I want to leave my job as an admission counselor at Southern New Hampshire University and move into a different higher education position, or work in corporate America in some education capacity. What should I do to get there: Here's my resume: Educational consultant and writing specialist with 10+ years of experience guiding students, families, and institutions through complex educational decisions. Former classroom educator turned independent college admissions counselor, with a track record of helping students develop compelling narratives and strategic college lists that lead to meaningful outcomes. Experienced across K–12 instruction, higher education enrollment, and independent consulting — with particular strength in content development, student advising, and translating complicated systems into clear, actionable guidance.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Admission Counselor | 02/ 2024 - Present Southern New Hampshire University| Manchester, NH

Support institutional effectiveness by managing student admissions operations within a large-scale online university environment serving diverse student populations.

Use data analysis to evaluate student engagement and enrollment trends, improving conversion outcomes by 53% through targeted process improvements and strategic communication initiatives.

Maintain quality assurance performance exceeding institutional benchmarks (123% average QA score), demonstrating operational excellence and adherence to university standards.

Collaborate cross-functionally with academic advising, financial aid, and academic support teams to resolve complex student issues and support academic progression and student success.

Mentor new Admission Counselors, supporting onboarding, operational readiness, and performance improvement through peer coaching and knowledge sharing.

Serve as a subject matter resource on institutional systems, including Workday, Salesforce, and LMS platforms.

Contribute to operational effectiveness by identifying workflow improvement opportunities and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

Educational Consultant | 01/ 2020 - PRESENT College Bound Coaching | Wake Forest, NC Lead full operational management of educational consulting practice, including process development, service delivery, performance monitoring, and client engagement.

Develop scalable operational systems and workflows to improve service effectiveness, efficiency, and client outcomes.

Use data analysis and performance tracking to evaluate outcomes and inform strategic improvements.

Mentor students and educators, supporting academic readiness, performance improvement, and long-term success.

Manage stakeholder relationships and coordinate services across multiple functional areas, ensuring operational effectiveness. Educator | Multiple Public School Systems | MA & NH

Analyzed student performance data from state and institutional assessments to identify achievement gaps and implement targeted interventions to improve academic outcomes.

Used longitudinal performance metrics to evaluate instructional effectiveness and adjust strategies to improve student success.

Applied data-driven decision-making practices to improve academic performance, instructional quality, and program effectiveness.

Mentored student teachers, supporting instructional development, performance improvement, and professional readiness.

Collaborated with administrators, faculty, and families to support student achievement and organizational goals.

Managed instructional programs serving over 120 students annually while maintaining strong academic performance outcomes. LEADERSHIP & MENTORSHIP EXPERIENCE Mentor, Admission Counselors – Southern New Hampshire University Provide mentoring and operational guidance to new staff, supporting onboarding, performance readiness, and professional development. Mentor, Student Teachers –Manchester Public Schools Mentored developing educators, providing coaching, instructional guidance, and performance feedback.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS Improved enrollment conversion rates by over 53% using data-driven communication and operational strategies. Maintained quality assurance performance exceeding institutional benchmarks (123%). Built and scaled an independent educational consulting practice, achieving over 800% growth in client base. Applied data-driven instructional strategies over a 20-year teaching career to improve academic outcomes. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science, Education University of Maine - Farmington, ME

Master of Arts, English and Creative Writing Southern New Hampshire University - Manchester, NH

It is great to meet you! Your background is incredibly strong. Having over a decade of experience across public schools, higher education enrollment, and running your own independent college consulting business gives you a massive advantage.

You have already mastered the hard parts of the educational landscape: driving a massive 53% enrollment conversion boost at SNHU, maintaining stellar quality metrics, and scaling your own business. Now, it is just about deciding which playground you want to deploy those skills in next.

To help us design the perfect strategy, where is your head at right now regarding your next step?

I'm open to both! Let's explore how my skills map to each before I decide.

It is exciting to look at this from both sides. Because you have operated at the intersection of classroom teaching, higher education administration, and entrepreneurship, you are in a rare position: you can legitimately choose between two high-impact career pathways.

The Dual Paths: Higher Ed Administration vs. Corporate EdTech & L&D

Let's lay out exactly how your background fits into both worlds. In Higher Education Administration, your massive and 123% average quality assurance (QA) score at SNHU make you a perfect fit for operational leadership. In Corporate EdTech & Learning & Development (L&D), your ability to scale a business by 800% and your mastery of learning technologies position you as a high-value strategic asset.

Dimension	Higher Education Administration	Corporate EdTech / L&D
Target Roles	Director of Admissions, Director of Student Success, Academic Operations Manager, Enrollment Operations Director	Customer Success Manager (CSM), Corporate Trainer, Learning & Development (L&D) Specialist, Instructional Designer, Implementation Specialist
Key Lever from Your Resume	Your proven SNHU admissions performance (53% conversion, 123% QA) and cross-functional collaboration.	Your entrepreneurial 800% growth at College Bound Coaching, curriculum expertise, and LMS fluency.
Core Focus	Supporting the student lifecycle, institutional compliance, enrollment growth, and academic persistence.	Driving business revenue, onboarding corporate clients, training employees, and reducing SaaS churn.

Evaluating the Trade-Offs

To choose a direction, it helps to look at the day-to-day realities of both paths. Higher Education offers a mission-driven, structured environment with high job stability, but compensation structures are typically rigid, and career progression can be slow. On the other hand, Corporate EdTech and offer significantly higher starting salaries, rapid upward mobility, and widespread remote flexibility, but they operate in a faster-paced, performance-driven environment tied closely to business revenue.

Given your unique mix of operational metrics, independent business management, and deep teaching history, which of these two directions sounds more appealing to explore first?