AI Is the New Basic Skill. This Is What It Means For Transitioning Teachers.

AI is now what Excel used to be.

It’s something employers expect you to know, not something they’ll teach you later.

And if you're coming from the classroom, learning how to use AI tools the right way can help you stand out—even if you’ve never worked in an office before.

TL;DR: Learning how to use AI is no longer a "nice-to-have"—it's a must.

Why This Matters to You (Especially Now)

• AI-related jobs pay about $18,000 more per year than those without it.

• Companies like Microsoft and Amazon are now requiring AI use to move up the ladder.

• Nearly every major employer (99%) is focusing on skills over degrees—but only if you can prove those skills.

• AI skills have more than doubled in demand just in the last year.

What Most Teachers Get Wrong

Here’s what I see too often:

• Teachers list “great communicator” or “lifelong learner” on their résumés but nothing about what they can do with this new tech in a corporate environment.

• They “play” with ChatGPT but don’t apply it in ways that actually matter to future employers.

• They assume someone will train them later. (Truth: Most companies want proof of skills before they hire you.)

What You Need to Be Doing Instead

Here’s how to start using AI in a way that shows employers you're ready for the corporate world—without needing previous office experience. These are practical, real-life examples that work because of your teaching background.

PICK ONE.

Don't do them all today. This is meant to give you and edge, not make you feel like you're on edge.

1. Turn a Lesson Plan into a Corporate Training Guide

Let’s say you taught a 4th grade financial literacy unit—covering topics like needs vs. wants, budgeting, and saving. Use AI to transform that into a basic employee onboarding module for a company’s financial wellness program.

Prompt example:

"Rewrite this elementary school lesson plan on budgeting into a training guide for new employees to learn personal finance basics. Include objectives, a short activity, and discussion questions."

Why this works: Companies value employees who can create engaging learning content. Showing you can teach grown-ups using skills you developed in the classroom is a huge career pivot win.

Use it on your résumé:

“Converted K–5 financial literacy lesson into adult onboarding module on personal budgeting using AI tools to adapt tone, content, and format.”

2. Learn to Write Corporate Emails and Project Summaries

Forget that “rewrite this as a business update” prompt—it doesn’t work. Here’s what does work:

Start with a real example, like this: You organized a parent night, managed volunteers, coordinated snacks, and followed up with thank-you emails. That’s project management.

Prompt example:

“Write a professional email summarizing the successful completion of a family engagement event. Include number of attendees, outcomes, and next steps. Make it sound like an update for a corporate team.”

Result: You'll get an email that reads like something a project coordinator or HR rep would send—something you can save as a portfolio sample or use to practice business writing.

3. Use AI to Turn Classroom Data into Business Insights (Safely)

You probably track tons of data: test scores, reading logs, behavior trends. Use anonymous or fictionalized data to explore how AI can help summarize and present information visually—something you’ll do in admin, operations, or analyst roles.

Important: Never upload real student data to AI tools. Always replace names and personal details with fake examples.

Prompt example:

“Here’s a spreadsheet of fictional reading scores by grade and student. Summarize the key trends in 3 bullet points and suggest one next step.”

This teaches you how to translate data into insights—a major asset in corporate roles.

Bonus Tip: Save Everything

Keep a folder of your best AI examples—rewritten lessons, emails, summaries, and reports. These samples can serve as proof of skill during interviews or even be used in take-home assignments.

Summary

• Corporate employers now expect AI proficiency, just like email or Excel.

• Most teachers are missing a huge opportunity by not learning AI the right way.

• Applying AI to real work, i.e. lesson plans, reports, data, is what makes you stand out.

That's it for this week.

Hope this sparks inspo for how to level up in standing out.

Have a beautiful week ahead.

Steph Yesil

Find me on LinkedIn, Get My Career Change Kit, Book a 1:1 Call