Casual Conversation

FWIW I burned out of my job and got a job at a grocery store that isn’t terrible and that idgaf about. I punch in, do my job, whatever they want I don’t care. It’s stupid dumb easy work, punch out and go home. No stress. No emotional labor. Decent physical work.

Anything fulfilling/exciting is done for me on my time for my (and/or others) benefit.

Capitalism gonna capitalism, so I’m exploiting my job as much as I can since I’m just being exploited. I don’t fucking care about my job, or the company I work for. I’m there to get paid and get the fuck out.

Maybe consider going into the trades. A two year apprentice electrician is probably making about the same as you were as a teacher. You are obviously smart enough to get through higher education, so materially, its easy to learn considering the base education level required (usually high school or less). Any one competent will rise rapidly through any company (quite literally show up on time and not be too high). Get your journeyman (5 years/ 10k hours, and guess what you get paid the whole time) and in most states you'll be making 6 figures plus. Plus significant overtime for anything over 40.

You can take all that extra time you don't have to put into classroom prep and do something socially good with it.

Schools are really tough right now. A teacher friend was in an inpatient psych unit for a month and said a fourth of the people there were in education. Apply at another district now so you can have a job in the fall if you want it. Every district is different and the mood always changes year to year with staff changes. Spend your summer looking at different options and decide in August.

I started programming at 41 and it's been about 5 years. Was an elementary school teacher before and it was a VERY DIFFICULT transition. I still suck but hanging in there. If my dumbass can do it you can too! I'm rooting for u

Burnout happens when emotionally taxing work goes unrewarded and/or doesnt feel impactful. And unfortunately you seem to have picked jobs that require a lot of emotional labor and altruism that dont feel impactful or rewarded. Which is par for the course and one of the main reasons why our education and health systems aren't doing so great at retaining people.

What you are probably going to want to do is move away from those types of jobs. At least for a while so you can recover. And if you absolutely need to do something like what youve done before eg. teaching, you may want to look into freelance part time tutoring instead. Something you can do when you feel like being helpful but walk away from when you need to. Then pick a main job that isn't in the same areas you have been working.

Electrician or plumbing. You'll make money, and you'll help people not burn down or flood their house.

When I got laid off in 2009, I went to China. Not the same conditions now but I took my design experience and worked for some hiring agencies. It's how I discovered Industrial Design, came back to states and went back to college for it.

Maybe some expat position in another country could work for you if you don't have a family to care for. It can dramatically lower your cost of living, give you a break from the usual education jobs and give you time to decide on a new career to come home to.

You could try moving to another city in another state. The difference in pay (and support) for teachers is crazy.

As much as I don't like cops, JFC do they get nice pay and benefits in my state- like from the start. I doubt my city is very dangerous, and the prerequisites are almost nothing. Also, it would be nice to have more decent cops.

Otherwise, I work in software as a manager. Not the easiest gig, but not the hardes, and you can probably get your foot in the door at a lower level if you can work spreadsheets, have patience, and mildly thick skin. Pretty good pay.

Also, ironically school admin positions pay well.

It sounds like you have a degree, so there's lots of options. Otherwise, as mentioned, the trades are always calling if you can stomach early hours.

Rooting for you

Someone said trades and I would agree. But to add a layer to that, consider working in local government public works. If you care about having an impact, it’s a way of seeing the work you do directly positively affecting your community. Once you get a couple years in, it’s steadier than the private sector trades and there’s (depending on where you go) more options for union support and health care as your body ages.

Helping the elderly. There's always a need.

And if you get a degree like nursing or social work, the pay improves. Have a friend who had trouble holding down jobs. Landed on nursing and is one of the few male nurses in his rural county. Is on contract and goes to different places, as needed.

Seconding local government!! It comprises a huge variety of jobs, more than most people ever imagine. And it's work that really does matter in the community, so it scratches that altruism itch with much less emotional involvement. While the pay isn't always great, it tends to have good benefits. I'm my experience it's great for people who are jacks-of-all-trades as opposed to specialized. You'll invariably have to be trained on the job, so your resourcefulness and diverse skillset will matter a lot more than any expertise in a specific domain.