Most educators were taught to think about careers the same way we teach students to think about progression: step by step, rung by rung, one “right” path leading upward.
But that model doesn’t reflect how modern careers actually unfold, especially for educators who are evolving their practice, expanding their impact, or building something new outside the traditional system. Today’s most meaningful work doesn’t come from climbing a single track. It comes from weaving together different experiences, skills, and passions over time.
In their book The Startup of You, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha call these chapters tours of duty: intentional seasons where you stretch into something new, contribute deeply, and prepare for your next leap.
Chief defines this as the multi-hyphenate career: a life built from many powerful identities, not just one. This video they shared replacing the corporate ladder with the idea of a lattice really hit home for me.
Why? Because in my experience, this is exactly how educators grow, whether they’re shifting roles, reinventing their work, or launching a venture of their own.
Every chapter you’ve lived — in the classroom, in leadership, in community-building, in curriculum creation, or in entrepreneurship — is a tour of duty that has equipped you with tools you may not have even recognized yet. Skills like creative problem-solving, human-centered design, communication, rapid learning, systems thinking, innovation, and empathetic leadership.
Your path doesn’t have to look linear for it to be meaningful.
It just has to be intentional.
Here’s what I want every educator to know:
- You don’t have to choose one version of yourself.
You can be a teacher–designer, a leader–creator, an educator–entrepreneur.
Your hyphens are strengths, not contradictions.
I learned this myself as my path shifted from building a dance-based SEL program, to leading national wellness initiatives, to shaping AI-powered tools that support student mental health. Each chapter added a new identity rather than replacing the old one. - You don’t have to justify the chapter you’re ready to leave.
Every tour of duty has a natural arc. Completion isn’t quitting, it’s graduating.
When I transitioned from school-based programming to digital learning, and later from nonprofit operations to edtech innovation, each move felt like expanding the work I had completed, not abandoning it. Each “tour of duty” prepared me for what came next. - You absolutely don’t need permission to explore the chapter you’re stepping into.
Curiosity is a strategy. Exploration is progress.
Some of the most meaningful shifts in my career began with small sparks: a pilot idea, a side project, an unexpected conversation. Those tiny nudges turned into entire chapters once I allowed myself to follow them.
Now more than ever, the most fulfilling careers aren’t built by climbing. They’re built by weaving.
If you’re feeling called toward a new chapter, consider this your sign to start designing it.
Not someday. Not “when things settle.”
Now. One intentional next move at a time.
✨ If you want support mapping your next chapter, I’d love to help.
Book a Catalyst Conversation and let’s explore your next tour of duty together!
