Show Notes

In this episode, I talk with Tia Carley, a former preschool and Head Start teacher who found herself needing to leave the classroom. Her "why" was one that many teachers will understand: low pay and a lack of flexibility, which came to a head when her wife became disabled and Tia became the sole income earner and caregiver. The realities of the classroom simply couldn't support her new reality.

Tia’s story is a powerful lesson in "skilling up" to find the perfect-fit role. She discovered the "Solutions Engineer" (or pre-sales) role and realized it was exactly what she loved about teaching—it’s all about problem-solving and translating complex ideas for a specific audience. She shares her journey through a pre-sales bootcamp, how her network got her hired, and why she believes teachers make the best solutions engineers.

• The "Why" Behind Leaving: Tia gets candid about why she had to leave teaching. Low pay and no flexibility became an impossible situation when her wife became disabled and she became the sole income earner and caregiver.
• The "Perfect" Role for Teachers: Tia describes her job as a Solutions Engineer—all the fun of problem-solving without the stress of cold-calling or negotiating.
• The Teacher as Translator: She draws a direct line from her work in Head Start (translating expert advice from speech pathologists for parents) to her work in edtech (translating technical product features for school administrators).
• Skilling Up: Tia didn't just apply for jobs; she invested in herself by joining a "pre-sales kind of bootcamp" to learn the specific skills for the role she wanted.
• Networking Your Way In: How the bootcamp provided a powerful network, which led directly to a referral from a fellow member and a fast, successful hiring process.
• Your "Situational Fluency": Tia explains how her preschool experience (e.g., the pain of scheduling playdates) gives her an authentic "superpower" in demos, allowing her to explain the real-world value of product features.

Episode Article

My guest this week, Tia Carley, is a former preschool and Head Start teacher who, like many educators, loved her work but found herself in an impossible situation. The "why" behind her transition is a story that will resonate with many: "low pay and lack of flexibility." For Tia, this "came to a head" when her wife became disabled, and she suddenly became the sole income earner and caregiver for her family. The rigid schedule of the classroom, combined with a teacher's salary, "just wasn't working." She knew she had to leave.

Through a Facebook group for transitioning teachers, Tia learned about a role she'd never heard of: Solutions Engineer (SE), also known as pre-sales. As she learned more, she had a "lightbulb" moment. Her favorite part of teaching in Head Start was acting as a translator—taking complex information from experts like speech pathologists or occupational therapists and "put[ting] that into language that parents and families could understand." She realized an SE does the exact same thing: "you get to learn the products from the product people... and then use that to solve problems for customers and explain to them in language that makes sense to them."

Tia's story is a masterclass in making a smart, strategic transition. She didn't just start applying for jobs. She "skilled up." She enrolled in a pre-sales bootcamp over the summer to learn the fundamentals of the role. That bootcamp, she says, gave her two critical things: the skills she needed, and just as importantly, a network. When she saw an opening at Community Brands, she reached out to a contact from her bootcamp community. That person "almost instantly" connected her with the hiring manager, and she was hired shortly after.

Today, Tia is thriving. She gets to "solve problems and show off products," which she loves. She brings her "situational awareness" from the classroom into every demo. She shared a perfect example: explaining a simple parent directory feature. She can tell a school, "I wish I had this as a preschool teacher, because otherwise that means your teacher has to pass phone numbers back and forth every time you want to schedule a playdate." She's able to connect a feature to a real-world problem that administrators immediately understand.

Her new role has given her the flexibility, supportive management, and financial stability that teaching couldn't, allowing her to both care for her family and build a career she loves. Her advice to other teachers is clear: talk to people. "Don't be afraid to just message people on LinkedIn," she says, noting that SEs, in particular, are "the nicest people" and almost always willing to help. "A lot of people will tell you," she adds, "that teachers make the best solutions engineers."