Job Network
Sponsored by

Career Change- Best Approach Advice

1,758 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Bird Poo
20ags08
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I am looking into a career change after 9 years of teaching and coaching at the middle school level. I have enjoyed my time working with kids, but it's best for my family and myself to look into other career paths. Something with a more normal work schedule. I love coaching, but the odd hours from August-December are not something I would like to worry about when my wife and I start our family.

Coming out of High School I knew I wanted to be a coach and stay at the Middle School level. I never really wanted to move up to the high school. After 6 years of being an assistant at the middle school level, I have been the Athletic Coordinator on my campus for the past 3 including this current school year.

I graduated with a Kinesiology degree and Teacher Certification. I'm worried that limits me to other careers with such a specific degree. I am currently updating my resume, but all I have on there are the two school districts that I have worked for.

I'm just looking for advice from anyone that has been in a similar situation. A lot of jobs that I see online require 2-5 years of experience in 'X' field. What is the best approach for someone like me? Should I just start applying for jobs even if I don't quite meet their experience requirements? I'm fine with an entry level position as long as there is opportunity to move up, I know with my work ethic that won't be a problem.

My wife and I live in the NW Dallas area. If anyone has any tips or advice it will be greatly appreciated. You can comment or email me at 20ags08@gmail.com.

Thank you all for the help.
TRM
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'd say decide on job/career you might find interesting or enjoy. Then try to meet people in the industry by networking and learn more about their jobs.
AgLA06
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
So I'm just spit balling ideas, but here are a couple of options you could look into.

Sales for one of the athletic companies that sell to athletic departments.

Personal trainer or even go back to school for physical therapy or sports psychology.

I've seen teachers / coaches transition into corporate training / HR roles.

Edit: a couple of articles.

https://www.profitableventure.com/career-change-ideas-teachers/

https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-center/careers-in-sports/

zooguy96
How long do you want to ignore this user?
zooguy96
How long do you want to ignore this user?
TRM
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I will tell you how I am transitioning out of teaching.

Background: I worked in upstream O&G for a couple years out of grad school then after the downturn, I was part of a company reorganization. I took a little time to decide if I should stay with O&G or look for something more stable. I decided on stability. Once I decided that I wanted to change careers, I asked myself what I enjoyed about my job and what I would like to do. I did some research about jobs where I could use similar skills. The career I chose had a barrier to entry - professional exams to even get considered for entry level jobs, so I took a teaching job to make some money as I got some exams out of the way and change careers.

During the Application Process: I've been applying the past 2 years while I have been taking some of those exams, but not much interest early on. As I have been applying the past 2 years, I have cold emailed professionals, using the society's member directory, asking about their jobs, participated in a couple LinkedIn groups and an online forum, and attended some professional meetings (regional and national) to network. Right now, I'm a finalist for 3 different jobs and I don't expect to be teaching after May.

What I learned during the Process: I got out of interactions is that as a career changer, I needed to look better than a fresh graduate. Instead of 2 or 3 exams, I needed 3 or 4. I needed to highlight my real world experiences and not be humble about what I can do. People would share what they did and I learned more about the industry which is helpful during interviews. I was also able to get an industry professional to give me advice on my resume, rather than a resume service. For example, the industry format is to put your professional exam information at the top of the resume rather than the bottom. Plus meeting everyone gave me a chance to practice my story, cut out what doesn't fit or add more interesting bits. I'm an introvert, so putting myself out there doesn't come natural to me and it just gave me a chance to be more comfortable.
SlackerAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
There was a teacher on TexAgs, who transitioned to smartphone app development by just doing it.

There's a semi-famous dude that studied Criminal Justice at Sam Houston & taught himself Python programming. He prolifically puts out tons of YouTube videos (under "Sentdex") and teaches others...it becomes his resume. By building credibility even without a Computer Science degree he had job offers from Facebook & Google, which he's turned down. He's making money from YouTube ad revenue & consulting.
zooguy96
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Very helpful, thanks.
20ags08
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Thanks everyone for the responses and the emails I received. I really appreciate all of the help and guidance.
AgLA06
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
zooguy96 said:

Very helpful, thanks.


I'm glad someone was helpful. The reality is no one is going to be able to provide "the answer" for you. Too many variables including you. Even if they did it would soon not matter as so many people would be doing the same thing.

Those articles are a lot like theory classes a lot of us took in school. The point isn't for it to provide "the answer", but a starting point or idea to start the process. The rest is up to us to research and plan. Most answers aren't going to be easy unless you get lucky. It's going take more school, certifications, and / or taking chances that aren't comfortable.

I hope you keep your head up, keep looking for ideas, and don't be afraid to bounce all kinds ideas off of people here that hopefully can be more helpful than me.
AgStats
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Former high school teacher here so I'll share a little about my journey:

Grew up in Texas, but went to college out of state. Graduated with engineering degree, but realized I only did it because I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do with my life. By chance, met a college football coach who mentored me and inspired me to teach/coach.

After graduating, ended up at a school district in the Houston suburbs where I taught high school mathematics/science and coached three different sports. While working, I felt bored at times (no wife, no kids) and decided to pursue graduate degree in a hard science at TAMU.

Doing graduate school helped me a couple of ways:
    1) Being part of on-campus recruiting 2) Instant credibility, even though I went to a very prestigious school for undergrad.
During my last year of graduate school, I realized I could always go back to teaching, but I owe it to myself to see what else is out there. I did a lot of networking/coffee chats. Unexpectedly, I found spouses of my teaching colleagues to be extremely helpful. Through networking, ended up realizing what I wanted to do going forward which allowed me to tailor my resume and career search in a specific direction/industry. This allowed me to stand out during the on-campus recruiting cycle and landed me multiple offers before I finished graduate school.

Currently, I'm in a career field that I enjoy, while still retaining some flexibility for the future.

I will say this: to this day, I miss teaching/coaching. I miss working with the kids. I make it a priority to go back and visit my former co-workers and share some of my story with their students/student-athletes. I know for a fact my experience as a teacher has helped me every day in my current career.
Bird Poo
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
There are a couple of shops that provide professional aptitude testing in Dallas. They cost about $700 but seem to help people with similar questions about their future.

I'm looking to have my Jr. in high school take one soon.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.