Career change after a layoff, where to begin? - 9 months and counting

After 12 years as a teaching assistant I am thinking about moving into a different field. There are 12 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I have good customer skills and I am comfortable with spreadsheets. Did you take a pay cut?

I took a small pay cut for a year, and it was worth it for the growth afterwards.

You likely have more transferable skills than you think. Write down what you did, not what the job title said.