6 Ways to Overcome The Emotional Challenges of a Career Change For Teachers
- Sean G. McCormick
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
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Leaving teaching can trigger burnout, isolation, grief, and identity loss as you step away from a role that once defined your daily life and sense of purpose.
In this post, you will learn the key emotional stages of leaving the classroom and practical strategies to process grief, stay grounded, and explore new paths like executive function coaching.👇
Table of Contents:
Switching careers is tough for anyone. But for teachers, it’s often more emotional than they expected.
For most educators, teaching isn’t just a job, but a huge part of their identity, their routine, and how they connect with the world. It’s a calling, not a career.
Yet, recognizing the emotional hurdles of leaving a classroom, from burnout to isolation to grief, is an important first step in your career change.
Whether you’re feeling stretched thin or just seeking a fresh new challenge, you’re not alone if you’re considering a career pivot.
In fact, in 2025, researchers at the University of Missouri discovered that, of 500 public school teachers surveyed, 78% have considered quitting since the pandemic.
The good news is that these feelings are entirely manageable.
You can overcome them and create a path to a meaningful new role.
In this post, we’ll explore the emotional stages of a career change for teachers, along with tips on how to cope and strategies for moving forward.
What Are the Emotions of Career Change?
Riding the emotional rollercoaster of a career change for teachers can feel overwhelming. Here are a few of the many emotions you might experience:
1. Burnout
Burnout is often the driving force behind a teacher’s decision to step away from the classroom, which is why we’ve included it as the first emotion on our list.
Exhaustion, cynicism, and a loss of passion creep in, replacing the energy you once thrived on. You’ll know you’re dealing with burnout if you are suffering from:
persistent fatigue
disengagement from work
an overall drop in performance
To cope, start setting boundaries wherever and whenever you can.
Delegate tasks, prioritize self-care, and don’t hesitate to seek support from therapists.
2. Awareness
Next comes the spark: you realize your current role is no longer sustainable.
Maybe the paycheck isn’t reflective of the work, or you’re dreaming of a job that actually excites you.
So what should you do next?
First, don’t panic.
Awareness shouldn’t equate to shock, but instead, to clarity.
Write down your transferable skills and work on identifying what you truly want next.
3. Isolation and Withdrawal
In a way, isolation might feel like a state of limbo.
Decisions about leaving teaching can feel isolating, especially if your friends and colleagues don’t necessarily understand your choice.
To cope, join online communities of career-changing teachers like the EF coaches in the EFCA community, many of whom come from a teaching background.
Likely, you’ll soon discover that you’re not the only one walking away in search of something better.
4. Grief
Teachers often experience feelings of identity loss, even when they’re moving into closely related roles.
Your “teacher identity” is tightly woven into who you are, and letting go can feel hugely disorienting, even if you’re making more of a “lateral move” (like becoming a teacher educator or administrator) rather than a full-stop career change.
For a full guide on mindset and identity as an EF Coach, check out our Mindset and Identity Master Article.
5. Acceptance
At this stage, you recognize the benefits of change.
You’re no longer holding onto guilt or "what-ifs."
You’ve committed to exploring new paths and feel lighter.
6. Awakening
This final stage is excitement for the road ahead.
Nervous? Sure.
But you’re also invigorated.
You’ll approach your next chapter with fresh energy, ready to build something meaningful.
6 Ways to Cope with the Emotional Challenges of Leaving Teaching
Fear not: leaving teaching doesn’t mean you’re failing.
You’re evolving.
Learning how to manage the grief, isolation, and overall stress of the transition is an important step.
Here are some tips.👇
1. Slow Down and Reflect
Take a moment and pause.
Breathe.
Think carefully about the decision you’re making, and why you’re making it.
It may be helpful to even make a pros and cons list to help you visualize in a concrete, solid way why you’ve made the decision you have.
All too often, we fall into self-doubt, wondering if we’ve made the right choice and questioning our decision to leave teaching.
If you have this feeling of uncertainty, don’t assume that it’s because you’ve made the wrong choice.
Instead, it’s simply a signal that you’re making a major life shift, and that’s not a bad thing.
2. Maintain Your Identity in Other Ways
What is it about teaching that drew you to it in the first place?
When you describe yourself as a teacher, what adjectives come to mind?
Remember that leaving teaching doesn’t automatically erase or negate who you were before.
You’re simply changing a part of who you are, not your entire identity.
For example, do you love...
how organized you are?
the way you relate to your students?
your sense of humor?
your ability to design a picture-perfect lesson?
Once you have an idea of everything that makes you “you,” teacher or not, you can figure out ways to transfer those bits of your identity to other aspects of your life.
Maybe you can channel your awesome organizational skills into a new career as an event planner.
Perhaps your ability to relate to your students will serve you well in a new career as an executive function coach.
Your pride in being a teacher doesn’t have to go away once you leave the classroom.
You just need to think about what it is that made you so proud in the first place.
3. Set Realistic Expectations
Unless the stars align, you’re probably not going to hand in your letter of resignation and be fending off job offers left and right as soon as you walk out of the building.
You need to put some time and thought into what you’ll do next (ideally, before you pack up your classroom).
Even after you’ve lined up a new prospect, the transition will likely not be smooth.
You’re going to have new things to learn, new people to network with, and new challenges to overcome.
Give yourself grace during this tricky period!
4. Don’t Disconnect
While you might be tempted to leave teaching and never look back, it can be helpful to have a keen eye on that rearview mirror.
That’s not to say you should pine obsessively over the drama at your old school, or stay enmeshed in the school system at the expense of your new career.
However, it’s wise to keep yourself apprised of the latest news in the education system, especially if you’re still going to be working in a teaching-adjacent career.
This is especially important if you left teaching because you felt disenfranchised from the entire system due to larger educational policies or issues.
You can still advocate for change outside of the classroom.
Your voice can be powerful.
Stay connected to the teaching community and do what you can to enact the changes that matter most to you.
5. Develop a Strong Routine (or Maintain an Existing One)
Now is not the time to abandon everything that was once considered part of your normal day.
Even if you haven’t found a new role yet and are actively job hunting, that doesn’t mean your days should be spent on your couch in your pajamas.
Chances are, drifting too far away from your typical routine will cause you to linger more in those stages of grief and isolation described above, rather than moving on to a final stage of acceptance.
Instead, stick to what’s worked well for you in the past.
If you were always a morning exerciser, make time to do that around the same time each day.
If you love meeting up with your friends on Wednesday night for book club, do that.
It can be helpful to have your week visually laid out. I like to set up my 'ideal week' when I'm wanting to implement changes in my daily routine.
To make it easy, I made an ideal week template that you can download to create your own ideal week and start living out the routines that will move you through these emotional challenges.
Stay connected and grounded, and you’ll move through the more challenging emotional stages of leaving teaching quicker than you may have anticipated.
6. Explore a Meaningful New Career
Stay open-minded to a new career, perhaps one you never even considered while you were still teaching.
If you’re a former teacher, all kinds of careers will allow you to tap into your innate skill sets and strengths to inspire change.
One of the best, however, is a career as an executive function coach.
Executive function coaches work with children and adults alike, helping them develop meaningful skills for school and career.
These include skills like:
time management
organization
planning
emotional regulation
The best part about working as an EF coach is that you’ll have the freedom and flexibility to do as you please with your day.
No more burnout, no more micromanagement.
You hold the reins.
Consider Executive Function Coaching as Your Next Career Move
If you’re dealing with any of the emotional challenges of leaving teaching described above, know that you’re not alone.
It’s a challenging (yet bold and rewarding) move that is sure to pay off in myriad ways, so take a deep breath and give yourself grace.
But don’t stop thinking about what you’ll do next.
If you’re thinking a career as an executive function coach might be a smart move, but aren’t sure where to start, EFCA can help.
We offer countless resources to help former teachers like yourself transition into new careers as EF coaches.
Among these is our Special Educator’s 10-Minute Transition Toolkit.
This kit, priced affordably at $27, will help you figure out how you’ll make your next move as an EF Coach.
Or, if you're wanting to jump in and get certified as an executive function coach and start your own practice, check out our certification program for the foundations of working with clients and starting your business.
You’ll learn how to draw upon your unique skills and experience as an educator so you can get started in a fresh new career.
The Bottom Line
Leaving the classroom is complex, and it can undoubtedly be emotional. Your identity as a teacher is a huge part of who you are, and you don’t have to leave that behind.
Here's a recap of the 6 ways to cope with the emotional challenges of transitioning out of teaching:
Slow Down and Reflect
Maintain Your Identity in Other Ways
Set Realistic Expectations
Don’t Disconnect
Develop a Strong Routine (or Maintain an Existing One)
Explore a Meaningful New Career
Hope this helps! 🤙🏻
FAQs
How do I know if I am really ready to leave teaching and not just having a bad year?
Look for patterns that have lasted more than one school year, like ongoing burnout, resentment, or a sense that nothing you change makes it feel better.
If you still feel drained after trying boundaries, support, and rest, that is usually a sign it is time to seriously explore other options.
What if I feel guilty about leaving my students and coworkers behind?
Guilt usually shows up when your identity is tied to being “the reliable one,” not because you are doing something wrong.
You can honor what you have given to your school and still choose a path that protects your health, family, and long term impact.
For more on this topic, check out my article, How to Handle Guilt When You Decide to Leave Teaching.
How can I tell if executive function coaching is a good next step for me?
If you love helping students one-on-one, breaking tasks into clear steps, and coaching them through organization, time management, and follow-through, EF coaching is likely a strong fit.
Start by exploring resources like the Special Educator’s 10-Minute Transition Toolkit and notice if you feel relief and excitement when you imagine doing that work full time.
This article is a part of the larger category of:
Related Articles:
How Alison Eber Went From Classroom Teacher to Starting Her Own Executive Function Coaching Business
5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was Transitioning From Teaching (2025)
How to Handle Guilt When You Decide to Leave Teaching (10 Tips from a Former Teacher)
How To Craft Your Unique Value Proposition As An Executive Function Coach
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About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and expanding my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.