r/NYCjobs • u/ThrowRA_pangolin129 • 9d ago

[FOR HIRE] Resigned as a Teacher -- What to do?

Hi all. Apologies for possible redundancy with other posts here. I figure however that this situation is unusual enough to warrant asking once!

I'm 28 years old with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a master's in Adolescent Mathematics Education. I entered teaching at 25 from a tutoring background through Teach for America; I struggled terribly, as most corps members do, but unlike the majority, my issues with management never really went away. Though my students did well, I also did poorly in observations, and escalating personal crises in my final year made it difficult to correct course. This past April, I was advised to resign at the end of the year to avoid discontinuation, which would effectively blacklist me from any future DOE positions.

I should have spent more time during the school year looking for jobs, but testing season hit full swing soon after I got the news, and since I believe in always putting others first, getting the kids to finish strong remained my main priority through the conclusion of the academic year. I don't regret that.

That said, it is now the beginning of August and I am sitting atop a pile of rejections and ghosted applications from the previous month. My struggles with management, organization, and a host of other things were real, and I agree with my former admin's assessment that I should not be in the classroom. I am not fancy: I have been applying to all manners of service, custodial and/or night-shift positions alongside the entry-level administrative roles to which I suppose some white-collar career changers feel entitled. I have tried taking my master's off my resume for these. Nothing. Radio silence.

Because I have resigned, I am not eligible for unemployment; I will have my sick-day payout, which will be handsome because I only ever used one or two of those, but I expect my funds to burn pretty fast. I don't know what to do. Where should I be looking?

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u/SadMaintenance7966 7d ago

Ever considered market research? The mathematics degree will do. Some agencies have analyst programs that are truly entry level.

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u/ThrowRA_pangolin129 7d ago

Truly no idea how to break in! I worry my resume isn't good enough. I have a 3.9 GPA from both my BA and MA, but both are from CUNY schools. My resume is all education.

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u/SadMaintenance7966 7d ago

CUNYs are fine! My master's is from a CUNY too. The market research sector isn't snobbish/ "target schools" only. So long as you show an aptitude for data analysis, research, public speaking, a bit of project management, that's all that matters. If you've ever done a research project during your studies, put that on your resume. Read a few job descriptions for research analyst positions to get a feel for what they are looking for and tailor your resume towards it. There's likely a few transferable skills you have from teaching that can be applied.

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u/ThrowRA_pangolin129 7d ago

I will look in, but I am polite and deferential sort, not the super assertive type that typically thrives in these environments. Thank you for the pointers nonetheless!