Lest people start throwing daggers at me, I must insist that college teaching is also like wearing “golden handcuffs”. I am a non-tenure track instructor (the best you can usually get at a university with just a master’s degree, and if I was tenure track, then I would have to do tons of research with tons of publications), my current happieness largely depends on the longevity of my current (excellent) department head, and I make less money than my sister did when she was working at a Target supercenter (I don’t just teach the summer class because I love to teach, although I do love teaching most of the time).

Still, I think I would be a lot less happy with my life if I had to punch a clock in the business world, even if that meant making double my current salary.

What would I do? Surprisingly, I actually would like to do the same things – teach at a college level and write a book. I have a novel in mind that I haven’t been able to stick with. Mostly because I just don’t think I’m ready. I have the story, but the characters just haven’t quite revealed themselves to me yet. And the family part – that’s the whole reason you do it.