No More Apologizing For Being "Just A Teacher"

Customer Success is one of those frequently recommended teacher transition roles that can seem sort of mysterious. What exactly is it? I caught up with Emily Gossett to find out! A former elementary teacher who’s generous with her time, Emily shares insights on identifying strengths, networking on LinkedIn, and battling imposter syndrome. Thank you, Emily!

Introduce yourself! Tell you us your name, location, the number of years you taught and subject, and the number of years you’ve been out of education.

I’m Emily Gossett. I’m from Houston, Texas. I have roughly 15 years of experience teaching. I taught elementary school pre-k through 3rd grade, all self-contained classrooms, general education. After COVID happened, I was part of a team of 15 who created an entirely online virtual academy for a public school. 

I left education about three years ago.

What brought you to teaching? Why did you become a teacher?

When I was in college and had to declare a major and start on a track, I didn't know what my passion was. But my mother and my grandmother both had education degrees. I knew there was always going to be a demand for teaching, and I knew that it would work no matter where I lived.

So I chose education because I felt like it made sense for me. And when I got into it, I really loved it. I loved the students, and that's what kept me there the longest.

What was your experience like? What were the things you loved about it, and what were the challenges?

I think most teachers say the same thing, so I probably won't sound any different from anyone out there, but I loved the students. I'm a person full of empathy, nurture, and care, and I really formed a wonderful bond with my students.

I found that teaching was my favorite part, but there's so much more than just teaching that's asked of teachers. In my experience, the time in the classroom was really sweet, but there was no time during the workday to really prepare for what was coming next. The evenings were spent preparing, and it became too much. It’s a very heavy burden to bear. I really appreciate the teachers who have it down to a T and can just knock that stuff out. 

I loved working with the parents—that was not an issue. I loved celebrating with the parents what their students were accomplishing, but the expectations felt really heavy.

What brought you to the decision to leave?

It was actually pretty exciting. At the end of my time in teaching, I helped create and launch the Virtual Academy, and I loved it. I was also a classroom teacher in this virtual academy, where I taught kindergarten for 8 hours a day and had a full classroom.

Because of the age of the students, of course, we couldn’t expect them to know how to use our learning management system or be autonomous on a laptop for 8 hours. So I worked a lot with their parents and onboarded them to our learning management system. That’s when I fell in love with working with adults and working virtually.

I realized that maybe the time had come for me to make a pivot in my career and explore something where I could work with adults rather than students.

Once you made the decision to leave, what plans did you have in place? What did that process look like? 

I took time to pivot, and I really started from the bottom. I needed to know what I was good at, and I needed to know what was out there because I didn't even know what jobs were available. I wasn’t even sure I had skills that would apply somewhere outside of education. I also needed to take time to identify my natural strengths that would pair well with a different career.

I knew I paired well with education, but I decided to work with a Gallup Strengths Coach and took the Gallup Strengths Assessment. That helped me identify my top five strengths, and from there, I could see what roles really aligned with them. I wanted to be sure I was in the right seat on the bus, so to speak.

Through my top five strengths, I realized that working with people and being client-facing could be a good fit. Leadership development could also be a good path. I knew I would be fine in a startup because one of my strengths is adaptability, and startups change often. Since I know I'm highly adaptable, that reassured me.

I landed on LinkedIn and started looking at roles. Then I began connecting with people, and I met a fantastic recruiter who really resonated with me. I was vulnerable and reached out to her because she shared a lot of her own experiences on LinkedIn. I told her, “Hey, I'm new to this space. I'm a transitioning teacher, and I need help figuring out what roles are even available.”

She was amazing—she spent time with me and helped me identify roles in recruiting and customer success that would fit my skill set.

I started going down the path of learning more about customer success and recruiting. But before I stepped into a role or just blindly said, “Hey, I have the strengths to do this,” I wanted to be sure I was taking a job where I could add value to the company. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be happy in that role, I wouldn’t feel fulfilled, and I would have imposter syndrome all the time. Of course, everybody probably experiences at least some of that, but I didn’t want to step into a role unsure of what success even looked like.

To sum it up: I took a personal strengths finder test, explored LinkedIn to see what roles aligned with my strengths, and then started with Aspireship, an online course that teaches what success looks like in different roles. I focused on customer success through that program.

The process was about 8 months total, from when I resigned to when I started. I did take a big chunk of time to stop, reflect, and pivot into something else. 

How did you approach reaching out to people on LinkedIn? What was your strategy?

I’ve learned that there are conversations happening all over LinkedIn. The comment section is a conversation. That’s where you really start connecting with people.

It’s not necessarily about cold messaging someone in their inbox one-on-one. Instead, look online, read what people are posting, and chime in—join the conversation. Add value to what they’re saying or ask questions in the comments. People will respond to you, especially the person who made the post.

That’s really where to start—just start commenting. When you find a natural connection with someone, then send them a message and see if they’re open to a conversation.

From personal experience (and mistakes), I’ve learned that people are less likely to respond if your question is too big. If I asked something broad, it put all the mental load on the person I was reaching out to, making it harder for them to answer.

Instead, I started breaking my questions into smaller, more specific ones. Something like, “What’s one thing you love about your company?” or, “What does your day look like as a Customer Success Manager?” That way, it’s easy for them to answer without having to block off time in their day to craft a huge response.

When you were engaging in these conversations and making connections, were you looking among transitioning teachers or focusing on people already in the fields you were interested in? 

Both. It’s great to connect with like-minded people who are on the same journey—it’s encouraging. But it’s also important not to stay there.

You have to connect with people in the careers you want to be in, at the companies you want to work for. And if you don’t know what companies those are, then you definitely need to be out there learning—following companies, seeing what they post, and figuring out if they’re a good fit for you.

Leaving after 15 years, what emotions came up for you and how did you move through them?

Relief, for the parts that were very stressful.

But also a loss of security. As teachers, we have a lot of job security, so stepping away from that brings up fear. It’s stepping into the unknown—wondering, “Am I even going to get a job? Will anyone see the value I bring, even though I haven’t been in this exact role before?”

All the job descriptions I saw were asking for years of experience. I had experience, just not in that specific industry. I knew I had to convince people that my skills transferred, but it still made me nervous.

So fear was definitely there. But at the same time, I also felt pride.

I took action on something I wanted. That was something I quietly celebrated within myself. Even though I didn’t have the next thing lined up yet, I was figuring it out. I was going after it.

That was a big—having all of those feelings at once. Saying goodbye to a life I knew and the stability of it, while stepping into the unknown.

I love that. I haven’t heard anyone say it quite like that before, but it’s so true. It’s such a huge thing to cheerlead for yourself—“I’m taking this risk for myself and what I want in my life.”

So tell me about the first year in your new role. What was the role? What gaps did you have to fill? Were there things you thought, "Oh, this is so easy! I know how to do this"?

Well, before I started the role, I signed up for that online course, Aspireship. It's made specifically for people who want to transition careers and really understand what the career is all about. That was something I had a hard time figuring out just by Googling. I wanted to know not just the definition of customer success, but how to be good at it.

Aspireship was a fantastic investment for me. There are so many places to put your money to learn things and get certifications, but this was the best one for me personally. It provided conversations with thought leaders on what success looks like in customer success and how to do the job. It gave me a really holistic view of the career I was stepping into. So before I even took the job, I had a great idea of what it was supposed to be.

When I took the job, I joined a healthcare technology company as a customer success coordinator. Not every company has a coordinator role, and I should say that customer success looks different at every company.

We work very closely with the sales team. Once the sales team makes a sale of our technology, it's passed to the customer success team. We manage the relationship with the client. This can include everything from onboarding and training to being with them throughout their entire lifecycle with us—ensuring they stay, renew their contract, and find value in what we offer. We also encourage them to expand their relationship with us through additional products. Essentially, we are the face of the company for the client and their direct contact for anything they need.

In my first role as a coordinator, I supported more seasoned customer success managers. It was an entry-level position that helped build my confidence. It also allowed me to observe and learn from the role I ultimately wanted: customer success manager. I built the necessary skills and then transitioned into that role.

My company had a reorganization a few months after I started, and I was promoted to customer success manager. That entry-level position was so valuable because it gave me insight into the next step, and I had great success in the role. About a year later, I was promoted to manager of customer success. 

Even though "customer success manager" and "manager of customer success" sound similar, they are two different roles. A customer success manager (CSM) is an individual contributor and client-facing. As a manager of customer success, I now manage a team of client-facing CSMs. My work is mostly internal, guiding my team, though I still engage with clients and join meetings when needed.

What were the biggest transferable skills you brought from teaching into this role?

There are so many transferable skills that teachers have, and they may not even realize it.

In teaching, we do what we do instinctively, without stopping to define it in corporate terms. But when transitioning careers, that’s exactly what we need to do—translate our skills into corporate language.

For example, leading meetings is a crucial skill. Being client-facing, understanding your audience, and analyzing data are all things teachers do constantly. We create individualized success plans, track progress, and communicate findings to stakeholders—whether that’s parents, administrators, or district leaders.

In customer success, we do the same thing. We assess client goals, analyze data, track progress, and tailor strategies to meet their needs. The ability to clearly communicate insights and adjust plans accordingly is critical in both fields.

What do you like most about your job and your overall lifestyle now?

That’s a good question. 

Of course, I love the freedom to step away from my desk when I need to. That’s something you don’t get in teaching, and it feels great.

I also love connecting with my team. As a manager, I enjoy discussing their individual books of business and providing the support they need to succeed. One of the most rewarding aspects has been creating a weekly collaboration call, bringing different divisions of customer success together. 

When I was a CSM, I loved hearing clients' goals and knowing that my work was making a difference in helping them achieve those goals. It’s not too different from the fulfillment you get as a teacher when you see a student learn and grow. In both cases, you're helping someone succeed—whether it’s a student mastering a concept or a client meeting their business objectives.

Okay, here's a big question: what, if anything, could have kept you in education, and what, if anything, could lure you back?

I don't know if anything could lure me back because I do love being in the corporate world.

But if [education] could feel a little more like the corporate world, then maybe, because I loved being with students. I think the pay for teachers is very stifling. There's little room for upward growth. It's difficult to look at a salary schedule on a piece of paper and know that no matter how hard I've worked, my yearly increase is only going to be so much, and I might not be able to be a provider for my family like I would like to be.

Coupled with that, I think the expectations would have to be way more in line with understanding what a teacher really does.

I don't feel that immense pressure in the corporate world like I did in teaching. And there is pressure in the corporate world, but something has to change, or we're going to explode our teaching pool. Really, how long can we survive with those intense expectations placed on our teachers?

What in education, in particular, do you wish was more similar to the corporate world?

In the corporate world, there's a little more ownership over your contributions. And there seems to be more trust that you are a professional.

In the education world, there does not seem to be a high level of trust that you are a professional who can get your job done. There seems to be a lot more micromanaging of teachers, and that's not good. I wish that piece would go away.

You know, in the corporate world, if you are micromanaged, then we would all say, "Well, that leader is not really the most effective leader." We know that micromanaging can really limit somebody's potential and their growth.

And there's freedom to change the company that you work for. In education, that's a little more limited because you're within a district, you've signed a contract, and you might just be stuck with that district.

But in the corporate world, if it's not a good fit for you, that's okay—you go find someplace that is a good fit for you. In the education world, it's a little more of, "This is the way we do it, so get on board,” and that's it.

What tips, advice, or wisdom would you give anyone considering transitioning into customer success? 

Of course, I've already mentioned Aspireship, and I do not get any kickbacks from them. But I'm just letting you know—it was amazing. Corey is the CEO, and they have a heart for teachers. They even have a new education branch that they are starting. 

[Another tip] is: Get really, really good at identifying the skills that you have. Quantify whatever you can quantify, and get really good at talking about that. You need to put it in your resume, and you need to be confident in talking about what you have already done with your skill set as a teacher.

No more apologizing for the fact that you are "just a teacher"—because you are not "just" a teacher. You were a teacher, and that’s huge. That doesn’t mean you don’t have what it takes to make it in the corporate world. That just means you have to get really good at translating those skills.

And then the third thing I would say is: Go for it. Don’t let anything hold you back.

If this is something that you really want, take the leap and go for it. Do it in a way that makes sense for you, but don’t come into LinkedIn Land and apologize for the fact that you’re brand new.

Don’t come in here sad that you’re just now coming in. Break down those walls and bust through the doors and be like, "I am here, and I am ready!" 

Because you know what? LinkedIn’s been waiting for you. There’s a job out there that’s waiting for you, and they need the exact skill set that you have.

Be bold, just go for it, and do it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.