16 Success Stories of Officially Transitioned Teachers

I dug through Reddit to find the coolest success stories from folks who have already made the switch.  Some were teachers, some were administrators, some were coaches... but they all have one thing in common- they are WAY happier now. 

They’re sharing what they’re up to post-switch and how much better life is since they took the leap. Some have jobs that will surprise and delight you!

Read on to see what's possible when YOU go for it.

1.  

"Both my partner and I are former teachers. I’m former elementary, he’s former ELA. 

I went back to grad school to get my PhD and now work in education research! I love feeling like I’m still doing something meaningful for education but have a lot more respect and autonomy, and being a former teacher was a huge selling point for my research firm.

My partner has tried a lot of different fields in the meantime — retail logistics, accounting and document management for a car dealership, and corporate investigation report writing and editing before ending up where he is now in college admissions. He really liked the report writing but unfortunately lost that job to outsourcing — but got lucky again and likes what he does now too in higher ed, even if it relates back to his degree in a different way."
--- mobile_ganyu

 2.

"Math HS teacher to Data analyst. I am very happy! I get breaks and I enjoy my lunch. No drama and I leave work at work. 

Want to do the same? Start learning excel then SQL and tableau. Those are the most used programs in my industry." --- Brilliant-Rush9632

3. 

"I'm a digital learning designer at a skincare brand. Usually around Christmas I am on my knees exhausted by my job and barely make it to Christmas Eve. This year I didn't feel that way at all, I welcomed the time with my family but could happily have carried on working as usual. I love the work, get more time with my daughter and my mental health is worth the change alone.

I decided to leave teaching but couldn't just jump so I retrained in the evenings, gaining a diploma in Digital learning by May 22. I resigned in March to force my own hand into getting out by the summer.

I applied for so many jobs, but this one felt like the best fit so really wanted it.

I got rejected by the agency, but wasn't buying it so I emailed one of the trainers at the company and explained to her that I know I can do great things for their team. Next day I got a call, then a zoom interview, then a face to face. I found out I got it 2 days before summer break.

Now, I have to go into clinics to film and take photos, I then edit these and bring them together using Articulate Storyline or Rise 360 to create a learning resource with a formal assessment so that staff compliance can be monitored." --- Safe_Ad4444

4.

"I am now a children’s librarian in a public library and am SO much happier! A masters degree is all that was required, and they accepted my maters in education, so I didn’t need any additional courses.

I make about 5-10k more as a librarian than I did as a teacher." --- Kel_y

5. 

"[I'm now in] IT. A first year teacher at my old district makes $62k and a thirty year veteran makes $75k. I already make more than the higher of those two numbers with about 2 years of experience. I’ve been at my company for a year and am getting a $15k raise for good performance (i.e. more than one of my old teacher buddies will get in three decades)." ---nuage_cordon_bleu

6. 

"I work in non profit doing workforce development. Within first year was promoted. Work is so much better.. summer was the only hard part but only because my kids are off and I’m not… I’m used to being able to be super mom in summer and I had to strike a balance. Still took a week vacation in summer and my office is closed for winter holidays. I also work 90% from home, and it suits me very well. Overall I make more, have increased confidence, live with lowered stress, and am much happier." ---Joyseekr

7. 

"I'm a training coordinator at a healthcare company training on medical practices that determine accreditation. So, teaching adults instead, at a job they chose. Much better!

I love my job, the flexibility, my coworkers, etc. I get an hour for lunch everyday and if I have an appointment I don't have to take time off or make sub plans. My boss sends me compliments all the time and tells other people what an amazing job I'm doing.

I feel more appreciated in less than 6 months than I ever did as a teacher.

When the first school break rolled around I had no idea. My kid had to remind me. I didn't feel like I needed time off because my job wasn't sucking the life out of me.

Have yet to miss a break, even this holiday one. I've been able to work from home almost every day of December." --- alclark1976

8.

"I work in graduate admissions. Much happier and I'm still in the education field. My degrees are in childhood Ed and literacy Ed. I didn't need a special degree." --- WallabyHelpful8105

9.

"I am now in radiology! Love it so much! I get to go home and think about my family rather than my behavior students." --- Erl428

10. 

"I run an AI team for a large tech company. I'm insanely happier.

I can afford to own a home and have a family, I work a reasonable number of hours, and I'm treated like a professional and expert in my field.

This year, my year-end bonus was 1.5x my yearly salary my final year as a teacher (granted, I taught in a rural LCOL for the better part of a decade)

The work I do is interesting, and after a decade in the classroom, I find that the skills I picked up during my time as a teacher really help me shine in my current role.

To transition, I studied my [rear-end] off and went back and did another grad degree to earn my technical chops as a Data Scientist--but the (survival) skills I picked up as a teacher are the things that have helped me stand out.

STEM fields are full of technical experts that struggle with things like project management or explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences. After some years in my new career, I've learned that technical skills get you the job but teacher skills get you the promotion.

For those looking to jump, jump. Don't wait for the perfect gig--just try to line up a role that will give you more time and space to figure out what your dream job is, and start moving towards it. I wasn't able to seriously begin upskilling until I left the classroom." --- Blasket_Basket

11. 

"I transitioned into programming in mid-2023. I spent about 18 months upskilling to build the skills I needed for this shift. I taught for a decade (elementary gen ed, then middle school English.)

Way happier now. I took a pay cut to take an entry level job (a teaching Masters + enough credits to be in the final salary column meant I was unlikely to make a lateral salary move) and less overall time off, but I'm more rested, my work usually fits inside my scheduled hours, I don't work weekends, no one yells at me or fills my day up with stuff that's not my job (and when I'm pulled into a new project, its instead of old work, not on top of it), I like what I do, and I get a ton of thanks & positive feedback from clients, which leads to my team getting recognized when clients also share that feedback with the bosses. The praise I've received so far has been specific, rather than the generic staff-meeting "you guys are rock stars!" stuff I heard in teaching.

I have less total time off, but it's easier to be out and we're encourage to take leave. I'm off work until the middle of next week because we have minimum leave requirements each calendar year and I hadn't taken any because I didn't feel like I needed it. I work from home and not having a commute makes a HUGE difference in my stress levels." --- KatrinaKatrell

12. 

"My partner got into a non-profit that does community outreach. She helps family and business in need. She loves it." --- Round_Illustrator65

13.

"I am a manager at a history/science museum and I absolutely love it! I make about 7k less a year, but I don’t take work home ever, never get yelled at/break up fights, and never pay for supplies. I get to be creative, help people learn, and I get treated like a professional!" --- darkeyed_bambi

14. 

"I'm one of the many teachers that transitioned into instructional design. Our learning team (eLearning and in person instructors) features several former teachers.

I make less money now than I did teaching (11 years experience making 79k, current job is 62k but with bonuses and other incentives that'll be more like 66-67k), but I get to work from home three days per week and have an incredibly positive work environment. I believe in five years I can be in a position to crack the six figure mark.

Am I happier? Without a doubt.

How did I do it?

I started by researching everything I could about instructional design and how to transition from teaching into ID. I utilized free resources whenever possible, including free trials of relevant software I needed to learn like Articulate and Vyond. What landed me my first job was having a portfolio of sample e-learnings and being able to discuss in detail my process for creating them. I spent about 4 months studying and building a portfolio through the end of my last year of teaching and into the summer before I started applying, and then it took me about another 4 months of searching and over 50 applications before I got my first interviews, and I was extremely fortunate to be offered a job with the first company I interviewed with." --- damididit

15.

"I work as a technical writer at a large software company.

Pros- better pay than I could have ever made in the classroom, flexible time off, job is less stressful, generally feels less “high-stakes” than teaching did.

How did I get started?

I learned about technical writing from a random LinkedIn post, and determined that there was some parity between the experience and skills I had from teaching and the core competencies of tech writing. I spent some time learning about it and building a portfolio, started applying to jobs, and the rest is history!" --- FlapJackieChan

16.

"I taught high school biology and I’m now an engineering technician. Essentially I use a program like auto cad to create/design the drawings that the engineers want for the project. I took 2 drafting classes in high school 15 years ago, so I started with almost nothing. My company trained me, along with 23 other people all being hired from some sort of career transition for the role. 4 of us were teachers! My company really values our outside perspectives and ways of thinking to help contribute to innovation.

I am happier for sure, although I do really miss the relationships I had with my students. However I have so much more time and energy! I work a hybrid schedule and I also have every other Friday off so im much more flexible with how I arrange my week. When I go home for the night, that’s it! There is nothing else to do until I show back up for work. I also feel so much more appreciated for my efforts and my wife points out probably once a week how much happier I am.

Some former teacher specific things I have appreciated: -when I miss work, I don’t have to come up with anything or tell someone what to do. -Sunday evening plans are possible again. -I go to the bathroom whenever I want." --- shabbysaturn

Other roles Redditors posted they're now in include:

• Project Manager
• Museum Worker
• University Lab Supervisor
• Education Coach
• Career Counselor
• Broker Dealer
• Accounts Receivable
• Freelancer
• Online Sales Rep
• Software Engineer
• Advertising Director 
• Curriculum Training
• Professional Development
• Juvenile Rehabilitation
• Content Creation
• Revenue Marketing
• Actuary

Original Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachersInTransition/comments/18t3gmu/for_the_former_teachers_who_have_successfully/