Every September I get the same question. If YOU were job searching right now, where would you look?
Fair. So I went and got the answer.
Over the last two weeks I went through 2,265 current job postings. I was hunting for the areas I'd actually tell a friend to search this fall. Openings that exist right now, asking for things you already do.
Seven areas made the list.
One thing before we start. In my LinkedIn post Tuesday night, I said some of the best openings this fall have titles no educator would think to type into a search bar... Number four surprised even me.
1. Edtech companies. Yes, the ones that make the tools you already use.
Somebody has to help schools after the sale. Run the trainings. Check on the rollout. Fix problems before renewal season. That somebody gets a salary and a laptop.
The titles: Partner Success Advisor. Customer Success Specialist. Professional Learning Specialist.
If you once got your whole building using a new platform and answered everyone's questions for a month, you already know this work.
Search the name of a tool you like plus "careers." If your school ran on Nearpod, type "Nearpod careers." Then try "customer success specialist" edtech.
2. Implementation and onboarding. Same work, any industry.
Every software company has to get new customers from "we bought it" to "we actually use it." Kickoff calls. Rollout plans. Training sessions. A check-in after launch.
If you've ever built a schedule other adults had to follow, then taught them the system... that's this.
Search "implementation specialist," "customer onboarding specialist," and "customer education trainer."
3. Corporate learning teams.
Companies train their own people constantly. Someone has to keep all of it running. Schedule the sessions. Manage the learning platform. Wrangle the trainers. Keep the records straight.
Ran the PD calendar? Managed the LMS? A hiring team can act on that.
Search "training coordinator," "learning and development specialist," and "learning program coordinator."
4. Construction. I'm serious.
This is the one that surprised even me.
Job sites need people who train the crews, run the inspections, write up incidents, and keep the whole site legal.
The titles for this one: Safety Coordinator. Field Trainer. Compliance Lead. The daily work is teaching adults required procedures and keeping records an inspector could check.
One warning. Read every posting line by line. Some want OSHA credentials or years on a site. Plenty don't. And some of those will put you through OSHA training after they hire you. The site has to stay legal either way.
Search "construction safety coordinator" and "construction field trainer."
5. Professional associations.
Nurses have one. Accountants have one. Plumbers have one. Teachers have one. Every industry has an association, and every association runs classes, certifications, and conferences for its members.
Somebody builds all of that. The titles: Education Program Manager. Continuing Education Program Manager.
If you've built learning for colleagues or run a certification process, this is your lane.
Search "education program manager" association and "continuing education program manager."
6. Healthcare software.
Hospitals buy new systems all the time. Then somebody has to get hundreds of staff actually using them. Map the workflow. Plan the launch. Train the teams. Stay close after go-live.
The titles: Implementation Specialist. Implementation and Training Specialist.
Same warning as construction. Some postings want clinical experience. Aim for the ones where training and rollout fill most of the description.
Search "healthcare implementation specialist" and "implementation and training specialist" healthcare.
7. Government contractors.
Almost nobody searches this one. Private companies get hired to deliver public programs. They need people who can explain regulations, build resources, and train adults to run a program correctly.
If you've taught adults a compliance requirement and then written the guide they used after you left, you've done this work.
Search "training and technical assistance specialist" and "technical assistance specialist" education.
The one I'd skip
Broad searches for "marketing." Those postings ask for campaign numbers, paid media, and a portfolio of published work. Your proof is in training, rollout, and coordination. Search where the postings already describe your work.
The seven: edtech companies, implementation and onboarding, corporate learning teams, construction safety, professional associations, healthcare software, government contractors.
Here's your weekend homework. I promise it's lighter than actual homework.
Pick one area.
Type the first search term into the job board you already have open. Read three postings all the way through.
Not sure which of the seven fits you?
My quiz reads your school experience and points you at the corporate path that fits. Five minutes, done. Take the quiz here.
Companies hiring for roles like these run every Saturday in Jobs Jobs Jobs, my LinkedIn newsletter listing companies currently hiring former educators.
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About Steph Yesil: Steph is a former K–12 educator who moved into corporate education publishing in 2015 and built a career across curriculum, professional learning, content, and leadership. She founded Elevated Careers to help educators build successful corporate careers.
