Changing jobs is not new. What is new is the rate at which people – including parents of younger children – are making career pivots. People are pondering new career paths during pandemic pauses. And many are pursuing purposeful change.
In a survey of workplace attitudes, Microsoft reported that 41% of the global workforce considered quitting their jobs in 2021, and even more – 46%– considered a major career transition. A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey from August 2021 found even higher numbers. Also, it showed 65% of employees said they were looking for a new job, and 88% of executives reported unusually high turnover.
Pop culture has dubbed the trend “the Great Resignation,” as employees seek better working conditions and higher compensation. Whether people want to admit it or not, the pandemic has changed the employment zeitgeist.
In fact, because of the shift, Ursuline College in Pepper Pike has seen increased enrollment in its Master Apprenticeship Program and Initial Teacher Licensure Program. Over the past year, enrollment has nearly doubled.
“There are a lot of reasons people decide to take part in the MAP program,” says Ann McGuire, director of marketing and communication at Ursuline. “Some people who worked in corporate wanted to pivot in their career to something they might find more fulfilling.”
Another reason, she says, is because “teachers have family-friendly schedules. The school year aligns with the childrens’ schedule, and that’s appealing to parents.”
Other people found they liked teaching when they were homeschooling their children. “They thought, ‘Why am I not doing this? Why did I put this off?’” she notes.
Anna Cole had a bachelor of arts degree in child development from Lake Erie College. After taking a childcare position at a local day care, she fell in love with working with preschoolers.
“The growth and discovery I saw in them inspired me to pursue a master’s degree in education,” she says.
Cole enrolled in the program when she was eight months pregnant. Between pandemic restrictions and a second pregnancy, it took her two years to complete the program.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also delayed her licensing application. So until the start of the 2022-23 school year, she’s teaching preschoolers at Hawken School’s Birchwood School in Cleveland, Ohio.
Clarence Bucaro, a nationally known singer-songwriter who has a bachelor of arts in political science from Ohio State University, found he couldn’t travel and perform during the worst of the pandemic.
During the imposed break in his music career, he became a substitute teacher and liked it. So he made the pivot when his family moved from New York City to Northeast Ohio.
After completing the Ursuline program in June 2021, he’s now teaching fourth grade at Chardon Hills School in Euclid.
“During the pandemic I could do it virtually with my sons at home,” he says. “It fit perfectly into a moment when I needed a career change.”
