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Career transitions rarely happen in a straight line. For many educators, discovering what comes next involves curiosity, exploration, and time to reflect on where their interests truly lie.
This case study follows Jenny, a teacher based in London, who began exploring career opportunities beyond the classroom after experiencing burnout and feeling limited in her ability to grow within the traditional education system.
Jenny spent over six to seven years teaching, building strong experience in the classroom and supporting her students’ development.
However, despite her dedication and interest in growing professionally, she often found it difficult to progress within her school environment.
Whenever she tried to take on additional responsibilities or explore new opportunities, she felt that her efforts were not fully recognised.
Over time, this began to affect her motivation and wellbeing.
Like many educators, Jenny eventually experienced burnout, prompting her to reconsider her long-term career direction.
About a year ago, Jenny made an important decision.
She stepped away from full-time teaching and took a month-long break to reflect on what she wanted to do next.
During this time, she realised that while she still valued aspects of teaching, she also wanted to explore other possibilities outside the traditional classroom environment.
After her break, she returned to education as a supply teacher, which gave her the flexibility to work while also creating space to explore different industries.
Instead of immediately committing to a new career path, Jenny decided to take a discovery approach.
She began attending a wide range of networking events, both in-person and online, across several different sectors.
These included events focused on:
Her goal was simple: learn what other industries looked like and understand where her skills might fit.
What Jenny quickly discovered was that many professionals were genuinely interested in hearing about her experience as a teacher.
Conversations at these events helped her gain valuable insight into how her skills could translate beyond education.
As Jenny continued attending events, she began building relationships with people across different sectors.
Often she would reconnect with people she had met at previous events, allowing those conversations to deepen over time.
Eventually, one of these connections became particularly important.
Jenny met someone who had also been a teacher before transitioning into cybersecurity.
Curious about this pathway, she scheduled several conversations with them to better understand:
These conversations helped Jenny begin imagining a new career possibility.
Motivated by these insights, Jenny decided to explore the field further.
She enrolled in a cybersecurity course, allowing her to build foundational knowledge in the subject.
At the same time, she began applying her learning within the school environment by becoming more involved in areas related to:
This allowed her to test her interest while gradually building relevant experience.
Jenny is now continuing her exploration and considering several potential pathways into the cybersecurity sector.
These include:
Her journey is still ongoing, but she now has a much clearer understanding of where her interests lie and what steps she needs to take next.
Jenny’s story highlights something important that we often see when professionals consider leaving teaching.
Taking the time to explore different sectors and understand your own interests can be incredibly valuable.
Many educators rush into applying for roles without fully understanding what they want their next career to look like.
Jenny chose a different approach: she took the time to discover what genuinely interested her.
While this process can take longer, it can also lead to much stronger long-term alignment.
At RecruitHer, we often support professionals who want to shorten this discovery process by helping them think strategically about how their skills translate into new sectors.
For example:
The key is identifying where your skills, interests, and values intersect.
Jenny’s journey demonstrates that career transitions often start with curiosity.
By exploring different industries, building relationships, and learning new skills, she has been able to open doors that previously felt invisible.
While the process can take time, it also creates a stronger foundation for making confident career decisions.
We are continuing to follow Jenny’s journey and look forward to seeing where her transition into cybersecurity leads next.
