Mid-Life Ed-Career Crisis-resolved for now

Four years ago, my wife took a job that required us to move 400 miles from our previous home. That meant I had to leave an MTSS coordinator position where I had been able to explore professional interests and help inform (nudge?) district practices. It was a fantastic job, but also one I knew might not last forever. Previously, I had been a school psychologist for about 15 years. We moved to another state and I left the state retirement system where I had been for 20 years.

The relocation was a bit liberating because, if we had stayed, I never would have thought about leaving K-12. However, since I had to go, relocation provided me the opportunity to explore other possible careers both in the public and private sectors.

We moved to another midwestern state and I found a school psychologist position in the district where my kids would attend. It was a great position. But, I was coming off a role where I enjoyed the work and my co-workers. Starting over was not easy, especially mid-career.

Returning to school psychology felt like a regression. I went from informing practices and guidelines to having to follow guidelines and regulations. Plus, I greatly underestimated the adjustment to changes in state laws and procedures between states. Regarding special education laws and procedures, there is a substantial learning curve when moving from one state to another. Plus, I lost all professional capital I previously acquired, or that I thought I acquired.

In the first year of returning to school psych, I entered a high school position with a high volume of evaluations. Previously, my focus was prevention at the elementary and middle school level. A high volume of reevaluations and 504s at high school was a shock to the system. Plus, relocation adjustment was a factor on its own.

After two years in that role, and completion of an EdD, I was ready to explore other roles and industries. During the next year, I learned many lessons about job searching, interviewing outside K-12, and what it was like working outside K-12, in the summer.

Job Search

In K-12, most of us use state-provided websites to find opportunities for open roles. Outside K-12, career sites become more critical. When I started looking outside K-12, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and several others gave the appearance of millions of jobs were wide-open and ready for the taking. Plus, after spending time online and searching terms like “#transitioningteacher” or “#transitioningeducator”, I had the idea that within a few short weeks, I would be done with K-12 entering the career of my dreams. That was not the case.

When I began searching, I used terms like “data-based decision-making”, “educational research”, “educational AND consulting”, and “MTSS” to identify roles in private industry where I could easily transition and find a job, quickly and easily. The search terms brought up numerous roles and I began to apply.

When searching, I found it helpful to set up filters in several online systems. I used LinkedIn, Indeed, and FlexJobs. Each has small tricks that can help narrow searches such as using capital AND with quotes in LinkedIn. Become familiar with how to narrow or broaden your search and limit terms to increase your odds of successful searching.

Applications and Applicant Tracking

Right away, I cherry-picked the most interesting and highest-paying openings and applied to a few positions, and waited. Nothing happened for a few days. Then, generic, rejection emails came from several of the positions. I repeated the process and received more generic rejections about how the company had found applicants with qualifications that better fit the needs of the company and role. At first, it stung and I was shocked my credentials and experience did not at least land me interviews.

Rejection is never fun but what began to amaze me was the amount of not just rejection, but the ghosting I encountered. In six months, I applied for many (100+) jobs and I would estimate the rejection rate was near 99.5% with ghosting up around 40-50%. My least favorite activity was submitting a resume in the “easy application” process only to receive an email inviting me to complete an application where essentially I had to enter my resume into their applicant tracking system. Then, likely wait for a rejection or to be ghosted.

My conclusions are not scientific but anecdotal and supported by others I commiserated with about the hiring process. Applicant tracking systems are designed to screen out as many applicants as possible. By only submitting an application, interviews are unlikely without a human contact or connection. Networking is critical and the use of technology including resume tailoring services can be helpful. Plus, rejection is all part of the process, getting discouraged and not changing or adapting your approach or goals, is not helpful.

Networking

There is a saying that you are either “networking” or “not working” and as much as I thought my credentials and experience would carry me, I believe the saying now. At first, I found it painful to send invites to individuals I did not know. After a while, I began to look for profiles of people who had jobs that I would like to learn more about or eventually have. Even though it was uncomfortable at first, many professionals were gracious with their responses and advice. By asking questions, the interactions were more genuine and beneficial.

At first, I sent invites to connect with others using the LinkedIn generic option. That was ok but spurred no interaction. I began to look at profiles of those who had positions that were interesting to me and I wanted to learn more about. I would send invites to connect with personal invitations and questions about how they ended up in their role, what they liked, and any suggestions. That was still awkward but it got easier over time and eventually turned into a sharing of information in best case scenarios.

I also found that posting on LinkedIn or even what was Twitter increased my visibility. The more I posted about topics of interest, the greater the visibility and the greater the opportunity to interact with others. Even sharing abstracts and articles widely was beneficial for others and for exposure for me.

At first, I felt that I had to have something profound to say. But, with time I learned that sharing research or resources was viewed by some in my network as helpful. Some would then share or like the post and the exposure scaled out. I recommend starting small by responding to others' posts and eventually sharing what has worked for you. It did not happen for me but indirect networking and sharing ideas landed interviews and roles for many people. Networking through posts and online interaction also felt better than reaching out to individuals only when I was looking for help to land an interview or advice for interviews. It was far less transactional and felt far less icky.

Networking and Landing Interviews

I found that when I only completed the application process, usually online, I was rejected or ghosted the majority (e.g. all) of the time. One recommendation made to me was to reach out to the hiring manager or leaders of the organization I had applied. The probability of an interview increases with an increased recognition from those making hiring decisions. Again, this is not hard evidence but I found that when I reached out to the job poster directly, I had better odds of at least landing an interview.

The best chance of landing an interview resulted when I knew someone from my previous roles who knew someone in the hiring company. I had heard before that loose connections land jobs and I would agree. Being able to reach out to previous contacts for advice and help felt like the most beneficial method to help land interviews. It was not what I knew but who. Old cliches survive for a reason.

Jobscan is a site that will use machine learning to help you align your cover letter and resume to job descriptions. They will give you a few free uses but the cost added up for me. However, if applying for similar roles, this will help tailor your resume and cover letter to hopefully get through the applicant tracking bots. (Edit- comments indicated bots are a myth and humans review applications. My perception was that something impersonal and automatic was rejecting my applications.)

Interviews

When I made it through to an interview, I found the process to be multi-leveled. First, there was a screening interview with an HR staff member. They then passed that information to a hiring manager where a second, longer interview was scheduled. If that was passed, there was often a task assigned were presenting the project would be completed in a third interview. If that interview was passed, there was a final interview with a senior leader or lead of the department. The amount of prep and time off required to interview was substantial.

Often, there were limits on the length of the project but the time spent could be considerable. I was fortunate to have a catalog of presentations to adapt but I am evidence-informed vs sale-motivated. This led to several rejections as I struggled to sell a product that I might have questioned the effectiveness or evidence base. More rejection after a couple of successes often occurred. Interviews occurred but offers were not happening.

Ageism? Salary? Summer?

Recall, I have been in K-12 for over 20 years. My impression was that many leaving K-12 are in the first third of a career. That means salaries are lower than what I was earning even as a school psych.

To change an industry, I was leaving years of experience to be virtually entr-level. Entry level in private industry is higher than education entry level but not higher than the salary for an experienced educational professional. Many ed-tech or consultation roles quoted salaries from $50k to $75k which was lower than I was earning. However, would I prefer the work and be happier even working in the summer? Plus, would rapid advancement be possible?

Other questions to consider include sick days, holiday time off, retirement, and health insurance. If leaving for a small company, be sure health insurance is possible at a rate that will not eat your income.

Side note: I began interviewing in 2020 and 2021 when work-from-home and tech companies were hiring rapidly. Schools were navigating COVID and burnout was reportedly rampant among many educators. However, security in both sectors appeared similar. Now in late 2022, we have seen many tech companies lay off workers but I have not seen education layoffs where I am. My observation is that start ups are having a tougher time in 2022.

Finally, I obtained an offer for a position adjacent to education. The team was excellent and I was excited to start. I began in mid-summer and immediately noticed I was working a long day, feeling out of my comfort, and needed to take vacation time to visit out-of-state family in July (How odd?!) However, the work was engaging and it was work-from-home. But, my kids were off school and I was working 8-4 or more. Plus, any retirement contributions were only due to my investments now.

After two months, I began to see that the same elements I had left K-12 to avoid were also present. Multiple deadlines, repetitive tasks, and stress were all present and I felt less confident since I was new. Plus, I was making less and spent my summer in my basement. Although I had done the math to compare hourly rates, working for less seemed less appealing after two months. Early on, I was more than happy to have the chance to leave K-12 but when reality set in, I had buyer's remorse.

In the end, I decided to return to K-12 but found a position at an elementary school, with a commute of under 10 minutes. My salary is likely higher back in K-12 than in the ed-tech private industry (again, I’m old) and I will have holidays and about 10 weeks off in summer. Insurance and retirement are also more comprehensive than private industry. Due to my location in a rapidly growing area, the demand for school psychs is very high. My position appears stable, considering I provide quality work, which I fully intend to provide.

I returned to K-12 with a renewed interest and perspective. I left burnt out and seeking a change. I found what I thought I wanted outside K-12 and realized the grass was not greener. Fortunately, I was able to return but I found a position that was a better fit than what I had left as far as population and job functions and even drive time. I am back on the same schedule as my kids and I am not getting up before 5 am for the high school schedule. Elementary and middle are more within my comfort zone and it took a couple of moves to accept that.

Although I am no longer an MTSS coordinator and focused on prevention and innovation, I am not sure my role would have been sustained. I would love the opportunity to return to the role, using what I learned over the last few years. There are many things I would do differently based on what I have learned over time. It is easy to romanticize what I had but there are no guarantees I would have succeeded in the same role through COVID or leadership changes.

Summers off, time with family, a realistic amount of security, and benefits are all elements that balance the equation of working to live or living to work. Now, I am looking for opportunities to integrate my areas of interest into ways that benefit my school. I have also used blogging and a part-time consultant position to review articles and proposals to keep that part of my brain engaged. Leaving K-12 altogether is not my goal, improving K-12 in my corner of the system and looking for ways to enjoy life are more of my focus now.

Plus, the kayaking and tennis in my area are pretty amazing.