From Classroom to Corporate: One Teacher's Bold Leap to a New Career at Costco

Maggie Perkins' Career Transformation

Maggie Perkins left her teaching job to work at Costco in 2022, and she hasn’t looked back since. In an exclusive interview, she shares her journey and offers advice for those considering a similar change.

After teaching for eight years, Perkins, 32, made the difficult decision to switch careers. "The conditions were worsening rapidly, and I realized they weren't getting better," she reveals, noting her salary was $47,000 at the time.

Perkins and her fellow teachers often joked about quitting for jobs at Starbucks or Costco, but it became a reality when a new Costco opened in Athens, Georgia, where she was pursuing her PhD. "It was serendipity, right place, right time, and the rest is history for me," she says.

Initially, she viewed the Costco position as a temporary solution while figuring out her future, but her enthusiasm for the company grew. "The more I learned about Costco and the different roles at the company, the happier I was at the idea of working there," she explains.

Now, Perkins has been promoted to a corporate trainer and content developer at Costco's headquarters in Issaquah, Washington, where she trains warehouse employees and cashiers. "I love working with employees because I was where they were," she shares, highlighting the fulfillment she finds in her current role.

The shift from teaching to corporate life has its challenges, but Perkins appreciates the work-life balance. Unlike her teaching days, she no longer takes work home, which previously consumed 10 to 20 hours a week of her time. "I was spending my own money on my classroom, and the amount of emotional labor that goes into being a teacher is extremely hard to describe," she states.

Although Perkins doesn't foresee returning to teaching full-time, she expresses interest in teaching a class a semester with her PhD.

Sharing Her Journey on TikTok

Perkins has documented her transition on TikTok, where she has gained a following by sharing her daily experiences at Costco. "When I said the words, 'I used to be a teacher, and now I work at Costco,' that feels complex for people because it challenges their notions of what it means to be a teacher," she explains.

She has spoken to many educators and professionals in care fields who feel burned out and under-appreciated. "If I was speaking directly to a teacher right now, I would tell that person, 'It's not your fault that the system is the way it is. You are not a bad teacher when you make choices to protect yourself,'" she advises. "You're never too old to change your own life."