At some point in a career, almost everyone finds themselves standing in the middle of a transition. Sometimes it is by choice, driven by a desire to try something new, take on a fresh set of responsibilities, or shift into an adjacent area of an industry. More often than not, though, it arrives unexpectedly as the result of shifting corporate priorities, budget recalibrations, or structural realignments.
Right now, that reality is hitting the EdTech space particularly hard.
After years of rapid growth, the education technology sector has been navigating a sustained period of workforce adjustments. Following the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds (ESSER) and broader shifts in venture capital, major players and emerging startups alike have had to make difficult choices. According to industry trackers, the broader technology sector saw over 200,000 job cuts in recent years, and EdTech has taken a notable share of that weight. Headline after headline has recorded Reduction in Force (RIF) announcements from prominent names across the K-12 and higher education ecosystem.
When these structural changes happen, dedicated professionals, including product managers, curriculum designers, sales leaders, and customer success specialists who have poured their hearts into supporting schools, suddenly find themselves back on the job market.
For folks navigating this landscape, there is good news: the community is remarkably supportive. There are fantastic networks, career platforms, and industry peers who genuinely care and want to help. In my own routine, I find myself having a conversation every week or two with an industry colleague who has been referred to me for networking, advice, or just a sounding board during a career pivot.
We talk through market observations, where districts seem to be spending their time and money, and how companies are evolving. But beyond general feedback on the sector, there is one practical piece of advice I find myself returning to again and again: you need to build a personal content marketing plan.
What Is a Personal Content Marketing Plan?
The phrase sounds a bit formal, but the concept is straightforward. A personal content marketing plan is simply a structured, lightweight system for organizing your thoughts and sharing your professional perspective on a consistent basis.
Instead of opening a blank document and asking yourself what you should write about today, you start by establishing a few core themes. These should anchor directly to your actual experience, your approach to solving problems, or your specific domain expertise. For example, if you spent the last five years in product management, your themes might center on user onboarding in K-12, managing district feature requests, or cross-functional team alignment.
Once you have three or four themes, sit down and ideate a long list of specific titles and short descriptions. Treat these like working titles for blog posts or short articles.
Working with titles is much more effective than just writing down general ideas. "District sales" is an idea; "Three Questions Every District Administrator Asks Before a Pilot" is a title. Titles force precision. They give your mind something concrete to lean on.
Beneath each title, jot down two or three sentences describing what that piece would cover. Those descriptions give you a head start so that when you sit down to write later, you aren't starting from scratch. Keep this document dynamic, running, and active. Add to it whenever a conversation, an article, or a memory sparks a new topic.
Why this exercise works (No really, it does!)
Spending time developing this kind of plan is worth the effort, especially when you are actively looking for your next role. A few reasons stand out:
