Pros
Strong alignment with your strengths Internal systems, governance, reporting, and cross-functional ops are exactly where you perform best. You already proved impact with Tableau, ServiceNow, KPI frameworks, and leadership dashboards. Clear business context Ellucian’s higher-ed SaaS domain is complex but understandable. You weren’t guessing at value. You could clearly see how your work influenced CTO and Product leadership decisions. Real ownership, not busywork You weren’t just a ticket closer. You owned visibility, compliance, and data integrity across teams. That level of trust matters to you.
Cons
High cognitive load with limited emotional return You carried a lot of responsibility, ambiguity, and expectation without proportional recognition or psychological safety. Over time, that drained you. Process-heavy culture can slow momentum Governance and compliance are necessary, but you often felt like you were pushing clarity uphill through layers of process rather than moving decisively. Diffuse ownership above you Decisions sometimes stalled or shifted due to leadership alignment issues, which left you absorbing pressure without full authority to resolve root causes. Burnout risk without structural guardrails You’re someone who will carry the system if it’s wobbling. Ellucian didn’t always protect against that tendency, and it took a toll. Can get laid off any day