A
female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:I'm so scared that I've ruined my life. When I was in college, I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I had to work a lot because my parents wouldn't help me out. I graduated with HORRIBLE grades (my GPA was either a 3.2 or 3.4, I don't remember).I became a highschool teacher, but soon I realized that it's the wrong profession. My heart's not in it, and I'm wasting my talents. I don't want to just put up with life, I want to have dreams and fulfillment. I regret being a highschool teacher so much, and I'm wondering if I should have been a vet, a commercial artist, a musician, a university professor. I'm so scared that my bad grades will bar me from that profession that I was born to do.For certain professions (for example, medical school, vet school, law school, etc.) you have to have a certain GPA to have a chance at being admitted to professional school. If you graduated from college and your GPA wasn't high enough, is there anything you can do about it... or is the door closed to you for the rest of your life?Everyone says being a highschool teacher is a good, stable job, but I know in my heart that it isn't the the right profession for me. I don't want to be miserable forever. Right now, I'm studying to be an EFL teacher... and teach EFL is what I'll do for the next couple years or so.I have this terrifying feeling, though, that there is some profession that would have been perfect for me and now it's too late. I can't imagine a worse form of torture than living your life knowing that your dreams were once within reach and that you blew it forever. I'm starting to wish I'd been a vet, a commercial artist, or a university professor or something in music. I worked a lot when I was in college, and I know I'm not stupid but anyone would look at my GPA and think otherwise. I graduated with horrible grades (3.2 or 3.4, I can't remember). I'm so scared that I've ruined my life. Even if I were to go back and take the required courses, will my "criminal record" (I don't literally have a record, I'm referring to my grades) bar me for life from certain professions? Teachers receive a HORRIBLE treatment in USA (I can't speak for England, Ireland, etc.)... they demand a lot of you, the kids are rough and try to bully you, you can't discipline them, the parents try to bully you, you're expected to sacrifice your personal life and spend all your time on the phone with parents and writing referrals, and you get paid a rubbish salary. It's stable because there isn't much competition for jobs (no one wants to do it!).I know this sounds dramatic, but I'm really scared that my life is ruined. I'm scared that whatever that perfect profession is, that I'm barred for life because of my bad grades.I wish and wish I could go back in time and undo my terrible mistake (the bad grades), but I'm scared it's going to haunt me forever. I don't want to live by default and put up with a job that I just fell into. Being locked in a room with hormonal teenagers isn't for me (no offense if you're a teen), I don't want to answer a phone somewhere or work at McDonalds... I want to have dreams and ambitions. I can accept an honest answer... thanks, if you can help.
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female
reader, TasteofIndia +, writes (6 August 2009):
 Okay, firstly - 3.2, 3.4 - NOT HORRIBLE GRADES. With a 4.0 being a perfect record, you have a pretty good record! Much higher than average. So don't sell yourself short, you really have a very good record and a lot of colleges would be happy to have you. There is no reason why you can't go back to school and pick up another degree - and here in the US, you have lots of options for evening or weekend school, online classes, all things that can fit into your current schedule.
And hey, being a high school teacher in the US isn't that bad! Perhaps if you're working in an inner city school in say, Detroit, or NYC, things could get really emotionally battering, you might face bullying and challenging kids every day. But if you're in a smaller town, teaching can be really rewarding, fun and you can feel connected to all of your kids. It can be a really positive environment. As for the salary, okay - that is crap. But, it's a respectable living and the vacation time is great! Maybe you need to switch schools that you're working in.
But if it's not what you want to do, it's not what you have to do. I would keep the job for now, while you work on your new career path. You have great grades that won't hold you back in the least. And if you want to become a musician, well that's not something that studies will really help you with. They'll teach you reading music and tech stuff, but if you want to be a singer-songwriter, you just need to practice that guitar and spend your spare time writing music, and finding places to perform.
Life isn't over, you won't be stuck at McDonald's, just be smart about how you make this life shift, and get back into the game. Go back to school and get your Master's, or you could talk to your local community college about teaching there - I know some folks who taught there while getting the classes they needed to be university professors. Something to think about.
GOOD LUCK!
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