Leaving my language lecturer position in both private and public colleges and universities has always been bloodcurdling. At first, I feel the same sentiments of people who get fired with their jobs. At least, for me, I quit. That makes my entire storytelling different and unique. Of course, I will feel the agony of fixing the pain and suffering if I get fired. On the other hand, I do not get fired. I just quit my boring life plus my repetitive tasks – wake up early, go to school, discuss lessons, eat lunch, perform the afternoon class, go home, and check students’ papers.
I could still recall the meaningful words I said back then. I told myself that teaching was my passion. That profession pushed me to exert much effort to be a great teacher. However, I failed. I just felt that teaching was quite boring. At least, I became a good teacher. I did what my superior asked me to do – submitting the teachers’ reports. As well, I began to show my interest in teaching college and university students. I was 26 years old at that time, and I was eager and comfortable. That time, I taught Speech Communication courses, such as Speech Fundamentals, Public Speaking, and Argumentation and Debate at AMA Computer College in Cagayan de Oro and the then-Mindanao University of Science Technology, now called University of Science and Technology in (southern) Philippines (USTP). However, for many years of teaching I just got bored.
Back then, I was happy during my preliminary years. I developed my personality and met numerous acquaintances and a few friends. I began to spread my wings and explore my world as a teacher. However, I lost myself in the middle of somewhere. I just did not know what happened. As far as I could remember, I browsed Google at that time and clicked the search bar to type in “jobs online.” During that time, academic writing positions flourished. So, I typed in “Jobs Online.” I suddenly felt shocked that several jobs online were available at that time. Then, I typed “online writing.” After that, many websites were available and chose one site and clicked.
Since then, I have been a freelance academic writer. For many years, I have managed to earn money for a living. I do not want to brag my accomplishments with my online writing career, but I live my life through writing. I just built my house and managed to eat three times a day. I could still pay for my parents’ hospital bills. Unlike the time when I was a teacher, I would always ask for support from people to lend me money for my parents’ hospital bills.
Now, I can breathe from all the financial hassles. I do not need to brag because I do not have to do it. Besides, I do not have any reputation to protect. Yes, I am a teacher by profession. I teach people. However, I consider it an experience since teaching jobs do not offer me what I need in life. I decide to be a freelance writer.
Finally, I stop teaching because I can. At first, it seems frightening where I can get my next paycheck. To tell you, I struggle a bit. I sometimes feel the migraine due to so many sleepless nights when I have to work so hard online. Now, I earn a lot, not that I earn a thousand dollars like all YouTubers, Vloggers, and Bloggers who laugh and smile at the top of their lungs. But, at least, I can shop twice a month.
