What Else Can You Do with an Education Degree? Explore Top Non-Teaching Career Paths
Maybe you love working in education and being a teacher, but maybe you’re also looking to get out of the traditional classroom. Maybe you’re ready to explore a career change, feel burnt out, or become curious about what else your degree or experience as a teacher can offer. If you’re wondering, “What other jobs can I do without an education degree?” you’re not alone. The truth is that an education degree gives you versatile skills that go far beyond lesson plans and classroom management. As an educated educator, your ability to communicate, lead, problem-solve, and adapt to constantly shifting expectations are all valuable assets in many industries.
This guide will help you explore these other industries and confidently find the one that’s right for you. We’ll break down seven of the top fields you can pursue with your education degree, so keep reading to discover where you can build a rewarding future outside of the classroom.
Instructional Design and Curriculum Development
Both instructional designers and curriculum developers work behind the scenes to create effective, structured learning experiences, but they do so in different ways. In the simplest terms, curriculum developers focus on what content should be taught, while instructional designers focus on how that content should be taught.
More specifically, curriculum developers map out the content of a course to ensure that it is accurate, comprehensive, logically sequenced, and aligned with specified standards. Instructional designers then take that content and, to ensure its goals are met, analyze a specific group of learners’ needs, define learning objectives, design activities, and develop lessons.
Individuals in both careers usually find employment in K-12 schools or higher education. However, instructional designers may also sometimes work in corporate settings, nonprofit organizations, and more.
Best For: Those who enjoy curriculum development, technology, and instructional strategies
How to Get Started: In addition to your bachelor’s degree, obtain any certifications or additional training required by your desired work setting.
Education Administration
If you realize after teaching for a few years that you love working in schools but want to move beyond the classroom, education administration may be a good choice for you. Essentially, education administrators are the leaders and managers of educational institutions from preschool to postgraduate levels.
Your specific duties would depend on the type of administrator you are. For instance, a superintendent would rarely be involved with individual hiring decisions, while a principal would play a significant role in those choices. The most common titles under this heading are principal, dean, and superintendent.
All educational administrators are responsible for ensuring that the learning environment is safe, productive, and complies with relevant regulations. They may create and implement policies that help the school run smoothly and in accordance with laws, allocate funding and resources, and work to create an educational atmosphere where students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Beyond that, duties vary based on the specific position. For instance, a school district superintendent may not be heavily involved with hiring teachers, while a principal is. Or, some postsecondary administrators may rarely interact with students, while preschool ones might greet children and parents at the door each day.
Best For: Those who enjoy organizing, leadership, and handling big-picture issues.
How to Get Started: To become a school principal, start by obtaining your teaching certification and teaching for a while (often at least two years). After this, pursue a master’s degree in educational administration or leadership and obtain administrator certification through the state where you want to work. If you want to work as a superintendent or in postsecondary or preschool educational administration, you may need to pursue additional, more specific training.
Corporate Training and Development
Corporate trainers work to ensure that the employees of an organization have sufficient, up-to-date skills. Essentially, they function as teachers within business settings, promoting the competence and growth of teams. They do this by finding ways to assess team members’ knowledge strengths and areas for growth and developing training materials, programs, workshops, and seminars to address these needs.
In addition to developing these items, corporate trainers also deliver the actual in-person or virtual instruction and help assess team members’ performance and progress.
Depending on the company’s needs, corporate trainers typically focus their instruction on the practical application of leadership, teamwork, customer service, technical, compliance, conflict resolution, and many other skills.
Best For: Those who enjoy public speaking, working with adults, and professional development.
How to Get Started: After earning your bachelor’s degree, gain experience in either education or human resources to ease transition and develop your skills. Consider pursuing desired certifications such as CPTM, CPTD, or CPLP to set yourself apart.
Educational Publishing and EdTech
While educational publishing and educational technology both focus on creating and distributing materials, resources, and tools that support teachers and students, the exact things they develop are different. Educational publishing is mainly concerned with textbooks, workbooks, assessments, and digital classroom resources, while edtech companies develop learning management systems, software, mobile apps, and other technology for educational purposes.
Both educational publishing and edtech are essential because they give educators the tools they need to deliver accessible, dynamic, engaging instruction in the modern classroom.
Best For: Those who enjoy writing, research, and technology.
How to Get Started: Depending on your desired role, you may need to gain teaching experience or additional skills, such as writing, project management, multimedia design, or relevant technical skills. Obtaining a certification or advanced degree in education technology may be required if you want to work in edtech.
School Counseling
School counselors provide specialized counseling and guidance for students in K-12 schools in collaboration with teachers, administrators, and parents. They aim to help students overcome academic, social, and emotional issues. Depending on their workplace, a school counselor may conduct individual and group counseling sessions to provide support for conditions such as anxiety, stress, and depression or teach students skills like conflict resolution, problem-solving, and decision-making.
In addition to these duties, school counselors may also administer state tests, help students select appropriate courses, provide guidance on career pathways, assist with applying for and choosing between colleges, and oversee programs such as peer mentoring and anti-bullying initiatives.
Some schools may have separate college/career counselors and traditional school counselors.
Best For: Those who enjoy mentoring, guidance, and mental health support.
How to Get Started: After earning a bachelor’s in education or a related field, pursue a master’s in school counseling. Then, pass any licensure exams required in the state where you want to work.
Library and Information Science
The field of library and information science is concerned with collecting, organizing, preserving, and providing access to print and digital media. Its guiding philosophy centers on ensuring that people have free and open access to said materials and other resources that may help them develop new skills, find community, or simply be entertained.
Although “librarian” is the first job people picture under the umbrella of library and information science, this field also includes many other roles, such as library technician, archivist, information architect, cataloger, and metadata specialist. Each of these roles performs distinct functions that contribute to the field’s overarching goal of ensuring the preservation and accessibility of information.
If you really love working with kids but a traditional classroom setting just isn’t for you, you could also seek out children’s librarian or school librarian positions.
Best For: Those who enjoy research, organization, and education support.
How to Get Started: Many roles in library and information science, including librarian, archivist, and information specialist, require a master’s degree in library science. However, other roles, such as library assistant or archives assistant, may only require a bachelor’s degree in any field plus relevant experience. Volunteering at your local library may be a good way to get your foot in the door.
Nonprofit and Community Education
Nonprofit and community education programs provide learning opportunities outside traditional school systems. They’re typically geared toward underserved and marginalized populations and aim to help individuals grow personally, professionally, and academically.
Examples of such organizations include adult education centers, community health organizations, and workforce development organizations. There are many roles within this field that are suited to individuals with degrees in education, including adult education instructor, education director, program coordinator, grant writer, and vocational training specialist.
Best For: Those passionate about social impact, advocacy, and informal education.
How to Get Started: Gain relevant experience through teaching, volunteer work, or internships could make you much more attractive to organizations. On top of this, consider getting certifications relevant to your desired position(s), such as grant writing or adult education.
FAQs About Careers in Education Outside of Teaching
Now that you have insight into some jobs outside the classroom that you could get with your degree in education, let’s finish up by answering some of the most common questions education majors have about this topic.
What jobs can a teacher do outside of a classroom?
Teachers have so many skills that translate well to a vast number of jobs outside of the classroom that it would be impossible to list them all here. But in general, any job that accepts a degree in education and prizes skills such as communication, organization, leadership, and problem-solving might be a good fit.
Fields that require or prioritize teaching experience, such as instructional design, curriculum development, and educational publishing, are naturally suited to former teachers.
In addition, if you taught a specific subject like math or technology, you may be able to use the skills you taught in a relevant career.
What jobs can I get if I leave teaching?
If you have time to perfect your resume and train for other work before leaving teaching, there could be work for you in nearly any field. However, if you suddenly leave teaching and haven’t gotten to take those steps, consider opportunities for which you already have specialized skills and qualifications. This includes jobs like tutoring and educational sales.
How do you transition from teaching to another career?
Research your desired career paths to see how your current skills align and identify the ones that you’re most qualified for – and what gaps you need to address. You should also ensure that there are plenty of employment opportunities in your chosen path. If things look promising after your research, pursue any extra training or education that the job requires.
Be sure to update your resume so it highlights your relevant skills and experience, and start networking through various channels like LinkedIn or local career-specific groups.
Once you’ve left the classroom and are employed elsewhere, be ready for a bit of a culture shock. Chances are you don’t have to buy your own pens anymore! Don’t be afraid to ask questions as you learn the ropes in your new field.
What is the highest-paying job in education?
If you’re sticking with education, your best chance for earning the most money possible is to become an administrator. The lowest-paying administration role is assistant principal, with an average yearly salary of around $84,586, according to ZipRecruiter. Average pay increases up the chain of command, with principals earning around $96,525 and superintendents bringing in around $149,159.
And if you venture into university-level education, you can earn even more. The highest-paid position in postsecondary education is university president, with an average national salary of $186,961.
What education jobs are most in demand?
According to data from the School Pulse Panel summarized by EdWeek, schools were most in need of special education, language arts, and mathematics teachers as of the 2023-24 school year. If you decide to leave schools entirely, corporate training and development jobs are expected to grow by 12% between 2023 and 2033,
