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I have worked my entire adult life in special education.
Now, due to increasingly daunting expectations and health-related concerns, I am looking for a remote position. Unfortunately, the one area that has been my focus through 30 years and a Ph.D. does not really support remote work...
If anyone has leads toward a new career path for a career educator who has a lot to offer, please let me know!
Ricky Wechsler
11
11/24/22 at 5:55AM UTC
Cheri, I just wanted to mention that Special Ed Teachers have a gift and that's needed.(Especially in today's society)
If you feel that you would like to move on, fine. However, it is an honor that those people are there for the less fortunate, and its' wonderful that one of those people are you. Happy Thanksgiving.
Stephanie Towles
14
11/07/22 at 6:23PM UTC
https://teachercareercoach.com/
Anonymous
11/04/22 at 12:56PM UTC
Anyone with even a little idea of what goes into that sort of work would be lucky to have you.
The first thing that popped into my mind was consulting, although hanging your shingle out is difficult. Perhaps HR would have transferable skills?
Cheri Sandford
26
11/04/22 at 7:34PM UTC
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am open to anything at this point, and consulting could certainly be part of that new path.
Be well, and thanks again.
Cheri
Anonymous
11/03/22 at 6:01PM UTC
have you considered a training or consultant role? Many companies whose customers are education or educator also hire people with classroom experience to advise.
If you're looking outside of education entirely, you have transferable skills. I'd encourage you to browse some posting to start to get an idea of what's out there and what might be of interest.
Cheri Sandford
26
11/04/22 at 7:36PM UTC
Thank you for replying to me! I have begun to look at consulting and training jobs. Unfortunately, many require industry-specific education or experience. Yet, I persevere...
Thanks again for your thoughts.
Cheri
Anonymous
11/03/22 at 5:32PM UTC (Edited)
Have you considered a career in tech?
There are a gamut of roles that would benefit from your background, especially, if you look at Ed-tech company (education tech roles).
There are lots of technical education programs or online schools/universities looking for people who would be willing to help develop online education programs or advise students into technical/or non-technical careers -- you can find fully remote roles.
Another role you might want to check out is any tech roles that are around training/learning and development. Most companies call these roles "L&D" trainers but basically, you design enterprise-level training content for various subjects (i.e. from corporate security training to ethics/value/corporate culture -- of course the content is created in partnership with subject matter experts but you help facilitate the learning plan, determine how content should be consumed by large audiences with different learning needs/levels) , sometimes these role might require in-person commitment but for the most part, I believe you can still find quite a bit of remote-only roles.
Another role that might be of interest to you is becoming a researcher (this can be a UX Research or CX Researcher or Market Researcher). If you enjoy data, interviewing people about a product/service/experience or just general experimentation/testing things, pose good questions then there's definitely a role for you there. Your Ph.D. helps a lot because a lot of researcher roles look for people who have your credentials, plus with your focus in special education, I'm sure there's lots of transferable skills you can tailor to a researcher role that a company would find valuable.
I hope this info helps you! I also sincerely wish you the best of luck with your health.
Cheri Sandford
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11/04/22 at 7:39PM UTC
These are great ideas, and ones I am exploring. I also feel that I have skills that transfer to other fields, so I have felt somewhat daunted by the industry-specific education and experience requirements of many tech and research jobs. I continue to look...
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback.
Cheri
Anonymous
11/07/22 at 3:23PM UTC
You are more than welcome! I'm so excited for you. Good luck.
Kathryn MontbriandFounder: Lived & Loved and writer
718
11/03/22 at 5:26PM UTC
hi Cheri - could you think about some training or support that you could provide to other people working in special education? I'm sure with 30 years of experience you have a wealth of knowledge that the next generation of educators could use. Good luck finding the next steps on your path!
Cheri Sandford
26
11/04/22 at 7:40PM UTC (Edited)
Hi, Kathryn.
I would love to work mentoring/supporting others in my field! It's the ultimate "pay it forward" action; right?
Thank you so much for your ideas and encouragement.
Cheri
