Why I gave up a $80k salary, a company car, and a 401k.

I recently decided to quit my job at PepsiCo and move to Argentina to teach English. When I tell this to people some say I’m crazy and others say it is a “Jordan” thing to do. For me, coming to this decision was something I have been dreaming of doing for a few years now. While it is a big risk to give up a stable job and move to a country with no job, no housing, and not really speaking the language, I think it is a risk well worth taking. My passions have always been traveling and helping others and I wasn’t fulfilling either of those working for a large corporation. For me, the realization that I spend most of my time and thoughts on work (whether I want to or not) made me want to do something I was passionate about. While I probably won’t teach English in a foreign country forever, I think it will help me better define what I want to do next. Let’s face it, everyone says you can travel when you are older but I say do it when you are young.  At my ripe age of 24, I have the energy to climb mountains, stay up until 4am, sleep in hostels, and take overnight buses for 16 hours to get to my destination. When you are older, traveling is a lot more expensive because you are not willing to take the not so comfortable, but cheaper, short cuts. So….why not travel the world when you are young???

As for choosing Argentina, my hope is to learn Spanish and I’ve heard amazing things about the country. I have decided to move to a smaller city called Mendoza because it is in the wine country (bring on the Malbec!) and it is also at the base of the Andes which will be a great fit since I love to hike. It’s a little more stressful to be moving to a city where there are not as many jobs teaching English as a second language but I also have peace that everything will work out like it’s supposed to. If for some reason I can’t find a job teaching, I will see if I can find a job somewhere else or maybe I will just travel and live there for a shorter stint. I know some people would find this uncertainty nerve racking but for me I find it thrilling! I will continue to post updates of my adventures here in Argentina and I will also be giving travel recommendations for some of the other places I’ve been. Wish me luck! Jordan