Woman who quit her stressful teaching job says she now makes 50% more working at Costco

A former teacher has explained why she is much happier since quitting the profession to go and work at Costco.

Maggie Perkins, 31, who taught history and language arts at both public and private schools, made the decision to change careers in 2022.

In her final year of teaching she was making $47,000 (£38,500) a year. This was from a 60-hour work week, which also included a lot of unpaid overtime, she claimed.

Maggie decided to start looking for a career path which would provide her with a bit more 'breathing room'.

She told CNBC: “Between administrative pressures, testing requirements, and the endurance required to teach during the height of the pandemic, I was exhausted. I felt like I lacked purpose."

In the end, she started looking for jobs which she described as being 'good enough for now' while she looked for something else.

She received offers from Amazon and Costco, and opted for the latter as she shopped there frequently and knew that staff were well treated.

Maggie initially started at a warehouse in Athens, Georgia, where she was on her feet for the day and got two 15-minute breaks and half an hour for lunch.

At first she made $18.50 (£15.10) an hour, just a little less than she had as a teacher, working 40-hour weeks.

After she became sick with laryngitis she couldn't communicate with customers at the tills, so temporarily filled in at the bakery.

She said: “I loved it. Whether it was baking a cake for a 90th birthday or for someone who just completed their Ph.D., making a tangible contribution to someone’s special day gave me a renewed sense of purpose.”

Maggie said that initially people were stunned by her decision to leave teaching, calling her job switch a 'downgrade', but she disagrees.

The 31-year-old said: “For a long time, I might have agreed. My identity and value were completely tied to being an educator.

“But I no longer find my fulfilment or sense of worth in work alone."

She added: “My work is no longer my identity. I put energy into my job when I’m there, and I leave work at the office.

"When I come home, I’m present and able to spend time with my family doing what I love, like being outdoors.”

Now she is earning 50% more than what she was making when she left teaching. Perhaps more importantly she has also come to the understanding that her self-wroth is not tied to her job.

Maggie concluded: “We’re taught from a young age to think about dream jobs in terms of: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up? Now, I spend more energy thinking about: ‘Who do you want to be?'”