--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It didn't take long to figure out I'll…" description: "\"“It didn't take long to figure out I'll never go back to teaching public high school. Why would I, when I can make virtually the same money waiting tab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/nicole-hardy-22139_education_it-didn-t-take-long-to-figure-out-i-ll-n_1277299.jpg" --- # It didn't take long to figure out I'll never go back to… ![“It didn't take long to figure out I'll never go back to teaching public high school. Why would I, when I can make virtually the same money waiting tables, have no stress, and work half the hours? When I can give away or trade my shifts if I need time to write or study. When I'll never have to wake…” quote by Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/nicole-hardy-22139_education_it-didn-t-take-long-to-figure-out-i-ll-n_1277299.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/nicole-hardy-22139_education_it-didn-t-take-long-to-figure-out-i-ll-n_1277299.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/nicole-hardy-22139_education_it-didn-t-take-long-to-figure-out-i-ll-n_1277299.jpg) > ““It didn't take long to figure out I'll never go back to teaching public high school. Why would I, when I can make virtually the same money waiting tables, have no stress, and work half the hours? When I can give away or trade my shifts if I need time to write or study. When I'll never have to wake up early, take my work home, or talk to anyone's parents--unless it's in regards to the nightly specials, the Spanish grenache that pairs beautifully with our house-made mole sauce.”” [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She left teaching for wait‑staff work because it offers similar pay, less stress, flexible hours, and time for personal pursuits. **In simple terms:** She quit teaching for a less stressful, flexible job with similar pay. Key Takeaway Consider work‑life balance over prestige. Themes career change work‑life balance stress flexibility Mood reflective pragmatic Type career personal When to use this quote - teaching - restaurant work - freelance writing Key Concepts economic trade‑offs personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - Is flexibility worth potential career growth? - How do you measure job satisfaction? A Different Perspective The job may lack long‑term benefits or advancement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [You can finish school, and even make it easy - but you never finish your education, and it's seldom easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/you-can-finish-school-and-even-make-it-easy-but-you-never-finish-your/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [ Year after year. "Please don't make me go \[to school\]" "You have to go," Kim would say. "It's a new school, make a new… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/year-after-year-please-don-t-make-me-go-to-school-you-have-to-go-kim/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [The teachers liked me. In grade school, they make you copy pictures from books. I think the first one was Robert Louis Stevenson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/the-teachers-liked-me-in-grade-school-they-make-you-copy-pictures/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I could have gone to a bigger school. I use it as motivation going to a school that loved me. I wanted to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kawhi-leonard/i-could-have-gone-to-a-bigger-school-i-use-it-as-motivation-going-to/) [Kawhi Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kawhi-leonard/) > [I dislike school I'd rather make money But I'm smart enough to know In order to make money I gotta stay in school .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dislike-school-i-d-rather-make-money-but-i-m-smart-enough-to-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was the kid at school who would make the joke about himself before anyone else did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sugg/i-was-the-kid-at-school-who-would-make-the-joke-about-himself-before/) [Joe Sugg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sugg/) > [Drama school can't make you a brilliant actor, but you can do stuff for three years - you're not going to be fired. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/drama-school-can-t-make-you-a-brilliant-actor-but-you-can-do-stuff/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I mentioned charter schools, and experimenting with our school system, to make it work. I think that's something we really have to pay attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-mentioned-charter-schools-and-experimenting-with-our-school-system/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I went to a tiny little high school... I'd make my foray into Calgary if I wanted to see a movie or do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-durance/i-went-to-a-tiny-little-high-school-i-d-make-my-foray-into-calgary-if/) [Erica Durance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-durance/) > [Eventually, to get through school, I would make good meaningless blobs if I had to. And so they thought I was falling in with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/eventually-to-get-through-school-i-would-make-good-meaningless-blobs/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [If I was a principal of a school I'd make the school uniform onesies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-was-a-principal-of-a-school-i-d-make-the-school-uniform-onesies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everyone at school experiences some form of bullying. With kids at school, it can be anything - it can be your shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-corden/i-think-everyone-at-school-experiences-some-form-of-bullying-with/) [James Corden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-corden/) > [“This school is enough to make anyone a communist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/this-school-is-enough-to-make-anyone-a-communist/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [You can make your own son or daughter one of a kind if you have the time and will to do so; school can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/you-can-make-your-own-son-or-daughter-one-of-a-kind-if-you-have-the/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/high-school-sucked-it-was-a-universal-truth-and-whoever-said-these/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) ## More by Nicole Hardy > [“The separation of young single adults from (plain old) single adults is supposedly a precaution against older men courting girls as young as eighteen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/the-separation-of-young-single-adults-from-plain-old-single-adults-is/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“That feels like the worst part: denying people hope. I don't know where I'd be if I couldn't even tell myself that any day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/that-feels-like-the-worst-part-denying-people-hope-i-don-t-know-where/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“I would, for the love of God, feel a man's hands on me before I die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/i-would-for-the-love-of-god-feel-a-man-s-hands-on-me-before-i-die/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“Sariah and Kim both nod when I say I woke up one day wondering, Whose life is this, and how did I end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/sariah-and-kim-both-nod-when-i-say-i-woke-up-one-day-wondering-whose/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“I played along, spent the next two hours searching for Mormon men who are attractive, employed, educated, no more than two inches shorter than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/i-played-along-spent-the-next-two-hours-searching-for-mormon-men-who/) [Nicole hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“If I say no, sex isn't everything--those mechanics, that act--but it affects everything, she will say, "Be faithful." If I say sex casts a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/if-i-say-no-sex-isn-t-everything-those-mechanics-that-act-but-it/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“We seem expected to put up with bad manners and bizarre behavior from LDS men, I say. Things we'd never subject ourselves to on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/we-seem-expected-to-put-up-with-bad-manners-and-bizarre-behavior-from/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“My throat closes against the words I can't swallow, not one more time. Because it's not true, what they're telling me--what they've been telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/my-throat-closes-against-the-words-i-can-t-swallow-not-one-more-time/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“Kids need information in order to make good decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/kids-need-information-in-order-to-make-good-decisions/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“Rather than envy, anticipation, or joy, what I feel when I look at the bride is a shortness of breath. I hear the echo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/rather-than-envy-anticipation-or-joy-what-i-feel-when-i-look-at-the/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“There have to be men out there like us: committed to the Gospel, if not the culture of the church, she says. I nod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/there-have-to-be-men-out-there-like-us-committed-to-the-gospel-if-not/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“I can't bear to look at the screen itself, the women in pastels, like so many Jordan almonds. The men in suits, wearing equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/i-can-t-bear-to-look-at-the-screen-itself-the-women-in-pastels-like/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“For Mormon women, however, motherhood is an identity, rather than a role.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/for-mormon-women-however-motherhood-is-an-identity-rather-than-a-role/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“Five minutes later, I have in my hand a one-way ticket that will take me back to the island of Grand Cayman to live.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/five-minutes-later-i-have-in-my-hand-a-one-way-ticket-that-will-take/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) > [“Already I'm wondering if it will happen again, and when: that what I've been conditioned to fear, taught to avoid, will instead reveal the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hardy/already-i-m-wondering-if-it-will-happen-again-and-when-that-what-i-ve/) [Nicole Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) [Explore all 28 Nicole Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hardy/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It didn't take long to figure out I'll never go back to teaching public high school. 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