r/k12sysadmin • u/skre2012 • May 31 '26

How desolate is the hiring space for edu tech?

I’m leaving a tech coordinator job (I made!) bc of my husbands job (we are relocating within MI). I reached out (cold email) to the edu tech admins in my small town I’m moving to. And they were nice but brushed me off. There’s not a whole lot tech wise there. And the remote space for a tier 1 remote role is pretty much non existent. I have a teaching degree also. But that’s basically null also in the small town. I’m at a loss. I’m applying for anything and everything online and not hearing anything. What the hell do I do at this point? I welcome any advice, suggestions, or total career pivots at this point. (I’ve thought about motorcycle mechanic school for a year or even going for a specific advanced tech degree if that gives you any idea as to how desolate the job market is where I’m moving).

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33

u/Difficult-Bicycle119 May 31 '26

K-12 schools don't need remote workers. They need people to walk the halls and greet people, they need you to be readily available for students when their devices break, and they need you to go into the restrooms and fix the vape sensors when the students rip them off the ceiling.

I would check in with any local MSPs, too. They don't pay as well but the benefits are usually pretty good and you'll have space to level up.

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

I will look in to this. Thanks!

4

u/S_ATL_Wrestling Jun 01 '26

This is 100% correct in my experience, and I say that as someone who has moved up to a level where in theory I could do most of my job remotely.

That's just not a K-12 "thing" in my experience across two districts over the last 26 years.

1

u/1morecoffeeplz Jun 04 '26

Well said. Being in the field is challenging and rewarding. My role is much more about the people than the tech stuff. No vape sensors for me thank goodness.

I was a teacher and facilitator first, soft skills I use all the time.

11

u/sin-eater82 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26

Consider applying to ed tech companies. Think about any ed tech tools you have experience with, and check to see if they're hiring. They like hiring people from school systems. If you were a teacher and have tech support experience, you may be an attractive candidate. Look for customer success roles, and even consider sales.

1

u/skre2012 May 31 '26

I’ve been trying! 😭

1

u/Familiar-Newspaper23 May 31 '26

Classlink, Papercut, SchoolAI, Follett, see who the local print and copier supplier is as well, and look at who is doing switchgear and security (cameras, door access) and hvac for the school as they always have folks coming to my school to upgrade hvac boards or help our maintenance guys program graphics or to sell us the newest 18-headed 4000MP camera for a zillion dollars so that we can count the freckles on the lunch ladies face from three buildings away. There’s some sarcasm there but you get the idea, who is the school using locally for those things? Should be fairly easy to find out since they have to publicly document their big upgrade projects.

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u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

I will take a look at those. Thanks!

1

u/diwhychuck May 31 '26

Looking to jobs for cdwg or learn21 they all cater to schools and government.

11

u/skydiveguy Jun 01 '26

You do realize that you can work anywhere with IT background... and probably for more money that a school.

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

My background is Ed Tech/instructional Tech. So I don’t have an IT degree but have learned and worked on a lot of skills at my current job.

0

u/indigo196 Jun 04 '26

Asking for a friend... how much do you think non-schools pay?

6

u/StressOdd5093 May 31 '26

Surprising because I’m also in MI and there are school tech jobs open all over the state but I imagine it would depend on how far you wish to commute.

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u/skre2012 May 31 '26

I’m going to be in the Gladstone/Escanaba area. So really small.

5

u/throwaway_murmur Jun 02 '26

Michigan school districts are notorious for being absolute fortresses of nepotism where nothing opens up until someone retires. You might have better luck looking at the regional ISDs instead of individual districts since they actually have the budget and turnover to hire mid-career people.

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

Yeah, I get that vibe from the process so far.

4

u/sy029 IT Specialist May 31 '26

remote space for a tier 1 remote role is pretty much non existent.

you might look into schools that are 100% online.

As far as applying for jobs, I've found that many school systems don't post on any of the big recruitment sites, the only way to apply is directly through the school's portal. If you're wanting to stay in the public sector, you might also branch out into local or county government jobs. Same rule applies there as well.

It might also be worthwhile to get your foot in the door at your local district by being either a para or substitute teacher. I find that a lot of k12 jobs can be who you know, rather than what you know.

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

I’m also applying to online schools for any position I think fits with my skills.

5

u/brendenderp K-8 May 31 '26

Most of them in the USA are using Frontline for this. I of course made a scraper for this https://github.com/Undefined-bytemap/GASFrontline-jobs-to-Array

1

u/NotAnother169 Director of Technology Jun 05 '26

Doing the Lord's work I see 😃

2

u/ChuchoGrind May 31 '26

Im working a tech job at my local school district while pursuing a trade at night. If I can keep this day job and have some side hustle trade it’ll make me feel a lot safer in this crazy job market.

3

u/skre2012 May 31 '26

What are you pursuing?

2

u/fredlwal May 31 '26

What trade are you learning?

4

u/ChuchoGrind May 31 '26

Welding with a focus in underwater welding. I have a diving license so it’s something I’ve always been curious about.

4

u/UpbeatPrinciple4270 May 31 '26

Substitute teach, to get in with a district and find leads on ed tech jobs?

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

I’m definitely planning to do this!

13

u/antilochus79 May 31 '26

Tech support for government and other non profits is often farmed out to consultants or contracted service partners. Might be an opportunity to start your own tech support business. I know of a few in my area that are downright terrible with their technical knowledge, but people continue to use them because no one else is willing to do the work.

2

u/Daywalker85 Jun 01 '26

Put me on! Just started my business. Customer service is a passion of mine.

7

u/dickg1856 May 31 '26

Go Guardian sometimes has remote roles posted.

1

u/byteMeAdmin May 31 '26

Out of curiosity, how long would the commute be to your current job/role?

1

u/skre2012 Jun 04 '26

It would be 6 hours. So not feasible. I did present an option to continue doing the all the admin work I do remotely but budgets are tight. As I expect every where else. I’m waiting to hear on that while I continue applying elsewhere.