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Are you passionate about education as a career path but don’t want to be stuck teaching in classrooms for the rest of your life? This article might just be for you.
An education degree is often seen as synonymous with classroom teaching. This is off-putting for many young people who feel passionate about education but don’t want to necessarily spend an eternity teaching kids in class.
But an education degree doesn’t imply teaching exclusively, although this is naturally a great place to start. Here are 7 career paths that you can follow with an education degree.
Grade School, Middle School, or High School Teacher
Starting as a teacher with an education degree is recommended since in-classroom experience is highly tressured even in other fields. Teachers are one of the most valuable subsets of our society, yet they don’t get appreciated nearly enough.
Being a teacher places you in a unique position to influence and shape many lives, especially in the crucial phases that young people are in. However, it can also come with a lot of pressure, and many teachers bow out after some time to pursue other career paths.
Besides learning about what to teach, you’ll also learn how to teach. For example, typical modules may include education theory, social theory, education policy, and how schools/teachers shape society.
According to Glassdoor, K-12 teachers earn a median salary of $44,754 per annum, although entry-level jobs in this area pay $28K. Thus, lower salaries in the teaching profession are one of the reasons why many students are afraid to commit to a lifetime of teaching, instead opting for other career paths.
We could also fit in other teaching jobs here, such as adult ESL teachers, private tutors, and homeschooling teachers. As a private tutor, you could also work as a paper writer to make a little extra income.
ECE and Special Needs Teacher
Although these are both classroom-based roles, they deserve their own category. Early Childhood Education teachers should be passionate about working with children since this can be particularly tough. ECE teachers teach the curriculum and build the emotional and social skills of young children between the ages of 2-7.
ECE has received particular attention in the last few years since the number of males joining the profession has reduced drastically, and now only make up 5.2% of ECE professionals.
Glassdoor defines Special Education teachers as “facilitating lessons that cater to…students living with emotional, intellectual and physical disabilities”. In many cases, ECE teachers are also involved in creating Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students living with disabilities that allows them to focus on their individual goals and progress.
The median base salary for a Special Needs teacher in the US is $45,126, while ECE teachers take home a base pay of $48,198.
Student Counseling, Life Coach, or Career Coach
Again, teachers are trained to derive the best results from their students academically, socially, or emotionally. A student counselor’s functions include collecting data on individual students and creating action plans related to their improvements in social and academic areas.
A life coach works with the students, teachers, and parents to provide the best guidance to students on their career choices. The best life/career coaches and counselors have strong levels of social perceptiveness, are persuasive, and can make students feel secure.
These three are highly fulfilling roles as the impact on students’ lives is measurable and long-lasting. Thus, these three roles are reported to have a high career satisfaction. The median base salary for these three roles is $37,000, excluding bonuses.
Administration
This seems like a natural path to progress as a teacher. Administrative work like a teacher or Department of Education official is mostly required to manage staff and provide oversight.
A Master’s degree and at least 5 years of experience are generally required for such roles. School principals can earn up to $94,000 per year, according to Glassdoor.
Curriculum Design, Writing and Publishing
As a B.Ed., you could become a curriculum designer where you create lesson plans or develop standardized tests. This requires a deep understanding of specific subjects, and thus an advanced degree with subject specialization may be required.
You could also choose a path as an educational writer, editor, or journalist, working either full-time or part-time.
Bottom Line?
Trained teachers with a B.Ed degree are endowed with many skillsets that make them suitable to work in different environments and professions. Teachers are known to be passionate, caring, and driven to better the lives of their students. These are certain qualities that any employer would desire.
So if you are planning on becoming an education major or are already enrolled in such a program, you should be confident in your ability to get a job that suits you best outside of the regular teaching option.
