How to Navigate the Early Stages of Transitioning from K–12 to the Private Sector
Was there a specific moment where you first considered transitioning to the private sector?
After teaching middle school for seven years, I was at a point where I felt I was mastering my craft as an educator. I had begun sharing my tips and tricks for heightening student engagement through district and state-wide presentations, but I was open to leaving the classroom to help my fellow teachers become stronger as well. I accepted a position at the district level, which was a great experience and provided me with a holistic view of K–12 education in my district and others in the Metro Atlanta area. It was exciting and showed me there were more ways I wanted to expand my professional skills while serving as an advocate for teachers and leaders. Goalbook proved to be the perfect opportunity to fulfill my personal mission to support teachers’ and leaders’ pedagogical growth.
What would you say to educators who may find themselves in the early stages of transitioning from K–12 to the private sector?
I would tell them that all the feelings they’re feeling are okay and natural! It may be a mix of excitement, guilt, insecurity, hope, and more — and all of that is okay.
I found it helpful to evaluate where I was in my career and encourage educators considering transitioning to the private sector to do the same. What type of work-life balance is ideal for you? What type of impact do you want to have? What kind of work do you want to be doing? What components of work culture are important to you? Taking the time to evaluate your feelings and connection to your current work might help you clarify where you want to go professionally. Having a clearer vision of where you want to go is important because you may learn that the better route is to stay within the school/district or you may learn that you want to move to the private sector. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, so it’s very important to determine what you’re looking for.
When you started looking in the private sector, how did you determine what type of role would be best for you?
I knew it wasn’t about finding the “perfect” role right out of the gate. Instead, I wanted to find a position that would dovetail with my experience and skill set and allow me to transition into the private sector while remaining aligned with the field of education.
Reaching out to friends who had already made the transition was one of the biggest pieces of support I found. I asked them about their experiences, how they went about the process, and what roles I should consider.
Based on my experience and skill set, my friends suggested I could likely move into a customer success or sales position. After reviewing what each of the positions typically entails, I felt like a sales position would be the best next step because I knew I could use my love of meeting new people, sharing information about a new resource, and presenting research-aligned resources to be successful. There were enough similarities to what I had done in my previous role, where I was training and consulting with leaders on meaningfully making use of our district’s learning management system, that I knew showcasing our work at Goalbook would come naturally. That said, I knew that some aspects of sales would be challenging to learn and was excited to develop a new set of skills to continue my professional growth. Working in sales has undoubtedly provided me with an opportunity to learn new skills and grow professionally.
What would you say to educators who feel like their skills may not transfer to the private sector?
I think educators should recognize their superpowers! Educators develop impressive skills around time management, the ability to shift and respond to the needs of many personalities, the ability to communicate ideas to a wide variety of learning styles, and more. These types of skills are highly impactful in various roles in the private sector, so there’s a lot you can lean on to make the transition. It’s all about recognizing what you bring to the table as an educator and framing it in a way where a company can understand and get excited about your superpowers. Seriously, once you master getting a room of children on the same page, organizing adults seems like child’s play.
I knew that some aspects of sales would be challenging to learn and was excited to develop a new set of skills to continue my professional growth. Working in sales has undoubtedly provided me with an opportunity to learn new skills and grow professionally.
As a District Partnerships Manager at Goalbook now, do you believe the skills you learned from teaching have applied to your current work?
Absolutely! Many of the pedagogical skills and knowledge I learned while teaching support my ability to connect with administrators and explain our product. Many of the “soft skills” I learned as an educator have proven to be equally important. One thing from teaching that I didn’t realize I would regularly use in sales is active listening. My students used to share with me about their music, interests, and interpersonal conflicts they were navigating with their peers. In my role at Goalbook, I get to listen to the real needs of school and district leaders and advise based on that.
When I transitioned into my role as Digital Learning Coordinator, I found that I had to navigate uncharted territory to create many aspects of my role as I went along. It was a ton of fun and taught me to feel more comfortable with presenting creative solutions and thinking on my feet. These are skills that are now invaluable to my work at Goalbook, where we value not only building relationships, but personal and professional growth as well.
I think educators should recognize their superpowers! Educators develop impressive skills around time management, the ability to shift and respond to the needs of many personalities, the ability to communicate ideas to a wide variety of learning styles, and more.
What have you found to be the biggest differences between working in educational technology vs. a school/district?
Both environments provide the opportunity to build camaraderie around a central mission and focus. Working in a K–12 school or district environment provides you with a more effortless opportunity to see the direct impact of your work. Working in an edtech company doesn’t always allow you to see the impact of your work where individual students are concerned, but you can see at a district-by-district level how teachers’ practice and instructional comfort improve. At a regional level, it is rewarding to see how the increase in the number of our partnerships transforms instruction.
As a summary, what’s the step-by-step process that you recommend educators work through as they explore the possibility of transitioning to the private sector?
- Acknowledge that whatever feelings you’re feeling are okay. You can feel pulled in many directions as you start thinking about this, so give yourself grace as you work through the process.
- Work to build a clearer vision of what you want. Take the time to write down the types of things you want in your career and the things you don’t want. Write down how you want your career to be integrated into your life. Doing this may lead you to different but more accurate or fulfilling realizations than you thought.
- Tap into your network. If you decide that transitioning to the private sector is genuinely what is best for you, start asking your former colleagues who have made the transition about their experiences. Start talking to other friends and family members about what they do professionally and what those jobs are like. Take note of the things that interest you and support the vision you established in step two.
- Research the roles that interest you most. Learn more about the roles you’re considering, talk to people who have these roles, and learn what the lingo means in job descriptions and role responsibilities.
- List out how your past experience and skills can help you transition into the new role successfully. Understanding this and articulating it is equally important for you and the companies you interview with.
- Start looking for a position that interests you!
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