Job Search #2: Knowing What I Don't Want

I turned down a job interview today. The job would pay well, is with a reasonably reputable organization, and is something that I'm reasonably qualified to do. Did I mention it was a job that pays well? And that they were very interested in my resume? And still wanted to continue the process after a phone interview with me?

Still, I turned down the in-person interview. Are you crazy, you may ask?

The job was at a local public charter middle school, teaching English. Though I have a great resume to get a job at a charter middle school, because of my internship experience, I don't want to be a middle school teacher, and I'd rather not work at a charter school because I had a pretty rough time working in one during education internship. It was a bad experience for me, and I'm still recovering my confidence.

The first part of knowing what you want is knowing what you don't want. So, even though I am more capable now of being a successful middle school English teacher because I developed classroom management skills over time and learned how to manage a teacher workload, I turned down the interview.

Believe me, turning down an interview is a scary thing to do when I have no idea how much longer I'll looking for a job. I know my feelings are deceptive about what's actually good for me sometimes, but I can't help but trust my gut on this one. This wasn't my opportunity to take.