Making the Jump from Education to the Corporate World

 
About 17 percent of teachers leave the field in their first five years, according to a federal study
from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics, says
EdSource. In a world where job changes are commonplace, that may not come as a surprise.
But where are these teachers headed and how are they jumping ship to other industries?

On today’s episode of Voices of eLearning, Host JW Marshall speaks with Rebecca Stump,
teacher-turned corporate rockstar, to discuss how she left the educational sector and the advice
she has for other teachers looking to jump from education to the corporate world.

With over 4,669 corporate managers alone in the United States, according to Indeed, there are
certainly, an abundance of corporate jobs out there. There is almost certainly a job out there to fit
the skills and experiences of teachers, but it can be intimidating to pursue moving from education to the corporate world.

“It was extremely humbling to go into corporate America because I felt like I’d really mastered
teaching and I went into a job where I had the skills necessary to excel but I didn’t understand
the processes and I didn’t understand the basics of how corporate America ran,” Stump stated of
her experience.

Marshall and Stump discuss the Jump from Education to the Corporate World…

● What caused Stump to leave the teaching realm and her experience in corporate America

● What advice Stump wished she would have received before making the jump to the
corporate world

● What steps teachers can take to get the job they are hoping for

“My number one piece of advice would be: ask for help early and often, because you don’t want
to be sitting there at your computer wasting valuable hours trying to figure it out on your own
when it could’ve been just a quick little question. And it shows them that you’re motivated and
dedicated to learn.”

Stump is currently an account manager at Kelly Benefits Strategies and is a freelance marketing
consultant at High Peaks Marketing. She has been a copywriter at educators 2 educators and a
learning and development contributor at Preceptor Connector. Her educator experience includes
serving as curriculum designer and educator at the School District of Haverford Township. She
holds an Administrative Program for Principals Certification (K-12), a bachelor’s degree in
Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Education in 21st
Century Skills at La Salle University.