If you changed careers from teaching...

[RoxMonster]

What field did you transition into? Did you need additional schooling and/or experience?

PDQ; I don't think anyone in my real life knows this is me, but I may DD later just in case.

I am just not happy in my job at all. I would not leave in the  middle of the school year, so I am sticking it out this year, but would like to have some ideas in mind of what types of jobs I could maybe go for, so that if I need to do anything additional, I would have some time to work on it.

I have my Masters in English/Writing. I would love to stay in academia and work in higher ed, but I am not sure if the types of jobs I would be qualified for would earn enough to pay the bills. I did get an interview this summer for a job in the career center at my alma mater, but they told me the (non-negotiable) salary up front and it just was not at all possible for us, so I declined the interview. Trust me, I am not making a lot teaching, but I am the higher earner and DH is back in school right now (and works in the retail industry), so I can't go backwards in pay for right now.

Anyways, regardless of pay for the moment, have you found any other career that transitioned well from teaching, where the skills you had in the classroom worked well for the job you have now? I would LOVE to not have to go back to school.

Another avenue I'd be interested in is any job that deals heavily with writing. I am an introverted person who would love to pretty much work alone for most of the time lol. And I love writing. Are there any English majors that went into something besides teaching? What did you do?

[underwaterrhymes]

When I met H, he was a 9th grade math teacher. He HATED it, so I told him to quit.

He did and was unemployed for awhile and then joined the Peace Corps.

He's now a library director and loves it. (He had his master's in library science when I met him, but hadn't really used it.)

[daisybuchannan]

I have my Masters in Education and BA in English. I was a HS teacher for years, and in my last year was an assistant principal. I was really bored and unhappy with my teaching position, but loved being an administrator. When I had my son, I knew I didn't want to go back to teaching, and my admin position wasn't necessarily going to be there so I decided to take a long maternity leave and ultimately didn't return. I also have been a fitness instructor for years, I used to teach classes as a hobby (I'd be working out anyway so why not teach?). Once I left education I started teaching a ton more fitness classes and have a very solid class schedule that works for me now. I cut it down to one class every weekday morning so I still have the rest of the day free.

Now I'm a full time Realtor and love it. My business has taken off and I'm busier than I could have hoped for, which I'm so excited about. Real estate is something I've wanted to get into for a long time, and I'm happy I made the leap. I'm extroverted, social, and love working with people so it's been a pretty natural transition into the job.

[sarahbear]

I went into healthcare sales and business development.

[pacificrules]

This is my first year out of the classroom and I'm feeling SUCH a sense of relief! I taught for 17 years and was just done. Last year was my "I'll stick this out" year.

In my job search, I was so inspired to read job descriptions that I felt would utilize my skills and make me feel useful/valuable. I realized I had a TON of transferrable skills and there are sooo many jobs out there in which I could feel successful. I applied for several training-type roles and have landed in a health care training/organizing position. I start next week, so I can't tell you how well the transition has gone (yet), but have been really surprised at how directly I can speak to the questions I've been asked in interviews. I feel like teaching has prepared me in multiple areas (multi-tasking, conflict resolution, planning, communication, project management, collaboration, etc etc).


Good luck to you!!

[underwaterrhymes]

Also, library director jobs are very well paying. H makes well into the six figures.

[Jalapeñomel]

Several friends of mine went into instructional design.

I think academia jobs would require you to go back to school.

Good luck! I hope you can find something you love.

[W.T.Faulkner]

The kids come back tomorrow so this thread is really attractive to me. lol

[usuallylurking]

I became a SAHM. Lol. Helpful, I know.

My friend left teaching to become a principal.

[Monica Geller]

Aug 25, 2016 20:02:58 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

The kids come back tomorrow so this thread is really attractive to me. lol

I've been back for a week and this thread is attractive! LOL!

(Ultimately I still love teaching, I'm just exhausted on week 1 day 4/5!)

[cherryvalance]

Aug 25, 2016 20:02:58 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

The kids come back tomorrow so this thread is really attractive to me. lol

I don't go back until next week, but yeah. 

[RoxMonster]

Thanks, everyone. I had not thought about instructional design, so that is something I want to look into. I had thought about tech writing, but the tech writing jobs I have seen posted around here have involved subject matters I just don't think I would have any interest in.

I've even thought of looking for jobs working for/writing for textbook companies. A lot of those are located in large cities that are nowhere near me, and I don't know if moving that far away is in our cards.

You are right that teaching has a lot of transferable skills, so I may be qualified for more fields than I realize. I think I could also really enjoy working with teacher education students in college on instruction, design, advising, etc. I do enjoy working with students, but I think I need more of a one-on-one job and not "get up and perform in front of a large group of teenagers every day" type job.

[RoxMonster]

Aug 25, 2016 20:02:58 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

The kids come back tomorrow so this thread is really attractive to me. lol

They make the students come back on a Friday? Ugh. That seems awful!

[konapoppy]

I agree with others- look for instructional design and organizational development type roles. I think corporate training is probably easier than teaching teenagers but I get not wanting to be up there.

[namasteak]

noodleskooze

[Narwhal]

Aug 25, 2016 20:08:44 GMT -5 usuallylurking said:

I became a SAHM. Lol. Helpful, I know.

My friend left teaching to become a principal.

This is me. I had a really, really hard year last year with the admin and a co-teacher and when I realized I was due in Sept I requested a LOA. I highly doubt I'll go back next year, but probably will eventually. I think you know you need a break when the only emotion you feel on the first day of school is pure joy that you aren't there!!!

[RoxMonster]

So I have been looking into instructional design and the job postings for a city we hope to move to next year and I think I would really enjoy doing that. And all the qualities they want are things I have from teaching. This is awesome. I never even thought of that line of work before.

[lolo]

Aug 25, 2016 20:27:07 GMT -5 RoxMonster said:

I've even thought of looking for jobs working for/writing for textbook companies. A lot of those are located in large cities that are nowhere near me, and I don't know if moving that far away is in our cards.

This was going to be my suggestion. Check out development editor positions, though a lot are being outsourced. PM me if you want to talk more; I have about ten years of experience in this field.

[Saint Monica]

I knew a corrections officer that became a 4th grade teacher.


What about a different grade?

[RoxMonster]

Aug 26, 2016 4:46:35 GMT -5 Saint Monica said:

I knew a corrections officer that became a 4th grade teacher.


What about a different grade?

I could never handle junior high or elementary! Hats off to all those teachers lol.

[bananapancakes]

My H transferred teaching high school to working as a Youth Advocate for homeless teens (helping them secure housing, look for jobs, connect them with social services, etc.) and now he's in law enforcement.

[crystald528]

I have an education degree in secondary but have never taught. I also have a masters degree in public administration.

I have worked in development and grant writing/administration for several non-profits over my career. You could look into courses to help with either area.

[calamity]

I have an English degree and taught for one year. It wasn't for me.

I am a project manager at a technology company. I started in sales and am pretty technical in nature so the job kind of found me. I do really enjoy what I do though, which is telling people what to do and when LOL.

[CrazyLucky]

My SIL was a teacher. She taught in inner city schools for 14 years, then decided to try a charter school for one year. One of the biggest draws of the charter school was the promise of a smaller class size. He average class size was 36 kids. That was the last straw (there were many straws). She found a job with The Discovery Corp. (I think that's the name, something like that). They sell software that is used in the classroom. Her job is to travel to the people who purchase the software and train them how to use it. She just started so I don't know how she likes it. She's excited about the travel. She gets to make her own hours. She said if she works for five days a month, she will make what she made teaching. No benefits though, insurance, 401k, etc.

[noodleskooze]

I taught middle school and high school English for five years, and I made the switch last year. I'm not in academia at all now, though. I work for a wealth mgmt./brokerage firm. Probably not helpful for what you're wanting to do, but I'm happy to answer any questions.

[walterismydog]

I wanted to be a teacher my whole life. My mother, a teacher, all but forbid me from doing it. Not because of the kids, but because of the parents and the administration.

Instead, I went the training/education route. I was a work from home technical trainer for six years and mostly loved that, but got sick of working from home. Then I became a community educator at an animal shelter. Loved loved loved that but reached the pinnacle of my career and had nowhere else to grow. Yesterday I started my job with another NP as a traveling field educator. I LOVE it so far and the career opportunities plus benefits there are amazing.

So yes - I'm a teacher, but not a traditional classroom teacher. I'm so glad I chose this path. I don't know a single teacher in my social circle who has lasted more than five years in the current state of the educational system. Which is a motherfucking shame and I could go off on a major tangent on that, but nobody's got time for that this morning.

[walterismydog]

Oh, and my degree is in HR administration with a focus on instructional design and development. Other people I've encountered in my field have had a wide variety of degrees and most haven't required any additional training or certifications, though there are masters programs in the field.

Good luck to you!! Feel free to PM me with any specific questions you might have!!

[RoxMonster]

For all the instructional design people, many of the job postings I've seen have wanted experience with ADDIE. I googled and while I don't use the acronym, I feel like I unofficially go through those steps with teaching. Is it a huge deal to not have formal training or experience using that framework?

[phdprocrastinator]

Keep an eye on community college openings. I'm in special ed (so kind of different! Ha!), but when I was looking for jobs I saw a lot of postings for positions in accessibility offices that made (starting) six figures. Most only required a masters. I don't know if it's similar for writing centers, but I know most community colleges focus heavily on writing so I'd look there. I found many of these positions posted on HERC (higher ed recruiting consortium).

You can also teach at a CC with a MA, but I'm not sure how well the faculty are paid (as a faculty member at a university... I it goes without saying that I'm NOT making six figures).

Good luck!

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 26, 2016 17:58:34 GMT -5 phdprocrastinator said:

Keep an eye on community college openings. I'm in special ed (so kind of different! Ha!), but when I was looking for jobs I saw a lot of postings for positions in accessibility offices that made (starting) six figures. Most only required a masters. I don't know if it's similar for writing centers, but I know most community colleges focus heavily on writing so I'd look there. I found many of these positions posted on HERC (higher ed recruiting consortium).

You can also teach at a CC with a MA, but I'm not sure how well the faculty are paid (as a faculty member at a university... I it goes without saying that I'm NOT making six figures).

Good luck!

I think it's really hard to get a non-adjunct position in humanities without a Ph.D nowadays unless you are in a really rural area (or have a Master's from an Ivy or equivalent).