Beyond the Classroom: How Teaching Prepared Me for a Career in Content Marketing
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. As a military dependent, I spent my childhood moving frequently. With that came learning how to adapt to change, like assimilating to new cultures, transitioning to a new school, making new friends, and keeping up academically.
Thankfully, I loved school. While everything else continued to change around me, one thing remained constant—my love for learning. When I was younger, I would give spelling tests to my stuffed animals, tutor my younger brothers and the kids I babysat, and devour anything I could learn from our home encyclopedia set or National Geographic magazine subscription. Yes, I am older than the internet!
That passion for learning led me to earn a bachelor's degree in Middle Childhood Education (Language Arts and Social Studies), a Master's Degree in Reading, and a Doctorate in Reading Literacy. However, as the world faced the COVID-19 global pandemic and traditional in-person learning moved online, I found myself feeling burnt out and craving something different.
Here’s how my teaching career prepared me for a career in content marketing.
The Power of Words
As a lover of words, it made sense that I became a teacher for seventh and eighth-grade English, English Language Development, and Creative Writing. I always believed in the power of words—their ability to persuade, inform, and entertain. I often taught my students that the words we choose have the power to make an impact and connect with people on many levels. Little did I know this exact belief would lead me into a whole new career.
In March 2020, a week after schools closed and classes moved online, I had my first front lawn-distanced conversation with my best friend and her husband, the CEO of a local branding agency. As you can imagine, my stress levels were sky-high, and I was worried about what the future had in store. During this conversation, I mentioned that I was considering a career change into something that would still let me use my writing and communication skills, but give me more flexibility and opportunity for growth. Still, I didn’t know what that was.
That’s when my best friend’s husband shared that his ADHD and dyslexia, at times, interfered with his ability to communicate the values of his business and provide effective brand messaging services for his clients. He then challenged me to help him with a few brand messaging and copywriting tasks and see whether I liked it or not.
…..I liked it. A lot.
For the next two years, while I continued teaching via distance learning and finishing my doctoral degree, I also worked part-time for this branding agency as their primary copywriter and brand messaging specialist. Yes, many people thought I was “crazy” for doing this. And yes, it wasn’t always easy. But, I got to learn on the job as I used my writing, communication, problem-solving, and project management skills to deliver a cohesive verbal brand identity for clients across multiple industries including kombucha breweries, dog food brands, local museums, arthouse cinemas, and real estate companies.
By the end of 2022, I realized that the teaching skills I used in my classroom were transferable and highly sought after in other industries, and my work with this branding agency proved it. I felt like my skills were valued. I was able to collaborate with new people from different industries outside of education. The words I wrote and the conversations I led were making a difference for companies big and small. And I was doing again what I always loved to do—learning NEW things!
With the support of my husband, family, and closest friends, I decided to leave the classroom and pursue writing full-time. That’s when an amazing woman-owned company with a catchy name, Comma Copywriters, popped up in my Instagram ads…and they were hiring.
Making the Write Move—Joining Comma Copywriters
Now don’t get me wrong—none of this was easy. One of the biggest challenges I faced during my transition from teaching was imposter syndrome. I didn’t go to school for journalism or marketing, so without these professional credentials in place, I was genuinely concerned that people wouldn’t take me seriously.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
When I discovered Comma Copywriters, I couldn’t apply fast enough. After spending two years helping other companies discover their brand voice and core values, I was thrilled to see this company confidently celebrating its team members and its values-based philosophy. Was I planning to leave my job at the branding agency? Nope. Was I excited at the possibility of gaining even more writing experience from a company that was happy to do what they do? Absolutely!
From the get-go, it was evident to me that the level of service Comma provided its clients was in direct alignment with their values and business practices. This told me that the company had a clear vision with actionable steps in place to achieve its goals. Plus, when I learned the company is founded on the values of freedom, accountability, humility, curiosity, and care, I felt an instant connection. This was exactly what I was looking for and I felt confident that applying for a Lead Writer position was the write move to make (pun intended).
After five months as a Lead Writer, I was promoted to Managing Editor. Once the shock wore off (promotions weren’t a thing in teaching), I was so happy! It felt great knowing the leadership team saw my potential and had confidence in my ability not only to write but also to play a more active role in supporting our clients and writing staff. This was when I really began to notice some parallels between teaching, working as a brand messaging specialist, and serving as a managing editor.
Communication, Empathy, and Understanding
Similar to when students or parents are experiencing a problem and need quick solutions, my communication skills allow me to identify the root of the problem and come up with a reasonable plan of action so everyone feels seen and heard. In addition, managing the varying needs, abilities, behaviors, and learning styles of over 120 middle school students each day prepared me to appropriately handle a large volume of clients who also have different needs and communication styles. These skills also enable me to better support writers in their creative process and provide constructive feedback that will help them succeed.
Creativity and Innovation
My ability to create engaging lessons and break down complex information into digestible components is not only an essential teaching skill but also a great tool for business. For example, it allows me to take a client’s marketing objectives and build out an organized content calendar so tasks are completed within a given timeframe. It also helps me decipher complex topics and provide a detailed outline for the writing team so they can effectively produce content that is on-brand and relevant to the client’s audience.
Writing, Editing, and Attention to Detail
As an English and Creative Writing teacher, I have spent years teaching the basics of grammar, research, effective writing, editing, and how to avoid plagiarism. My attention to detail has transferred from providing constructive feedback on student writing assignments to editing the work of my talented team of writers.
Organization and Adaptability
As a teacher, multitasking and strong organization skills were vital to me and my students’ success. It wasn’t uncommon for something to come up during the day that would require me to pivot and adjust my lesson plans. Because of these experiences, I understand that businesses and their marketing teams have busy schedules and are dealing with tight timelines and evolving content requests from their respective stakeholders. Rather than get frustrated when a plan changes, I adapt, inform the writing team of any changes, and make adjustments to our schedule as needed.
Now that I have been with Comma for over two years, I strongly believe Comma’s “life-first” motto makes it possible for me and my fellow team members to live a fulfilling life. In doing so, we can bring a wide array of personal and professional experiences to the table that help us produce content worth reading for our valued clients. I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity to work alongside such talented and supportive colleagues, and I look forward to what the future brings!
Are you looking for an experienced team of writers to support your marketing content? Schedule your free 20-minute consultation today and discover how Comma can make a difference.
Danielle Yruegas is a writer, managing editor, and brand messaging specialist. She lives in Orange County, CA, and can usually be found exploring new coffee shops, reading, crafting, or spending time with her husband and friends around a beach bonfire. Her favorite punctuation mark is the all-powerful hyphen!