23-year-old educated woman torn between teacher job for fun and accounting job for benefits, her boyfriend gives her tough love about her decision: ‘I’ll struggle to listen to the same complaints’

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Aug 27, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Life will always present difficult decisions for us. Whether it's choosing between careers, places to live, which apartment to rent, or which guy to date, the more options we have the more unhappy we usually are with our decision. In the story below, the narrator is a guy whose girlfriend is between a decision about jobs. She's tired of having lack of funds and of not having benefits at work, even though she's educated. It's a common dilemma for many people in this generation, but the normality of it doesn't abate the issue at hand. She is torn between a job to be a teacher, or an accountant. Obviously the accountant job pays much more, as well as provides full benefits, while the teacher job doesn't. 

Her boyfriend plays the voice of reason amongst the chaotic background noise of having to decide between money and pleasure. Since he's used to her complaints about money and work, he tells her to her face that he won't have the same empathy about her complaints if she chooses to stay in the same position. 

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  • 01

    AITA for telling my GF I don’t want to hear her complain if she chooses the “wrong job”?

    A woman as a preschool teacher
    via FatCamera / Cava

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My girlfriend (F23) and I (M23) have been together for almost 3 years. Shortly after we started dating, she quit her first accounting job to finish her
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008

  • It's never fun to be caught between a hard decision. I can't recount the number of times I was between decisions. Whether it was about a job, living somewhere, going to a certain university, or choosing between people, I was in a number of hard decisions. 

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    degree. Since then, she's been trying to get back into the field, applying to dozens of accounting positions but not having much luck. In the meantime, she's been
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 04
    substitute teaching during the school year and picking up random summer jobs.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 05
    She has a 2-year degree in Business Accounting, and I have a Pre-Law bachelor's. Neither of us has had much luck landing jobs in our fields, though I recently
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 06
    started working as a paralegal to get experience before deciding on law school. It pays decently, but no benefits. I'm still on my
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 07
    parents' insurance, so I've been okay there.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 08
    My girlfriend hasn't been as lucky. She's struggled for years to get any kind of health insurance, either private or through
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 09
    government programs, and she's had to neglect parts of her health because of it. Obviously, her substitute gigs don't come with benefits.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 10
    Recently, she was offered a Pre-K teacher position (basically daycare for 3-5 year olds) at $16/hr, but no benefits. The same
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    day, she also got an offer from a local manufacturer for an accounting role. That one would train her in accounting, pay
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    $23/hr to start ($26/hr after 90 days), and come with full health, dental, vision (she hasn't replaced
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 13
    her glasses in almost 10 years), and 401k matching-effective immediately.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 14
    Here's the issue: she's torn between the two. She says she really enjoys being around kids, so teaching appeals to her. But
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    she's also been complaining for years about three things: 1. Not making enough money 2. Not
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 16
    A woman as an accountant
    via Natee Meepian / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 17
    having insurance 3. Feeling like she's not progressing in her career and “tired of working de d end jobs"
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 18
    To me, the accounting job checks all of those boxes. I told her I understand wanting a job you "like," but that sometimes at our
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    age you have to make practical compromises to build a future. Plus, she doesn't always enjoy teaching-she often vents after stressful days subbing.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 20
    She's still leaning toward the teaching job. I told her that of course I'll support her no matter what she decides-but if she
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    chooses teaching over accounting, she has to recognize she's also choosing to keep living with the exact same issues she's
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 22
    Money
    via PublicDomainPictures from pixabay / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    been so frustrated about. I said that if she goes that route, I'd struggle to listen to the same complaints when she actively
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
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    turned down an opportunity that would have solved them.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 25
    She called me an a h le for saying that and has been cold. toward me since.
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 26
    So, AITA for telling her she shouldn't complain about those problems if she passes up the better job?
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 27
    Edit: to clarify, she doesn't even dislike accounting. She had an accounting job in the past that she really enjoyed and "has been
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 28
    looking for something like that since” (direct quote from her a couple of weeks ago.)
    via u/Golden_Wolf_008
  • 29
    Public Ad_1411 • 12h ago She can get the higher paying job with benefits and volunteer coaching children if she wants to work with children.
    via u/Public Ad_1411

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