Teachers in Transition

Teachers in Transition – Episode 230: What’s Truly Necessary? Essentials for Life and Career Transitions

• Vanessa Jackson

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In this episode, Vanessa shares a personal milestone as her son earns his welding certificate, highlighting the rewarding opportunities available in skilled trades. She challenges the traditional “college equals success” mindset, emphasizing the value of career-focused paths that lead to stability and immediate employability in high-demand fields like welding, electrical work, and auto repair.

Vanessa draws inspiration from a Remington Steele story, using a Greek smuggler’s tale to explore the idea of turning setbacks into fresh starts. This compelling metaphor underscores how moments of transition can be powerful opportunities to reimagine dreams and pursue new possibilities without limitations.

She also delves into the question of what’s truly necessary—both in life and career transitions. From physical tools to mental resilience, Vanessa reflects on the balance between preparation and adaptability, encouraging listeners to identify and prioritize their essentials.

Finally, Vanessa offers actionable advice for teachers considering corporate roles. She explains how to translate educational expertise into corporate language, using relatable stories to demonstrate the transferable skills teachers already possess. With practical tips and inspiring anecdotes, this episode empowers listeners to embrace career transitions with confidence and clarity.


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And remember to send your comments, stories, and random thoughts to me at TeachersinTransitionCoaching@gmail.com!  I look forward to reading them.  Would you like to hear a specific topic on the pod?  Send those questions to me and I’ll answer them. Feel free to connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn!

The transcript of this podcast can be found on the podcasts’ homepage at Buzzsprout.

Are you a teacher who is feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? do you worry that you're feeling symptoms of burnout - or are you sure you've already gotten there? Have you started to dream of doing something different or a new job or perhaps pursuing an entirely different career - but you don't know what else you're qualified to do? You don't know how to start a job search and you just feel stuck. If that sounds like you, I promise you are not alone. my name is Vanessa Jackson; and I am a career transition and job search coach and I specialize in helping burnt out teachers just like you deal with the overwhelmingly stressful nature of your day-to-day job and to consider what other careers might be out there waiting for you. You might ask yourself, What tools do I need to find a new career?  Are my skills valuable outside the classroom?  How and where do I even get started?  These are all questions you deserve answers to, and I can help you find them.  I’m Vanessa Jackson. Come and join me for Teachers in Transition.  

***Hi!  And Welcome back to another episode of Teachers in Transition. I am your host, Vanessa Jackson – I’m a career transition and job search coach specializing in teachers. I am here to help you reach your goals and figure out how to navigate the journey from stressed overwhelmed and burnt-out teacher to the career of your dreams with margins in your life to spend with your family, your pets, your hobbies, and whatever else you want to do. I provide tips and suggestions to help with stress and mental health, hacks to help your day, and job-hunting tips.  If you are frustrated with your current teaching position, if you are stressed, overwhelmed, and burned out you are in the right place – Welcome! 

Today on the podcast we are going to talk about what it means to consider a career transition, and we’ll ponder just what is truly necessary. Then today’s hack will challenge us to see what’s really going on with our procrastination.  Finally in our job search section, I’ll share the secret to translating your skills.  

Yesterday, I went to my son’s graduation. He earned his technical certificate in welding, and I was there as a very proud parent. I took all the pictures, soaking in every moment of the process. He’s my youngest. In education, we often emphasize that "college is your ticket to the future" and "college is your key to a better life." We focus so much on being college-focused that sometimes we forget to be career-focused.

My son is now pointed towards a career. He already has some job prospects lined up, and he’ll be very quickly employable in the trades. This got me thinking about something important: depending on your age and where you are in life, especially during career transitions, there are a lot of skilled trades that desperately need people. If you enjoy working with your hands, this is something worth considering.

For example, cars aren’t going to stop breaking down anytime soon. The average age of an electrician today is in their late 50s. Welding isn’t going away, and none of these jobs are likely to be taken over by robots anytime soon. Trades offer stability and opportunity. I have so much faith in my son and the path he’s on because, as the road unwinds before him, it’s filled with possibilities. That’s such a beautiful thing to witness as a parent—and it’s a powerful reminder for anyone who’s considering what’s next for them.

This brings me to a story I want to share first—a snippet from an old Remington Steele episode. Remington Steele was a show I enjoyed greatly back in the day. It originally aired about a thousand years ago, and because the world was different then, its premise was unique. The show centered around a highly capable female private investigator, but because nobody would take her seriously as a woman, she invented a superior—a decidedly masculine superior named "Remington Steele." The brilliance was that this man didn’t exist, but it allowed her to get clients and do her work.

In the pilot episode, a conman tries to steal something she’s been hired to protect. By chance, this conman assumes the identity of Remington Steele, and since no one had ever met the fictional Steele, everyone believed him. She’s then forced to maintain this elaborate charade. While he takes all thew bows, she does all the work. She was always the brains behind the operation. It was such an engaging premise because it highlighted her ingenuity and adaptability.

Remington Steele is telling a story at the beginning of the second season. Our heroine, Laura  has just lost her house—it’s been blown up, in fact—and she’s struggling to keep it together. Steele recounts a time when he worked for a Greek smuggler who had saved every penny to buy a grand boat, and the smuggler talked constantly about the life he would lead once the boat arrived, painting vivid pictures of adventure and fortune. Everything revolved around the boat, and he referred to it as his dream made real.

When the boat was finally paid for and approaching the harbor, everyone was lined up to witness this joyous event, a freak explosion destroyed it before it could even dock. Everyone stood stunned, staring in disbelief. The smuggler's entire dream had just literally gone up in flames. Then, to their surprise, he started laughing. At first, everyone thought he had lost his mind. They were even angry, wondering why he wasn’t mourning his loss.

But the smuggler explained, saying, “Xenos, everything is new again.” Steele, who was using the name Xenos at the time, elaborated on how the smuggler saw this as an opportunity to start fresh, untethered from the reality of the boat and all its responsibilities. The destruction of the boat meant the dream was once again limitless, full of possibilities rather than responsibilities

The story seems to soothe our heroine, and she jokingly asks Steele, “Xenos—so, is that your real name?” Steele, in classic fashion, deflects with a grin, “No, it’s Greek for  means ‘stranger.”

The point, Steele argues, is that losing the boat didn’t mean the end—it meant the dream could begin anew, open to any direction the smuggler wanted to pursue. And that’s the lesson. In career transitions, don’t rush past the anticipation and exploration phase. The potential is often as powerful as the reality. Remember: you already have skills. The question is simply which path feels right and how do you want to use your skills and talents.

While driving on an errand recently, I stopped at a stoplight and noticed a massive motorhome—a true road warrior. Behind it, being towed, was an SUV. And behind the SUV? They had two bicycles. The entire setup screamed adventure, mobility, and—let’s be honest—pressure.  I’m not parking that thing!

Pressure to manage that much space and footage, from the nose of the motorhome to the back tire of the trailing bike. Pressure to live this active life that this setup seemed to promise. Pressure to embody fun, freedom, and adventure, all while hauling what must have been a mountain of stuffthat I imagine stuffed into that motorhome. This was not a minimalist journey; these folks were traveling with their creature comforts and then some.

As I sat there waiting for the light to turn green, my mind wandered to George Carlin’s iconic comedy routine about stuff. (I’ll include a link in the show notes but Fair warning: his words are not safe for work, but they’re hilariously spot-on.) Carlin talks about how when we travel, we pack smaller and smaller versions of our stuff—distilling what we thought we need into what’s truly necessary for the journey. And then it hit me: What is truly necessary?

The question I really want to dig into is: What is necessary for you to take everywhere? And not just in the literal sense, like the contents of your bag or suitcase, but in a broader sense. What’s necessary for your next chapter? For your next iteration of you?

Think about it. As you move through life, through transitions, or even through your daily routines, what are the essentials you need to carry with you? What’s just clutter, and what is truly indispensable?

For some, it might be physical objects—tools of the trade, a favorite book, or even a favorite  charm on a necklace. For others, it’s emotional or mental: confidence, resilience, or a sense of humor (especially if you’re towing half a football field behind you on an RV trip!). For me, it’s a combination. I always seem to carry my planner, my favorite flair pens, But more importantly, I carry the mindset that I can pivot, adapt, and figure it out, no matter where I am or what I forgot to pack.

Now, back to the RV. Maybe the people in that motorhome had figured out their version of necessary. Maybe they’ve got it all dialed in, balancing the comforts of home with the promise of the open road. Or maybe they’re like a lot of us—dragging along more than we need because we’re afraid to let go.

So, what’s your version of necessary? What’s worth taking with you? Whether you’re embarking on a literal trip (as we roll up on the holidays), a life transition, or just heading into the next week, ask yourself: What do I really need for this journey? And maybe leave the extra bikes at home.

Today's hack is designed to help you create brain space in your life in one way, shape, form, or fashion—whether that’s by actually making time, reducing anxiety, or whatever works for you. Today’s tip is simple: Time your tasks. Here’s why.

I am going to start with a question. Are you the kind of person who arrives ridiculously early because, if you have something at 1 o’clock, your whole day feels shot until it’s over? Or are you more like Mr. Incredible, in the movie The Incredibles,  in that scene where he’s driving around, throwing in a little extra hero work because he looks at his watch and says, “I’ve got time,” even though he’s on his way to his wedding? (Seriously, who does that?)

I bring this up because I had a Zoom meeting scheduled for 11 a.m one morning.  It was a meeting I’d been looking forward to—a gathering of like-minded women—but my morning was already packed. On top of everything else, I needed to make a run to FedEx to drop off important documents. So, I glanced at my watch. It was 10:26.

Internally, I flipped out. Oh my goodness! Even if I leave right now, I’m going to be late! But I told myself, I’ve got to get this done. Worst case, I’d just call in from my phone instead of settling into my comfy desk chair. So, I jumped in the car and took off.

By the time I got to FedEx, I was third in line. I had to wait, but it was fine because I had a backup plan. As I left the parking lot, I glanced at the clock. And it was only 10:45. I was shocked. The entire errand—door to door—took less than 20 minutes. I had mentally budgeted an hour for a task that only required 19 minutes.

Here’s my point: when we pay attention to how long our tasks actually take, we can manage them more realistically.

Which reminds me of the one-minute rule: If a task will take less than a minute, just do it. This simple habit can be transformative especially if you fight clutter around your house. (Side note: my household suffers from “horizontal surface disease.” If there’s a flat surface, it will inevitably collect clutter. Fair warning, it’s genetic, not contagious—so yes, you can still visit my messy home!)

But think about how much anxiety we carry over tasks we procrastinate on—tasks we assume will take forever. I promise you, there is at least one thing on your to-do list that you’re avoiding simply because you think it’s a huge time-suck. But is it?

Here’s what I’d like you to do, here’s my challenge to you: identify a task you’ve been putting off. Then, set a timer and tackle it. Chances are, it’ll take far less time than you imagined.

So, what’s one task you can tackle today? Time it, get it done, and enjoy the mental relief of having it off your plate and then tell me how it went. You’ve got this!

Moving on into our segment on career transition and job search help, I am going to talk about some of the skills that teachers have.  I am currently working on a course that involves a group project. My group members are a couple of different time zones, it is December, and everyone is very busy. So one of the things I did was create what I call a scheduling tracker. You could look and see what hour it was for you, and there was a column for every person, every day. You would just blacken out the times that you were not available. It didn’t matter why; it just meant we couldn’t use that time. Then we looked at the spaces that were left to see when we could have actual group meetings.

I could tell very quickly that we weren’t going to have a lot of group meetings because our schedules just didn’t align. It’s December, there are multiple holidays, and we’re all very busy people. We were having our first actual group meeting to devise our strategy for getting our project done, and I had built some frameworks to make it easier because it was clear that we were not going to be doing a lot of synchronous work together.

As teachers, we know all about asynchronous work. Boy howdy! In fact, many of us still probably twitch a little when we hear the word asynchronous.

We were allowed to have groups of up to four, but our group was three. While we were meeting, we got this random message in Slack: “Hey, all the people in my group disappeared and left to go to other groups, and I see you have an opening. Can I come join your group?”

I sent a message back. We talked a little, and my stance was, “I’m okay with it as long as they’re willing to work within the parameters that we have.” So I sent the guy a message and said, “Hey, we happen to be meeting right this second, so jump in and see if this is a group you wish to participate in. Feel free to do that.”

He quickly popped into the meeting. I explained the scheduling tracker, explained how it worked, and described the framework and how everything was laid out for us to work asynchoronously. When the meeting was over, he very much wanted to be in our group. He said, “I participated in another group, and they were not this organized.”

We got to talking a little bit, and I laughed and said, “I’m a former teacher, and. I and taught for a very long time.” He replied, “I thought you were a program manager.” I explained, “They’re really not that different; it’s just have a different set of verbiage.”

That moment really stroked my ego in a way I was happy to hear. At that time, I was simply doing what I knew how to do. I figured out scheduling trackers 20 years ago when I had to take a couple hundred kids and figure out a schedule where I could work with them in small groups without interfering with their sports schedules.

The scheduling skills I picked up while teaching, my ability to look at a prompt, pull out what was necessary, and create a framework for it, all came from years of writing curriculum, lesson plans, and setting benchmarks. All of that is second nature to a teacher. And yet, that’s why I was mistaken for a program manager.

To clarify: a program manager is a step above a project manager because they oversee multiple projects. Teachers, let me assure you—you have all the skills you need to make a career transition. You just don’t realize it. It centers around the language that  we use.

When I working with a teacher, and we look at a job description, I will take a point from the description and ask them to tell me a story about a time they did something similar, they often have a hard time realizing they actually have that skill. They go back to when they were in corporate work, not realizing they already developed the skill in their classrooms. It’s just a matter of translating education terms into corporate language.

So here’s the job tip for today: when you are writing the bullet points on your résumé, stop speaking in educationese and start using corporate lingo.

I can help with that

Let me explain with a quick story. I once taught an incredibly intelligent student.  I will call him Brayden for the purposes of this story – that’s not his real name. Brayden was in my band class, and he played trombone very well.  

One day, I was looking for ways to keep him challenged and occupied so I handed him my college textbook and I said, “Braydon,  take this home.  And I want you to come back and explain minor scales to me - which is not something middle schoolers normally tackle. He came in the next morning, throws his backpack across the room.  I think to myself, “I should go talk to Brayden because otherwise he is going to be in trouble later. 

I walk over and ask “Brayden, what is bothering you today?” and  he says, “I don’t understand minor scales!”And I said, “Is this all you’re upset about?” and he says “yes” so I took him over to a piano and I showed him how minor scales work, and instead of being happy to understand them, he arms were still cross, he looked at me with a very tight face and a frustrated face, tapped his foot and said, “Is that it? The book makes it sound very hard!”

And I explained to him “That’s what  books do. They make simple things seem very difficult.  College textbooks take simple concepts and they turn them into what sounds like what is a very difficult concept in order to provide a reason to get a degree and earn more money. 

Corporate America is like that college textbook. It takes concepts we already know, wraps them in their own jargon, and makes them seem complicated. Transitioning from education to corporate work is just like learning those minor scales—it’s about understanding and using the right language.

As an example:  You weren’t just a department lead teacher or department leader, you “Convey upper management goals and key performance indicators (targets), align delivery , methods for curriculum, analyze pertinent data in an agile environment to drive decision making.”   It’s the same thing.  One of the things I work on with my clients is how to write these bullet points and how to translate their experience in ways that make sense to a businessperson because being a lead teacher to a businessperson doesn’t mean anything.  They don’t understand, 

Here’s your action item for today: make a list  think of all the times you solved a problem, used leadership, or dealt with something challenging in your classroom and make a list of what you would title those stories to help you remember what they are. Those stories will help you craft the bullet points you need to show how you already have the skills for your next career.

If that is something you think you would like help with, I would be happy to talk with you if you would like to have a discovery session to see if  you can use my services,  This is a great time of year to get started because it takes quite a while to go though the whole process.  Job hunting and getting out of education is generally more than just a three-month process. 

Remember the best time to start your career transition was six months ago.  The next best time is now. 

That’s the podcast for today! If you liked this podcast, tell a friend, and don’t forget to rate and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tune in weekly to Teachers in Transition where we discuss Job Search strategies as well as stress management techniques.  And I want to hear from you!  Please reach out and leave me a message at Teacher in transition coaching at gmail dot com.  You can also leave a voicemail or text at 512-640-9099. 

I’ll see you here again next week and remember – YOU are amazing!