By Gina Ciuffetelli
When I became a teacher 20 years ago, I thought that I would retire in public education. I loved my students. I loved my co-workers. I loved what I taught. I loved using technology to reach all learners. But as my career advanced, so did my passion for technology and my longing to devote my career to using it to help teachers reach all students – show teachers that students can use tech for the good of their education! Throughout my time in public education, I earned two master’s degrees (one in Instructional Technology, the other in Educational Administration) and moved into different roles: curriculum specialist, instructional coach, dean, Assistant Principal. I thought I would end my career 20 years down the road in the same system in which I started until…
In May 2020 the pandemic caused our district to massively cut budgets and many positions, including mine. Unsure of what to do, I applied for many jobs within my school district and finally took my boyfriend’s advice: apply to the private industry. I was scared. I was doubtful. What else could I do besides teach? After some soul searching, I asked myself two questions: “What do I truly love in education?” and “What am I good at?” The answer to both was technology and training.
So with a heavy heart, I shifted my job-search focus to EdTech companies and narrowed my focus to teacher training for educational software. Once I identified my own passions, the rest seemed to fall into place. I had many interviews and was lucky enough to pick the position and company that was the best fit for me: Gabbart Communications, a small EdTech company in Oklahoma with an amazing company culture and amazing educational technology products. I began as a trainer for their learning management system and I am now their proud Director of E-Learning.
Many people (mainly teachers and other educators) have asked how I made the transition from public education to private EdTech industry. Here are my top pieces of advice:
1) Identify your strengths and passions.
Ask yourself those questions: What do I love to do in education? And what am I good at? This will direct your path and you will never go wrong.
2) Vary your technology experience.
Use EVERYTHING you are offered! Beg to use new tech! Write grants! Software! Hardware! Basically, soak up all technology knowledge like a sponge and then train others. By training and teaching, you will become more confident in your knowledge and abilities.
3) Learn, try, and don’t be afraid to fail.
Along with #2, as you learn tech, try it all. If you have students, make them your test subjects. But know in advance that sometimes you might fail and that is OK! Try, try again until you know how to implement the technology (then help someone else do it!).
4) Become a leader.
If you have a desire to be an administrator or technology supervisor, that’s great. But you can be a teacher leader and transfer those skills to private industry. Head up committees, become a department chair, attend trainings, and once again, train others! Ask your administrators for mentoring or shadowing opportunities. Learn how to lead effectively.
5) Find resources and dive in!
Whether it’s a person or a tutorial, find a good resource and use it. There are many free courses out there to help you learn software of which you can usually get a free trial. LinkedIn Learning is a great place to start. Use the software you’re learning and create your portfolio. It’s also likely that there is someone in your school or district who knows the technology you want to learn and would be willing to teach you. Don’t be afraid to ask!
6) Put yourself out there.
As the saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” If you’ve never been through an interview for a private industry position, put your resume and portfolio out there and see what happens. Going through the interview process will give you a good sense of what employers are looking for and where you can strengthen yourself moving forward.
By learning how to lead as a department chair and assistant principal, I felt prepared to eventually lead product development and a team. Through my roles as a teacher and curriculum specialist, I felt especially confident that I could be an advocate for teachers’ classroom technology needs and what will work for them and not just the industry. By using different kinds of technology with my teachers and students, I learned that it is OK to fail and that I can apply lessons learned moving forward. It also thickened my skin!
I will never say that making the transition from public education to private EdTech was easy. I will never say that there weren’t times that I doubted my move. But almost two years later, going from public education to Director of E-Learning at Gabbart Communications was the best move I could have made. I now spend every day being a leader, using and improving technology, learning new skills, and truly making a difference in the lives of teachers and their students. Go for it!
About the Writer
Gina spent 18 years in public education in Florida. During that time she earned two master’s degrees: one in Instructional Technology and one in Educational Administration. She has an immense passion for using technology to reach and teach all students. While teaching, she learned how to use PowerPoint and SmartBoards. She eventually learned how to create instructional design elements and design educational websites. Gina transitioned to the private industry where she combined her love of instructional technology with her love of training and became a software trainer. In 2021, Gina became the Director of E-Learning for what she describes as “the best company in the world!”
Fun fact: Gina LOVES creating interactive eLearning objects. “There’s nothing like the feeling of trying it out and watching something I made actually work! I also love spending time outdoors with my family and eating brownies (sometimes at the same time).”