Are you one of the 80% who lose motivation just months after declaring your New Year’s Resolutions? For educators whose goal is a career transition, you can’t afford to be included in that failure rate. Times have passed when teachers leaving the classroom because of retirement or moving up into educational administration were the norm. It’s no surprise to scroll through social media to find more stories of teachers leaving because they’re resigning from their once-dream job. The one, indeed, they thought they’d retire from at the end of their life-long learner career.
The number one reason for the great Edxit varies from teacher to teacher. But the top request to support teachers’ overall mental wellbeing: “a pay raise or or bonus to reduce financial stress,” according to a survey by EducationWeek in spring of 2023. If you read the long list of reasons below that one, you’ll quickly realize how much teachers are struggling. The teachers who are ready to quit and preparing for their own resignation, want better for themselves. Yes, they may still love teaching and wonder what else they could possibly do with a teaching degree, but they’re willing to say “enough is enough! I’m meant for more happiness in my lifetime!” It’s not a decision educators are taking lightly.
Many teachers spent their holiday break away from school tweaking their resumes, upskilling, or applying for jobs in hopes their New Year’s Resolution to leave the classroom permanently happens in the early part of the new year. Leaving mid-year may bring up guilt and shame or feelings of abandoning the students, but when it’s time to transition, you’ll know it’s your time. As you continue your job search in the new year, it might benefit you to stop stressing over meeting deadline pressures of “get out of the classroom by summer break,” “resign before losing my mind,” or “find a new job so you don’t come back in the fall.” All of these resolutions may have crossed your mind, but when you fall short of meeting your career transition goal, the defeat and discouragement can make you feel like you’re never going to get out.
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When the idea of setting yourself up for a successful transition gets you excited for the year ahead, consider swapping out New Year’s Resolutions for something more powerful. Keep reading to learn how implementing these three guideposts will help you navigate your career change in 2024!
1. Reframe your New Year’s resolution as a New Year’s Journey.
Educators are notorious for using SMART goals when planning what they want to achieve for themselves and with their students. I’ve even included it as part of the Self-Guided Journey for those who love the structure and self-accountability. However, when you’re setting measurable outcomes (like resign from teaching or get a new job) with dates and deadlines, you might face discouragement and hopelessness if the hard deadline isn’t met. As you design your career transition, consider leaving out the dates, and reframing your resolution as a journey instead. When you’re on a journey, you know you ultimately want to arrive at a specific destination (a new role beyond the classroom), but the pressure of getting there takes a backseat to all of the experiences along the way. Your teacher transition journey will be full of ups and downs, lessons to learn, opportunities to grow, time to rest, pivots when needed; and you may feel the desire to linger in one place a little longer than others.
2. Focus on the smaller steps instead of putting pressure on the bigger goal.
Once you’ve decided you’re on a transition journey beyond the classroom, start recognizing the small steps you’re making towards landing your dream job (or bridge role). Celebrating smaller accomplishments gives you lots of opportunities to be your own cheerleader (who better than to be rooting for you!) as you make this major life change. It’s essential to celebrate in personalized, uplifting ways. You could pause from reading and jot down some ways you love to celebrate your success.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Keep an ongoing list of everything – big or small – in your journal
- Create a BADASS list, print it, frame it, and hang it somewhere you’ll see it everyday
- Mentally note progress every night before you fall asleep (bonus points for making it into an evening ritual of expressing gratitude for your journey)
- Treat yourself and your biggest cheerleader to dinner at your favorite restaurant
- Open a special bottle of wine to celebrate an interview
- High-five yourself every time you submit an application to a company you’d love to work for
- Tell yourself you’re worth the wait any time you pick yourself back up from a rejection
- Buy something you can use every day to remind yourself how far you’ve come (I bought myself a hand-thrown coffee mug with my brand colors from a favorite local potter)
3. Empower your journey with tools and support in place.
Leaving the classroom can often feel lonely. When you’re considering what’s next, you may not know anyone else in your school or district thinking the same thing. After all, for decades, teaching was viewed as a life-long role; one to retire from at the end of a successful and fulfilling career. If you’re feeling like you’re navigating the journey all on your own, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s time to empower your journey with tools and support, so you can transition with confidence. Borrow one or all of these ideas to do just that!
- Connect with a transition cheerleader. This could be a close friend or family member, but you may also pair up with another transitioning teacher. I’ve had a handful of transition cheerleaders in my life. These are the people who you can turn to when you’re excited about making progress or for some encouragement after a rejection.
- Whiteboard guideposts on your career transition journey. A career transition is full of many steps, big and small. List each one on a big white board in your office space to track where you are and where you want to be. You can erase, modify, or add more guideposts as you move forward.
- Spark joy in your life. Going through transitions are tough. No matter what stage you’re in on your journey, it’s essential to set aside time for fun and joy. When you become laser focused on your career change and everything that comes with it, it’s easy to lose track of taking care of yourself and finding the happy moments. The truth about this transition lies in the lessons and growth you’re discovering. It’s all about evolving on your journey, so if you don’t stop and enjoy the ride, you’ll miss out on life, on living. You can’t get back that time, but you’ll always have the memories you created when you experience joy.
As you continue on your transition journey in the new year, keep in mind that wanting better for yourself isn’t the end goal. It’s a must-have for the journey of life, including any transitions or major life changes you experience. New Year’s resolutions come and go year after year. What remains the same is how you create a life you love while taking aligned actions towards the next chapter or season you want for yourself and your future. Lean into the process, find your support system, and start using the empowerment tools and guideposts you already have inside you to light the way.