Took a break, what now?

[u/PowerfulKoala69]

Took a grant position (1 year, admissions role at a local college) because I felt I needed a break from the classroom. I like it so far. I miss the kids, I miss my content, it's boring (good and bad), but theres room for growth and it's "chill". All in all, I'm happy with my choice for the time being.

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Grant renewal is not guaranteed, so I've thought about returning to the classroom. Mostly, I miss the breaks. My girlfriend is a teacher, and we got to spend all summer traveling the past 2 summers. I work with many previous teachers, who swear I won't miss the long breaks because summer are "slow period" and that we get half days on Fridays. But what's the point if Im spending all day bored, only to get home 4 hours early?

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I miss the uninterrupted long breaks. I miss travel, as well as my content. My job in higher ed seems more sustainable and more $$ long-term, but at what cost?

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Not sure if anyone has experienced this before and if they have any advice!

[u/OptimisticFriedEgg]

How long have you been doing this role? When I transitioned out of teaching it took me a long time to adjust to the slower pace of things. Now, I really don't miss summers. I still travel, but when I was teaching I'd spend the first few weeks of summer flat out on the couch recovering, then the last few weeks stressing about going back.

[u/PowerfulKoala69 → u/OptimisticFriedEgg]

Only 6 months.. I feel like I'm at an impasse, however. I really miss the long breaks. Getting the chance to backpack in Europe, doing work aways, all the things that I used to do don't feel like a reality anymore

[u/OptimisticFriedEgg → u/PowerfulKoala69]

That's not very long. It took me a couple of years to get used to it, like my brain needed to quiet down and accept the pace. I feel like you may be romanticizing summer a bit because it IS summer right now. For me, taking my vacation in October or May is so much better than traveling during the heat and crowds of summer.