A Teacher Turned Corporate Training Specialist: Jess Lighthall's Story And Advice For You

Do you feel like teaching just isn’t for you anymore and want to exit the classroom? Maybe it’s because you are exhausted, or maybe it’s because you have a desire to be in a career where you can grow and advance more. That’s exactly how our podcast guest felt when she left teaching 2021 to become a corporate training specialist. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn all of the ins and outs of being a corporate training specialist and how that might be a perfect role for you. 

Today’s guest is former high school English teacher turned corporate training specialist Jess Lighthall. As a child, she enjoyed school and wanted to be a teacher, for the most part, from the time she was young. After having spent over a decade in the classroom, she knew it was time to leave the classroom to find the right role that didn't consume all of her energy, and still gave her opportunities for advancement and growth. 

Like so many others looking to leave teaching, she felt a little lost and afraid to try something new, especially to leave her comfort zone of teaching. During the fall of 2021, she began to make her transition from the classroom into what she’s doing today. Jess is a corporate training specialist.

In this role, she does use some of the same skills she used in the classroom every day. There are quite a few skills that teachers have that are transferrable, although the audience and approach are a little different. Training specialist roles are different according to different companies, and she encourages teachers to read job descriptions carefully to seek out the position they desire, whether it is as a designer or a facilitator.    

Join us as Jess shares her story and explains the skills needed to be a corporate training specialist as well as what her day-to-day life looks like now in that role.  For more information or to connect with Jess, you can find her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesslighthall/