Teachers in Transition – Episode 243: Stop Chasing Jobs: How to Attract Opportunities and Take Control of Your Career Transition

In this episode of Teachers in Transition, host Vanessa Jackson shares a humorous and insightful story about navigating mishaps as a musician—specifically, how a well-intentioned plan to play Handel’s Messiah on the organ went hilariously off the rails due to an unexpected tech glitch. With laughter and grace, Vanessa reminds listeners that when things go wrong in public, sometimes the best approach is to step back, admire the "egg you've laid," and move forward.

In the second segment, Vanessa introduces the concept of a Prime Directive for Life—a guiding principle that helps simplify decision-making and bring clarity to priorities. Using a memorable story about teaching her daughter to drive, she explores how having a core rule—like "don’t hit anything"—can make even complex choices easier. She then challenges listeners to develop their own Prime Directive, one that keeps them focused on what truly matters.

Finally, Vanessa dives into the fifth step out of the classroom: Attract. After deciding to leave teaching, clarifying strengths, building job search materials, and refining skills, transitioning teachers may still struggle to land a role. The key? Attracting opportunities by positioning yourself as a subject matter expert. Vanessa outlines practical ways to build visibility and credibility in a new field—writing LinkedIn posts, engaging in industry groups, volunteering, and even creating opportunities through consulting or entrepreneurship. By shifting from job seeker to industry contributor, educators can open new doors and confidently step into their next career.

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The transcript to this podcast is found on the episode’s homepage at Buzzspout

Transcript

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 who specializes in helping educators just like you. Today on the podcast we are going to talk about what happens when things go very wrong in public, a hack to guide your decisions, and we’ll dive deep on Step Five of getting out of the classroom – ATTRACT. 

One of the joys of my life is getting to work as a collaborative pianist. Back in the day, we used to call this role the "accompanist"—the person who plays in the background while the choir sings or someone else takes the spotlight. These days, it’s gotten a fancier name: "collaborative pianist," which better reflects the partnership involved. Even though we’re not there for the accolades, we play an important part in what’s happening.  I play at my church, and I accompany for the choir at my church. 

I love playing piano, but I don’t always hit every note perfectly. Usually, I can keep things from becoming a complete disaster, but this past Christmas Eve, I had a moment that I can only laugh at now. I had planned and practiced Handel’s Messiah as a postlude for our service.  The big hallelujah Chorus.  It’s become an unofficial tradition that I encourage for people to sing along in an informal way while families come up and take family pictures up by the big Christmas tree, and enjoy the moment. This year, I decided to stretch myself and play it on the organ instead of the piano. I’m a pianist by trade, not an organist, but I worked hard to figure it out. I even color-coded the sheet music to know which hand and foot went where and at what time.

I use an app called Forscore on my iPad to display my sheet music.  I just make a scan of music I have purchased and load it into the app.  For $10 a year, I get the Pro version, which lets me turn pages without using my hands or feet. I love that feature SO much because turning pages while playing can be a hassle and a half.  I set it up so that when scrunch my face up towards the side of my face, it turns the page. If I scrunch to the right then the pages advance forward.  If I scrunch left, the pages go backwards.  Well, during the service, my right eye started twitching from stress (because, let’s be honest, Christmas is stressful for those of us who are a teacher, a musician, a parent, or any combination of the above). Every time my eye twitched, the page turned. I would scrunch my face to the left to try to get back to the correct page, but that just made my face more stressed and made ore twitching.  It was, to put it charitably, an unmitigated disaster.

So, how do we deal with it when everything falls apart on that scale? I was once told that when you “lay an egg in public”—meaning you make a big, embarrassing mistake—all you can do is stand back and admire it. You can’t pretend it didn’t happen. 
 
 If it hurt someone, then absolutely apologize. But if it’s just your own discomfort, take a moment to laugh at it. When I tell this story to friends, I drag it out until we’re all laughing.  A couple of friends have laughed so hard their sides hurt.  It’s a reminder that we all make mistakes, and sometimes the best thing we can do is laugh at ourselves and move on.  Besides, regret doesn’t change anything in our past.  The only way forward is, well, forward.  And it’s always better to go with a smile than with a lot of anger, tears, or regret. 

Segment 2: Suggestion, Hack, or Recommendation

And moving to today’s hack: Today’s hack is designed to help you create some brain space and make decisions easier. I want you to consider establishing a Prime Directive for your life. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you might recognize the term from Star Trek, where the Prime Directive is the rule that prevents the crew from interfering with civilizations that aren’t ready for them technologically. It’s the guiding principle that overrides all other rules and laws.

I came up with my own Prime Directive – the first time - when teaching my daughter to drive. We were on a wide, quiet street with a double yellow line. As we were approaching a parked car, she wasn’t moving over far enough to avoid hitting it.  This was resolved with me screeching the only words I could think of which were, “Stop, stop, stop the car RIGHT NOW.”  She was frustrated; I was frustrated – not a good start to teaching her how to drive.  I went home to consider what had gone wrong and how to fix it. I realized she was afraid to cross the yellow line because the rule is Do No Cross a Double Yellow Line.  How to create a system where she could understand that these driving rules can be a little flexible and where she can understand that these rules come with priorities? 
 
 Enter the Prime Directive of Driving. 
 
 It's really simple – don’t hit anything. 
 
 That’s it. 

If the choice is between breaking a rule (like crossing a double yellow line) or violating the Prime Directive (like hitting a person or thing), you break the rule.

This idea can apply to your life, too. What is one guiding principle that needs to take precedence over all other things?   I think, for me, my Prime Directive is “put my own oxygen mask on first” as a reminder that if I don’t take care of me, I can’t take care of anything else – family, work, or play. 
 
 Your Prime Directive should be a truth that guides your decisions, brings you peace and harmony, and makes it easier to prioritize the never-ending list of grown-up tasks. Do you have a prime directive?  Please share it with me, I’d love to hear some others!  You might not even realizing that you have been functioning with a Prime Directive, but you know you have one now! You can send them to me via email at Vanessa@teachersintransition.com

Career transition/Job Search

And moving on to today’s segment on career transition, I want to talk about the fifth step out of the classroom, which I call Attract. As a quick review, the steps are:

• Decide: You’ve got to decide you’re ready to leave the classroom.
• Clarify: Figure out who you are if you’re not a teacher anymore.
• Build: Create the basics of a job search—resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, etc. 
• Refine: Use tools like AI to polish your materials and upskill to fill any gaps.
• Attract: Position yourself as a subject matter expert in your new field.

You’ve done all the foundational work—decided on your path, clarified your strengths, built your job search materials, and refined your skills. But even after all this effort, you might find yourself stuck in a frustrating cycle: applying to jobs, waiting, and hearing nothing back. That’s where Attract comes in.

What Does Attract Mean in a Job Search?

Attracting opportunities means going beyond just applying for jobs. Instead of waiting for employers to notice you, you position yourself as someone worth noticing. Companies are often hesitant to take a chance on a candidate who hasn’t officially done the job before. However, if you can demonstrate your knowledge, engage in industry discussions, and showcase your expertise, you can break down that hesitation and create demand for your skills.

The key to attracting opportunities is visibility. If no one knows about your skills, experience, and passion for your new career path, they can’t think of you when opportunities arise. Here are some ways to increase your visibility:

1. Write and Share LinkedIn Posts 
    
   • Start posting about trends, insights, and your learning journey in your new field. Make sure to share some narrative on the process. 
2. 
   
   • Share relevant articles and add your own take on them.
3.  
   • Create thoughtful content that helps others in the industry solve problems that exist.
4.  
   • Engage with others by commenting on posts from professionals in your target field.
5.  
6. Join Industry-Specific Groups and Forums 
    
   • Participate in LinkedIn or Facebook groups dedicated to your new field.
7.  
   • Engage in discussions, ask questions, and provide insights based on your experience.
8.  
   • Connect with people who are already doing the work you want to do. Approach them for information interviews and learn from them what life is like in that career. 
9. 
   
10. Volunteer or Freelance to Gain Experience – it is a very frustrating truth that no one wants a newbie.  They want people springing forth into a career field with years of experience built in – much like how Athena sprang fully formed from Zeus’ head when she was born. 
     
    • If you’re transitioning into tech areas, create a portfolio.  Better yet, volunteer to use your skills to help create a website, or track data for an altruistic organization or some other small group. 
11. 
    
    • If you're moving into project management, volunteer to manage an initiative for a local organization.
12.  
    • Consider tutoring, mentoring, or consulting in a way that aligns with your new career goals.
13.  

And it’s important to Showcase Your Skills in a Way That Employers Notice

The experiences you gain from writing, networking, and volunteering aren’t just for your own learning—they need to be showcased. You can do that by: 

• Updating your LinkedIn profile with your new skills and any volunteer work, freelance projects, or relevant achievements.
• Using a featured section on LinkedIn to display articles you’ve written, presentations you’ve given, or other materials that showcase your expertise.
• Mentioning your industry engagement in cover letters and interviews. If you’ve been actively contributing to discussions, that’s worth highlighting.

And if the job isn’t there, create it because sometimes, no matter how well you position yourself, job offers may still be slow to come. This is a horrible economy right now. That doesn’t mean you should stop moving forward. If you're not landing the role you want, consider whether there’s an opportunity to create your own job.

• Like, Consulting: Many companies hire consultants before full-time employees. If you have expertise in curriculum design, project management, or training development, offer your services as a freelancer on a contract basis.
• Or perhaps, entrepreneurship: Could you turn your knowledge into an online course, coaching business, or educational product?
• Perhaps Side Projects: A side hustle in your new industry can serve as a stepping stone to a full-time role.

The bottom line here? The Attract step is about shifting from job seeker to industry contributor. When you start sharing your insights, engaging in conversations, and positioning yourself as an expert, you not only increase your chances of getting hired—you also build confidence in your new professional identity. Instead of chasing opportunities, you create them. And in doing so, you make it easier for the right job to find you.

 If you’re feeling stuck in your career transition or just need someone to talk to, reach out to me. I’d love to help you clarify your goals, refine your materials, and attract the opportunities you deserve. You can book a discovery session with me at absolutely no cost —I have a few openings this spring, and I’d be honored to work with you. Remember, you have skills and strengths that are incredibly valuable. You can do this, and I’m here to help you every step of the way.
 
 For my women listeners, I’m excited to share an upcoming summit: if you have ever felt like life is pulling you in a dozen different directions - work, family, relationships, health - , know that you’re not alone. Many women reach midlife feeling drained, overwhelmed, and unsure how to create balance without sacrificing what matters most.

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Block some time on your calendar and Register today! The link will be in the show notes!

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 Vanessa@Teachersintransition.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!