness is success in itself…

I was a classroom teacher for five years and during this time I was regularly spat on and kicked by a 6-year-old one school year and was told to “deal with it.”

I taught every subject to various academic levels with little resources, and my effectiveness was graded by scores my students made on two standardized tests a school year. Year after year, I witnessed how terrible the education system in the U.S. is and year after year, I was discouraged.

But, these things weren’t what drove me to quit my profession as a teacher. It was the lifestyle and ideas behind the 9-5 grind that made me quit. Or, for teachers and many others, the 6 am-10 pm grind.

The American Dream

In 1931, James Truslow Adams said the American Dream was “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…”

If you ask people today what the American Dream is, most would say “success.” And, success is very often defined as having a ‘good job’ that pays a lot of money, having a family in a cute home with a white picket fence, and having little to no debt.

But, what if being exhausted from long workdays, no time to live life, and a cute home and family that you rarely see just isn’t the dream I want to have?

Why Do We Work Our Lives Away?

Sure, I need to be realistic in knowing that money is a necessity. We need cash for food, clothes, and shelter. Those are needs and I get that.

But, why does having a nice car and a nice home and a big family equal success for so many? If this is what makes someone feel peace and joy from within, go for it.

However, why does that mean that everyone should feel this way? Is it really that fun to have all of these things but know that you’re trapped in the middle of four walls away from all of these things for the majority of your awake hours?

Goodbye 9–5 Grind

A couple of years ago, I was unhappy with doing the same thing every day. I knew jobs (and all things in life) weren’t peachy 100 percent of the time. I could manage to get spit on or feel defeated when my students weren’t successful.

What I couldn’t manage was being content with spending majority of my paycheck on a tiny studio apartment that I spent maybe 20 hours a week at (aside from sleeping), on a car payment for a car I almost only ever drove to said job, and on student loan debt that I acquired to do this taxing job.

What?! No, thank you.

Hello, New Life

When my boss finally pushed me over the edge, I left the old life and started the new life.

In my new life, I still make money. I still have bills. I still don’t get to always do what I want, like sleeping in till noon and sipping cocktails on the beach all day. But, I have time for these things. And, I have a whole lot more sanity.

I am now self-employed. Opportunities for freelance work are in abundance these days. It can take a lot of time to figure out what that means for you and what your niche is. But, for me, it’s worth it.

Currently, I teach English online and love almost every minute of it. I have my moments, let’s be honest. I also am a freelance writer. Finding gigs can be time-consuming, but I feel successful when I find one that I enjoy, and that turns into long term work.

Some would say that this kind of work doesn’t seem stable. Yes, there are times that I’ve gotten a little nervous. This goes especially for trying to find sufficient work during a pandemic, but haven’t we all been nervous during this time? Maybe I like the adventure, I don’t know? But, there’s always work out there and I always find it. I’ve been a dog walker, a babysitter, and a tutor.

There are times when doing small jobs here and there and not having one profession to tell people I have, like “I’m a teacher,” makes me feel self-conscious. I get worried about what people think about me not living the American Dream. But, I always dreamt of being happy when I grew up and that’s exactly what I am. I also dreamt of being a teacher and I’m still doing that, just not in the way I thought.

You Can Do It, Too

Maybe how I go about living and making an income doesn’t sound appealing to you. But, the beauty is that we all get to choose how to live our own life. You can live your dream no matter what society expects of you.

Maybe that means quitting your job that you hate to find the one you love even if the income is a bit less.

Maybe that means quitting a job in your home town to move somewhere random and wait tables until you find your new gig.

Maybe you pack up and move to Asia as I did. *If you’re from the States, it can be easy as pie to find a job teaching English abroad to give you the experience of travel while making money. There are also jobs for people who aren’t from the states, especially if you speak English.

Getting away from the grind can feel scary because it’s all most of us know. Our parents did it, their parents did it, and the majority or all of our friends do it. But, it’s certainly not the only way to live. And, for many, it’s not the happiest way to live.