Storytelling for Impact: An Educator’s Transition to the Private Sector
Ryan Ingram, Educator Engagement Specialist at Goalbook
Was there a specific moment where you first considered transitioning to the private sector?
The moment I knew I needed to transition to a role with more flexibility was when my first son was about to be born. Being in a school leadership role at a high-performing public charter school meant that I had to be on campus a lot, sometimes 10 to 12 hours a day. I knew I wanted to have some more agency around my schedule to spend time with my son. And back in 2016, teachers and school leaders working from home was unheard of.
Making the jump was a necessity in my personal life but the decision wasn’t without conditions connected to my personal convictions. What I was most unsure about was working for a private company; I didn’t want to leave the public sector and work somewhere that prioritized profits over people. What gave me reassurance that this would not be the case was when I saw that Goalbook was actively solving the problem that led me to them: sustainability for educators.
What new specific skills did you develop in your current role? As you were learning this task, was there anything from your teaching days that helped you?
I have always considered myself a storyteller, even before I was doing it professionally. What this role has shown me is how to write for impact. Initially, I didn’t know how critical this idea of impactful storytelling was to this work; I thought that product communication and success stories should feel familiar and blend into the glib digital world of product copywriting, i.e. slick and simple email blasts, perfectly worded success stories, and infographics.
I quickly realized that was far from enough. I needed to make sure that the teachers who use our products (and the ones who should use our products) were at the center of every piece of copy that I wrote. This realization was similar to when I was teaching and figured out that student engagement takes precedence over content. If you tailor your content specifically for your audience, they will always be more likely to engage and derive value from whatever content you present to them.
I saw that Goalbook was actively solving a problem that led me to them: sustainability for educators.
In your current role, how do you measure your impact on the education system?
There are a lot of numbers that I can cite that point to the fact that the things I do every day contribute to the success of Goalbook as a company and, furthermore, the success that teachers are experiencing in their classrooms while using our products. However, the numbers pale in comparison to the stories I hear from real teachers regularly.
I spoke with a teacher last year during a user interview about a feature I was helping to develop and he said, “Honestly, I would have stopped teaching special education a long time ago if I didn’t have Goalbook.” He went on to clarify that his caseload was entirely too large for him to sustainably write high-quality actionable goals for all of his students. He believed that without Goalbook, he would be doing his students a disservice.
Those sentiments alone prove to me that I am a part of an organization that is on the right track and that a for-profit company can actually be a “not-just-for-profit” organization.
In general, why do you believe being an educator gives someone an advantage at being a great Education Engagement Specialist?
I speak the language of educators. I’ve lived in their shoes, taught in their classrooms, felt their fears, experienced their triumphs, and made their mistakes. I’ve looked into the tear-filled eyes of parents as their children walk across graduation stages. I’ve spent nights writing and re-writing goals and lesson plans. I’ve explained and re-explained the same concepts over and over until that one student finally “gets it.”
I realize that it’s those moments that get teachers out of bed day in and day out; my hope is the work that I do at Goalbook is one more reason why a teacher keeps getting out of bed to engage in the work that they do. I also realized very quickly that at Goalbook the most important skill that you bring to everything that you do is your ability to learn.
As a teacher, empathy is what always took my instruction to the next level. I had to remember that I wasn’t just teaching a random group of “average” students—I was teaching a group of dynamic and unique individuals that I had to learn about every day. Learning what made my students tick pushed me to learn about instructional strategies that might work for them.
Those sentiments alone prove to me that I am a part of an organization that is on the right track and that a for-profit company can actually be a “not-just-for-profit” organization.
What would you say to educators who feel like their skills may not transfer to the private sector?
Goalbook is an organization that absolutely believes in fostering a growth mindset. If a new employee has an openness to learn and do really hard things in the beginning (and potentially fail), then the likelihood of them staying and being able to adopt valuable skills is so much higher.
Learning any skill obviously takes practice, but once you learn a skill or process, that’s it—you can access and hone it whenever you need to. You also have to be passionate about the new domain that you are working in. If not passionate, then curious at the very least.
I showed up to Goalbook with no practical experience in CX (customer experience) or UX (user experience) design but I was passionate about communication and curious about the reasons people connect with products.
I have learned so much. The key for me is that, four years later, I still feel like I am a learner. I am by no means an expert in product engagement or communication, but my work and skill set in those domains have improved immensely. You may not have a hard skill set that the role requires, but you shouldn’t worry because some of our most important roles only require a growth mindset, some curiosity, and the ability to constantly learn.
What would you say to educators who may feel uneasy about leaving the classroom for educational work in the private sector?
The thing that I had to do was think to myself, “Is this going to be the right choice for me and my family?” Taking the 30,000-foot view of my life and the purpose that I assign myself led me to embrace the fact that there are many places to make an impact without having boots on the ground.
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