Make the Leap Research · The Migration Map
Where 18,537 professionals were pointed next
By Jon Miksis, founder of Make the Leap · Living dataset, computed 2026-10-07 · 13 professions · 55,581 personalized paths
Every article about career change tells you where people could go. This page measures where they actually get pointed: across 55,581 personalized career paths generated for 18,537 professionals 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. For the how-to behind the first pattern - what to sell, who pays, and a 30-day test you can run without quitting - see how to become a consultant while you're still employed.
The map, by profession
teachers
2,940 people · 8,814 paths- 13% training, facilitation, and speaking · $55k–$75k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% starting an independent business · $20k–$40k start → ~$95k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 11% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $55k–$72k start → ~$110k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Instructional Designer · Learning and Development Specialist · Learning Experience Designer
Full teachers guide and destination table →nurses
554 people · 1,660 paths- 18% healthcare-adjacent roles · $70k–$90k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 16% starting an independent business · $20k–$45k start → ~$115k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 10% consulting or fractional work · $60k–$95k start → ~$175k ceiling · typically medium transition
accountants and finance professionals
1,314 people · 3,940 paths- 16% consulting or fractional work · $80k–$110k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% starting an independent business · $25k–$50k start → ~$110k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 11% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $62k–$80k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Fractional CFO · Fractional Controller · Remote Operations Coordinator
Full accountants and finance professionals guide and destination table →sales professionals
1,548 people · 4,644 paths- 14% starting an independent business · $30k–$55k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% consulting or fractional work · $70k–$110k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 9% training, facilitation, and speaking · $65k–$85k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Customer Success Manager · Operations Coordinator · Leadership Development Facilitator
Full sales professionals guide and destination table →retail and hospitality workers
776 people · 2,328 paths- 16% starting an independent business · $15k–$35k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% program and operations roles · $45k–$58k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 9% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $45k–$58k start → ~$95k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Operations Coordinator · Learning and Development Specialist · Grant Writer
Full retail and hospitality workers guide and destination table →lawyers and legal professionals
408 people · 1,220 paths- 15% 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 · $55k–$75k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
engineers and software developers
795 people · 2,381 paths- 15% starting an independent business · $25k–$55k start → ~$150k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% tech, data, and AI paths · $95k–$120k start → ~$180k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% consulting or fractional work · $90k–$135k start → ~$240k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Technical Writer · Data Analyst · Instructional Designer
Full engineers and software developers guide and destination table →analysts and researchers
822 people · 2,466 paths- 15% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$185k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% tech, data, and AI paths · $75k–$100k start → ~$150k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% starting an independent business · $20k–$40k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Learning and Development Specialist · Technical Writer · Instructional Designer
Full analysts and researchers guide and destination table →marketers
1,544 people · 4,630 paths- 16% consulting or fractional work · $80k–$120k start → ~$200k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 15% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $70k–$95k start → ~$140k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 14% starting an independent business · $30k–$52k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Creative Director · Content Strategist · Grant Writer
Full marketers guide and destination table →project and operations managers
1,820 people · 5,454 paths- 17% consulting or fractional work · $75k–$110k start → ~$190k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% starting an independent business · $25k–$50k start → ~$130k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% program and operations roles · $75k–$100k start → ~$145k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Independent Operations Consultant · Operations Manager · Leadership Development Facilitator
Full project and operations managers guide and destination table →healthcare workers
1,408 people · 4,224 paths- 12% healthcare-adjacent roles · $60k–$78k start → ~$120k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% starting an independent business · $20k–$40k start → ~$100k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 10% consulting or fractional work · $70k–$100k start → ~$175k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Remote Operations Coordinator · Grant Writer · Operations Coordinator
Full healthcare workers guide and destination table →executives and senior leaders
2,415 people · 7,241 paths- 21% consulting or fractional work · $85k–$130k start → ~$220k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 13% starting an independent business · $30k–$60k start → ~$150k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $85k–$110k start → ~$160k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Leadership Development Facilitator · Executive Coach · Fractional COO
Full executives and senior leaders guide and destination table →administrative professionals
2,193 people · 6,579 paths- 16% starting an independent business · $20k–$40k start → ~$90k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% program and operations roles · $52k–$68k start → ~$98k ceiling · typically medium transition
- 12% mission-driven and nonprofit work · $50k–$66k start → ~$100k ceiling · typically medium transition
Most common titles: Grant Writer · Operations Coordinator · Remote Operations Coordinator
Full administrative professionals guide 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 2026-10-07; 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 space each 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 18,537-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 and Development Specialist.
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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