I said goodbye to a stable and safe job as a teacher to break into Instructional Design. Like many teachers, I began to burn out. Teaching had been a practical choice for me—a stable job that I could do anywhere in the world. I was personable, energetic, and loved working with kids, so teaching seemed like a natural fit.

And I liked it. Even better, I was great at it. I moved up into leadership positions, creating programs I was passionate about, like fostering a love of reading and building a strong school community. I loved my coworkers, and I could see myself staying there for a long time.

Then I had kids. Suddenly, evenings and weekends became a battle between work and family time. I justified the extra hours as earning a good living for my family. But as I spent more time marking, creating lesson resources, and organising school events, my passion began to wane.

 The Tipping Point

I found out my big pay increase, to get me to the top of the ladder at my school, was less than $100. Two years, a promotion, countless extra hours put in creating whole school events, and my big pay raise was $98.

It wasn’t all about the money, but being in my 30s, pregnant with my second child, and seeing a future where I’d burn out while losing precious family time, made me realise I no longer saw myself as a teacher. I wanted out.

Friends who had left teaching for corporate sales and curriculum development work had been encouraging me to get out while I could. I decided to listen. I had casually looked at Master’s programs for years but never seriously considered them. With my decision to leave teaching made, I began to plot my escape to coincide with moving to Canada and having a new baby.

A New Beginning

As luck would have it, I had a baby and started classes within a week of each other. An online Master’s program provided the flexibility to learn from home while taking care of two children and helping my husband acclimate to Canadian culture and a new language. What could be better?

Well, finding daycare proved to be challenge number one. I had assumed finding daycare would be easier than finding work. I was wrong. After 56 live applications, we are still waiting. Meanwhile, my mother stepped in to help with childcare three mornings a week, while my husband works online and I study online and take care of our baby. To say that days are full is an understatement. The MA program is more demanding than I expected, and toddlers (plus a newborn) are not yet capable of entertaining themselves for long periods. Thank goodness for nap time, as any parent already knows.

The Job Search Begins

Now, I find myself jobless, while studying Instructional Design and online training theories, pedagogies, and tools, taking care of two children under three years old, maintaining a home, and trying to break into a new field with very few contacts.

For the first time, I really looked at LinkedIn. I made a profile and updated my CV. I began to analyse job postings to identify the skills and qualifications I lacked for the jobs I wanted. I even started applying for jobs I was qualified for, writing cover letters and creating multiple CVs. And I got crickets. Nothing. Not even a reply.

I realised that many people are applying for these jobs and that many companies use AI to screen CVs, weeding out any that are not perfectly matched to their requirements. Even for jobs I was qualified for and excited about, I got no responses. Breaking in feels nearly impossible.

Moving Forward

I’m exhausted and know I have just begun. I need to start knocking on doors and asking for professional advice. I need to create more CVs and cover letters, and learn how to use more programs for designing and creating video content.

Starting the job search process to transition into my second career in my 30s is scary. I am no longer single and independently able to make mistakes. I have a family with two kids to think about. I want to work hard, but I also want to have family time and provide a good quality of life. Many people are in the same boat, and it feels like there are fewer ways for new people to break in.

So, this year, I’m focusing on breaking into my new career, meeting people in related fields who can offer advice and networking opportunities, learning as much as I can as fast as I can, and sacrificing every minute of the day for these goals so that I can enjoy evenings and weekends with my family and watch my two boys grow up.

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