I would say that the sign that I should have left was when I started crying on the ride into work out of sheer frustration for what was going to be faced there. Your questions are GREAT, learning and growing, excited… absolutely! Do you feel fulfilled? Can you see youself just as “happy” in 10 years? Working in education, it is always excited to see the moments even in IT support when the assistance you are providing “makes sense” to a kid and you see it “click.” In education, and IT in general, you are always learning and growing, even if there are roadblocks and hurdles to gain that knowledge and even more toward implementation. All that said, a lot of days I wish I had the courage to see what is out there, so as the year begins I am trying to hold on to the excitement the kids are bringing in.

Having just moved on from my previous position doing IT in the K12 space for the last 10 years it was hard to leave.  My last day was probably the hardest mentally simply because change is hard. I knew I was going to miss the students because you don’t work in education for the paycheck.  You are there because you are wanting to invest your time, knowledge and wisdom into the next generation and watch students grow as people.  Like ​@woaikonglong said there is nothing like those “ah ha” moments when a student gets it, they are the best part of the job. 

There is also a lot of frustration that can come with being in education but it can happen anywhere. No matter how much my coworkers, teacher, admins, or students might frustrate me in the moment on a particular day that frustration was only temporary and often overshadowed by some other positive interaction. While I still get to work with students in other aspects of my life it’s no longer my job.  

When that little quiet voice is longer quiet. And you can’t jiu-jitsu it away. Your gut sings you an anthem.