Why Did I Leave My Corporate Career of 10 Years to Teach Abroad?

Hello! My name is Marissa

I’m from Seattle, Washington, USA – not to be confused with Washington, DC, USA. As I tell my students, west coast: the best coast 😊 I truly love where I have spent my entire life, but I’ve always wanted to experience life beyond my comfort zone.

I’m fortunate I had sustained a stable career which allowed me to travel the world. Exploring new places as often as possible was always great, but I knew it would never equate to living the adventure every day.

So in September 2024, I moved to Madrid and became an English Language and Culture Assistant. In short, it has been a roller coaster! But how exactly did I get here?

From college grad to corporate girly

It was always my lifelong dream to be a teacher. After graduating from The University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, I took on temporary work in banking before planning to start my Master’s in Education.

What was supposed to be a post-grad summer job ended up being the start of my career. I found myself intrigued by the learning opportunities and job trajectory. As time went by, I became more comfortable with the work and grew my skills, and I was surprised to realize I had spent eight years with the same company! So eventually, I decided to pursue new endeavors in the aviation industry and thus added another two years to my corporate experience.

In my roles at both companies, I loved being able to take on teaching opportunities. This helped fulfill my passion in helping others learn and unlock their potential. I taught budgeting courses in local high schools, worked with college students who had received our company’s scholarship, and promoted employment opportunities at events like career fairs. Fun fact: I also coached high school cheer after my 9-5!

While my career had thus far afforded me a secure lifestyle, I was seeking an opportunity to change my environment and to work firsthand with youth in an educational setting.

Changing the trajectory of my life during my 30s

After 10 years in corporate, I decided to move to Spain and help people build life skills around language, curiosity, and courage that could take them far in life. Before this move, I didn’t know anyone who had left a life of stability to pursue their passion across the world, so it was important for me to try this new experience myself and be able to tell the story to others.

To be clear, the feeling of “being too old” was never a concern – I’m only in my 30s! But making such a move at a point in my life where I had established a career, mortgage, relationships, and was wanting to start a family was hard to think of putting on hold. It was even harder to imagine given I hadn’t had anyone to model or could seek guidance from.

My entire life as I knew it was turning in a different direction.

So… was the change worth it?

I made this change not knowing what the outcome would be. Would it be all I imagined and more? Would it be the opposite? 

There have been countless times I’ve questioned if I made the right decision. My finances took a cut, I knew no one in Madrid, and even though I had emotional support from afar, I couldn’t help but feel alone. This is where trusting the process has come in handy.

Just like watching the first episode of a new show, you have to get through the beginning before you’re sold. I didn’t want my long-anticipated move to be anything less than I worked for. It has been a journey of learning experiences that I’ve tried to be open to. 

While I’m still figuring out what I want to walk away with, I can say that making this dream a reality has resulted in new friends, exploring new places, and getting to do work I truly love. 

The biggest gain of all is that I pushed myself to try something new.

Push the limit

In each life transition, I’ve taken a chance and have opened doors I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I left my corporate career of 10 years to teach abroad because I wanted to grow in a new environment and be open to change. Taking this leap has been both scary and exciting but it had to be done to obtain the life I was seeking.

This change reminds me that the possibilities are endless, no matter what stage of life I’m in. It may not be linear or even clear, but the growth that comes from it is.