High-School Teacher To Project Manager & Certified Scrum Master
Inspirational Teacher Interviews – At Did Teach, we love hearing about teachers’ lived experiences, from the classroom to their new ventures.
We are always learning and adapting and these new blogs aim to inspire and give direction.
We caught up with former teacher Anna Lowrey, PMP, CSM from Amplify – A pioneer in K–12 education, Amplify partners with educators to make learning rigorous and riveting for every student.
What’s Your Background In Teaching?
12 years in middle and high school performing arts education (band, orchestra, choir, theater). I’ve taught in both public and private schools, in the US and in the UK.
Why Did You Decide To Embark On A New Career?
When my husband was offered a job in Norway, I left teaching to become a SAHM. When my youngest was entering Kindergarten, I wanted to return to work, but I wasn’t dying to return to education.
After a lot of thought, conversations, and research, I realized that my favorite part of being a music teacher was actually running and improving the departments, developing programs, and creating and directing performances.
All of this experience led nicely into project management, which is where I decided to place my focus.
What Barriers Did You Face?
Not only was I not a titled project manager when I started looking for work, but I’d been a SAHM for an entire decade.
I really was starting from scratch, and there were plenty of hiring managers who weren’t ready to take a risk on someone who was changing careers and who had been out of the workforce for so long.
How Have Your Teaching Skills Helped You?
Oh gosh.
Let’s see… timekeeping, scheduling, and timeline construction, level of effort estimation, keeping through documentation, document organization, risk identification, learning new software/apps, tracking progress, conflict resolution, on-time and purposeful communication, working with cross-functional teams, meeting people where they are and getting their best work, team building, scheduling, breaking down milestones into tasks, knowing when to ask for help, knowing when to push and when to step back, clearing blocks to let others succeed, innate understanding of DEI… for starters 🙂
What New Skills Have You Developed?
A lot of the skills from teaching transferred into project management, but the PM frameworks I learned and used, make everything much more efficient.
For instance, if you are working with a department or small volunteer organization, you might not need a fully written out communications plan or RACI document, but it is very handy when you have to handle a 6 month+ project that spans across multiple teams.
What Do You Relish About Your New Role?
I like that every day is different, and I’m constantly learning new things.
Who Has Inspired You On Your Career Journey?
I find every educator who decides to make a career switch inspiring.
It is really hard to take the leap and completely reinvent yourself mid-career! But, likewise, I’m also inspired by the teachers who reach out and then decide to stay in the classroom.
What Are Your Three Top Pieces Of Advice For Someone Wanting To Do Something Similar?
- Research. I started with “Project Management for Dummies” and YouTube videos. Also, reach out to project managers and ask questions. Our “Educators to Project Managers” group on LinkedIn will help you connect with current PM’s who can answer your questions.
- Upskill. I started with Google’s Project Management Career Certificate, which set me up for PMI’s CAPM.
- Believe in yourself. A career switch is emotionally exhausting at times and can really make you question yourself and your skill set.
You can follow Anna on LinkedIn: Anna Lowrey
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Thank you, Anna, for contributing to our Teacher Interviews, if you would like to write for us, we are always looking for stories to inspire teachers: Write for Those Who Can
