Make the Leap Research· The Migration Map
Where 15,143 professionals were pointed next
By Jon Miksis, founder of Make the Leap · Living dataset, computed 2026-08-21 · 13 professions · 45,399 personalized paths
Every article about career change tells you where people could go. This page measures where they actually get pointed: across 45,399 personalized career paths generated for 15,143professionals in eight fields, classified by direction, with each direction's typical starting and ceiling income. One honest labeling rule before the numbers - these are the income ranges of the recommended paths themselves, not surveyed salaries of people who already switched. What this data uniquely shows is the shape of the map: which exits exist from each profession, how crowded each is, and what the money on each road looks like.
Key findings
- The independence migration: consulting/fractional work and independent business top or co-top the destination map in every profession measured - career changers are pointed out of employment more than across it. #
- Every profession has a teaching exit: training, facilitation, and instructional design appear as a leading direction in every field measured - explaining a field is its most portable skill. #
- The money has a shape: independent-business paths start lowest but grow furthest; consulting starts near current salaries with the highest ceilings; salaried pivots sit in between. Typical figures per profession are in the map below. #
The headline finding: the migration is out of employment
The single most consistent pattern across every profession measured: the leading destinations are not other jobs. Consulting and fractional work, and independent businesses, top or co-top the map in every field we measure - from executives (where fractional/consulting work takes 22% of all paths, with ceilings around $225k) to admins (independent business first at 15%). Experienced professionals are overwhelmingly pointed toward converting what they know into self-directed work rather than carrying it to another employer. The second pattern: every profession has a “teaching adjacent” exit - training, facilitation, instructional design - because explaining a field is the most portable thing anyone learns in it.
The map, by profession
teachers
2,434 people · 7,296 paths- 13% training, facilitation, and speaking · $55k–$75k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% starting an independent business · $20k–$45k start → ~$100k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 10% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $55k–$70k start → ~$110k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Instructional Designer · Learning Experience Designer · Learning and Development Specialist
Full teachersguide and destination table →nurses
441 people · 1,321 paths- 16% healthcare-adjacent roles · $70k–$90k start → ~$125k ceiling · typically low transition
- 16% starting an independent business · $25k–$45k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 11% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$175k ceiling · typically medium transition
accountants and finance professionals
1,081 people · 3,241 paths- 16% consulting or fractional work · $80k–$115k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% starting an independent business · $25k–$50k start → ~$115k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 11% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $60k–$80k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Fractional CFO · Remote Operations Coordinator · Operations Coordinator
Full accountants and finance professionalsguide and destination table →sales professionals
1,243 people · 3,729 paths- 14% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% starting an independent business · $30k–$55k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 9% training, facilitation, and speaking · $60k–$85k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Customer Success Manager · Operations Coordinator · Leadership Development Facilitator
Full sales professionalsguide and destination table →retail and hospitality workers
641 people · 1,923 paths- 16% starting an independent business · $15k–$35k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% program and operations roles · $45k–$58k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 9% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $45k–$55k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Operations Coordinator · Remote Operations Coordinator · Content Writer
Full retail and hospitality workersguide and destination table →lawyers and legal professionals
332 people · 992 paths- 16% consulting or fractional work · $85k–$120k start → ~$220k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% starting an independent business · $30k–$55k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 10% writing and content work · $50k–$72k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
engineers and software developers
656 people · 1,964 paths- 15% consulting or fractional work · $95k–$140k start → ~$250k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% starting an independent business · $30k–$55k start → ~$160k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% tech, data, and AI paths · $95k–$120k start → ~$175k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Data Analyst · Technical Writer
Full engineers and software developersguide and destination table →analysts and researchers
672 people · 2,016 paths- 16% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$190k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% starting an independent business · $25k–$45k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% tech, data, and AI paths · $75k–$100k start → ~$150k ceiling · typically medium transition
marketers
1,295 people · 3,883 paths- 17% consulting or fractional work · $90k–$125k start → ~$220k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $70k–$92k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% starting an independent business · $30k–$55k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Creative Director · Leadership Development Facilitator · Content Strategist
Full marketersguide and destination table →project and operations managers
1,484 people · 4,446 paths- 18% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% starting an independent business · $25k–$50k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% program and operations roles · $75k–$95k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Leadership Development Facilitator · Operations Manager · Independent Operations Consultant
Full project and operations managersguide and destination table →healthcare workers
1,148 people · 3,444 paths- 12% starting an independent business · $20k–$42k start → ~$100k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% healthcare-adjacent roles · $58k–$75k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 10% consulting or fractional work · $70k–$100k start → ~$180k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Remote Operations Coordinator · Operations Coordinator · Remote Operations Manager
Full healthcare workersguide and destination table →executives and senior leaders
1,955 people · 5,861 paths- 21% consulting or fractional work · $90k–$130k start → ~$220k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% starting an independent business · $35k–$60k start → ~$150k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $82k–$110k start → ~$160k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Leadership Development Facilitator · Executive Coach · Fractional Chief of Staff
Full executives and senior leadersguide and destination table →administrative professionals
1,761 people · 5,283 paths- 16% starting an independent business · $20k–$40k start → ~$95k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% program and operations roles · $50k–$65k start → ~$95k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $50k–$65k start → ~$95k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Operations Coordinator · Remote Operations Coordinator · Grant Writer
Full administrative professionalsguide and destination table →Directions shown are each profession's top three by share of paths; the full six-direction tables with timeframes live on each profession's guide. Income = medians of the paths' own ranges, rounded to $1k. Computed 2026-08-21; refreshed quarterly.
How to read this honestly
This is recommendation data: our assessment reads a person's skills, constraints, and money reality, then generates three specific paths. Aggregated at this scale, it measures something no salary survey can - the option spaceeach profession actually has, weighted by real people's situations rather than a hypothetical average worker. What it does not measure is outcomes; nobody audits whether each person took path one. Both halves of that sentence are why the map is useful and why we label it the way we do.
Methodology
Professions are keyword-mapped from self-described roles (first match wins); paths are theme-classified by the same transparent taxonomy used across all our research. Publication floors: 300 people per profession, 25 paths per direction, 10 per specific title - below the floor, we show nothing rather than something thin. Personalized title variants (“X for mission-driven organizations”) are normalized to their base title; residual variants mean direction shares are more robust than title counts. Full instrument notes on the research hub. Cite freely with attribution: Make the Leap, The Career Change Migration Map (2026).
Frequently asked questions
What careers do former teachers actually move into?
In 15,143-person assessment data, teachers' recommended paths concentrate in training and instructional design (typical start $55k-$75k), independent businesses of their own, mission-driven organizations, and program/operations roles. The most common specific titles are Instructional Designer and Learning Experience Designer.
What is the most common career change direction overall?
Independence. Across every profession we measure, consulting/fractional work and starting an independent business are the leading destinations - experienced professionals are most often pointed toward converting their expertise into self-directed work rather than a lateral move to another employer.
Do these income figures mean that's what career changers earn?
No - and the distinction matters. These are the income ranges of the recommended paths themselves (each path carries a starting range and a 3-5 year range; we publish the medians). They describe what the recommended directions typically pay, not surveyed salaries of people after switching.
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