Occasionally, during a chat with a stranger or a new friend, I mention that I used to be an educator. I tell the tale of how a class project in a college course led me to pursue a career in education. Then I talk about my seven years as a K-12 teacher and my eight years as a college professor and higher education administrator, culminating in my appointment as dean of a college of education. Finally, I outline how I came to be the owner of an education organization that maintains the websites The Edvocate, The Tech Edvocate, and Edupedia.

After a lengthy reminiscence, they ask, “Why did you leave higher education and become an education entrepreneur?” The solution is a little more complicated. I never imagined myself as the proprietor of an education company or as a father for that matter. But, as the old age goes, “make plans if you want to make God laugh.”

When I was a Ph.D. student at Jackson State University in 2005, I methodically planned out my career, including specifying timelines for when tasks needed to be fulfilled. I am 40 years old as I write this blog, and according to my master plan, I was expected to be a vice president or, better yet, the president of a college or university.

Things didn’t go as planned, and the arduous journey to college presidency took its toll on my mind, body, and soul. It all came to a head when my deanship didn’t go as planned, and I knew I was on the incorrect professional path.

I immediately learned that the public and private education sectors were more interested in stuffing their wallets with cash and protecting their employment than in educating students. This understanding devastated my heart, and I realized that if I persisted, I would be contributing to the problem rather than solving it. Furthermore, I would have to continue biting my tongue while accepting orders from arrogant higher-ups who were only concerned with how things affected them.

These C-suite executives and board members didn’t care how their indifference and incompetence harmed the students. I was supposed to carry out their foolish rules and edicts as a middle-level manager. I was also required to administer an entire school of education on a ludicrous budget.

The students suffered because I was unable to offer them the necessary supports and tools to help them attain their full potential. Despite this, the school of education had record graduation rates, but I had to work 60-70-hour weeks to do so. I was fatigued, yet I persisted in advocating for morals and fighting for my students. Ironically, you have to be the moral voice at Baptist all the time (university).

The university and I split ways after it became clear that we weren’t a good fit, but I went with my integrity intact. I’d seen the abyss that was higher education, and I didn’t want any part of it. I pondered giving it another chance at another university, but in the end, I decided to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.

I finally realized that the change I wanted should be made outside of the system, not within it. It’s a plus not to have to answer to inept superiors. Another advantage is having the time to pick up my son from daycare and take him to one of our favorite parks for some fun, followed by a healthy snack. So there you have it: the tale of why I left public and private school to become an education entrepreneur.