Switch from H1B to E2 dependent, will I be able to work?

Hi everyone. I’m currently employed as a postdoc and I do cancer research. I come from Europe on H1B (employer based) that I got without the lottery cap because my company is a non-profit. My H1B will get renewed in January next year for additional 3 years. I would soon like to change job and go from academia to industry, but in my field industry jobs do not sponsor visas. My plan then is to get my husband visa, E2, as a dependent and ask for a work permit so I won’t have any limitation. My only concern is that once I change status from H1B to E2, only then I can apply for the work permit and I know that now it can take up to 8 months to obtain it. Can I continue to work for my current company while my work permit is pending? I know my H1B status will be lost but are there any documents or tricks that would allow me to not stay home during the months required to get the work permit? Thanks in advance.