Everyone would like to do their dream job, and when they succeed, they usually feel satisfied and a sense of fulfilment in their professional life. This is not the case for Maggie Perkins, 30, from Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
This young mother of two has always wanted to be a teacher and has taught in public and community schools in two different states for eight years. During that time she taught three different subjects at different levels of education, including university. However, she chose to give up her vocation and work as a cashier in a supermarket.
The former teacher decided to document her unusual choice in a series of videos on TikTok, where she has more than 80,000 followers. Maggie talked about some of the benefits of being a cashier, claiming that the job is much more relaxing than her previous job as a teacher: «I don’t go to bed at night worrying about letters from parents, managers treat me with respect and I can go to the toilet if I need to. I have spent my career as a teacher trying to make sure I don’t do anything wrong, whereas in this supermarket I can focus on what I am good at and how to do it better».
Intrigued, many of Maggie’s followers asked her about the career change, including economically, and she replied that she now earns more than before. «The salary starts at 17 euros an hour, but it increases by one euro for every 1,000 hours worked,» she explained. «For a reference point, just know that the average teacher’s salary in Atlanta is around €18 per hour, and it’s hard to raise it,» she added.
Asked whether she missed her old job, Maggie says that she enjoyed teaching and liked the students but found the American school system «inadequate» and too tedious. When she was a teacher, she worked long hours and never got any recognition: «I felt invisible,» she says. «Working as a cashier in a supermarket gave me the peace of mind I was looking for. Here I am respected and appreciated for my work,» adds Maggie.
An unexpected change of direction, but one that seems to have benefited the young woman. Do you think she made the right choice?
