People who have a newly-earned teaching degree but don’t really want to teach in a traditional classroom have some interesting non-traditional career opportunities. Salaries vary, as does workplace environment, but education majors can definitely put their degrees and their expertise to use in rewarding ways. Additionally, teachers who are weary of the day-to-day teaching experience can use their knowledge to “reinvent” their careers. Of course there are jobs in administration, in curriculum design and in school counseling, but these are still conventional careers. Here are some “out-of-the-box” ideas to build an exciting and non-traditional career with an education degree.
Recreation Directors
This doesn’t refer to someone who organizes summer canoe trips for adolescents but to people who use their knowledge of teaching and learning to use organizing and sustaining programs in camps, in Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs, the YMCA and the YWCA as well as similar organizations. These professionals might create an after-school opportunity for inner-city children, develop programs in a drop-in center for children with handicaps, or supervise a workshop for people with disabilities. They could design educational opportunities in a hostel program for retirees. The Bureau of Labor statistics classifies this career as a “social and community service director and gives the median salary as $65,320.
Writing, Publishing and “Casting”
Textbook publishers hire writers who understand teaching and learning, but so do book publishers who are looking for that next break-out book on the changing face of American education, the effect of immigration on education or some other hot topic. There are opportunities to write for magazines that feature educational articles on science, technology, culture, art or any number of subjects. The great thing about that type of writing is that writers get to delve into all types of subjects and learn as they research. Forbes Magazine education writers have penned recent articles on subjects such as the new SAT “Adversity Score” and the shortage of STEM teachers. Blogs and podcasts are another career direction worth exploring. Some blogs writers work for organizations or magazines, but others are freelance and earn their livings from the advertising that accompanies their products as well as opportunities for speaking engagements or guest appearances. According to the BLS, education and technical writers earn a median salary of $62,120 to $71,850.
Adult Education and Mentoring
One definition of a mentor is someone who can teach, guide and protect his mentee while serving as a role model for desired behaviors. That could apply in working with clients in mental health facility working with addictions or with an ESL class. It could involve working with a group of people or with an individual. Communities often hire people to design adult education classes and human services departments hire teachers and mentors for parenting and family relations education.
Adult education might also occur within a corporate setting encouraging employees to further their educations or to learn specific skills necessary to their jobs. This might also happen if the educator works as an online-instructor. Adding a specialty in adult education and perhaps developing an area of expertise while earning their degrees would assist educators in pursuing a career in this area. The BLS lists these professionals under training and development specialists and gives their median salary as $60,820.
Professional Tutor
The recent scandals involving celebrities attempting to buy their children admission to highly-ranked universities demonstrates the pressure put on students to pass entrance and standardized testing. There is a growing tutoring industry to help young people prepare for these examinations, provide remedial opportunities and teach learning and studying skills to children and to young adults. Some tutors work for colleges while some are employed by tutoring businesses or agencies. Others work as private providers. Tutors who maintain a private practice will have to be skilled in marketing their businesses; many tutors only work part-time. The BLS gives a median salary for a tutor as $53,630.
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Master’s in Educational Leadership Online
There are many ways for people to use the time and effort, not to mention the expense, of earning an education degree. Many of these might not be something they had considered while they were in school. There are many non-traditional career opportunities open to people with teaching degrees.
