There are many types of jobs available with a secondary education degree, including opportunities that might see teachers leave behind middle or high school positions in favor of classrooms at community colleges and beyond. Thanks to the more content-specific nature of degree programs for secondary education teachers, the wide array of possibilities available makes them more versatile at school and outside the classroom, as teachers, mentors, tutors, and more, according to US News and World Report. Before enrolling in such a program, consider the most popular jobs pursued by graduates and the ways that many teachers extend their skills and job opportunities as their career grows and matures.
High School Teachers: The Most Popular Options
Most people pursue secondary education for one of two popular reasons. Many prefer simply to teach older children and leave elementary teaching to someone else, while others have a significant passion for topics like mathematics, the sciences, English and grammar, foreign language, history, or other fields. Secondary education is the perfect fit for both types of people, with more advanced content and older students. Thanks to the nature of high school coursework, this gives teachers the opportunity to delve into advanced topics, serve as mentors for those who might be planning to attend college for that same subject area, or even act as tutors when students can’t grasp the more advanced concepts that teachers were required to study in-depth while in college.
Middle School is Also an Option for Secondary Education Grads
While high school hires the largest percentage of secondary education degree holders, it’s not the only opportunity for graduates. In fact, most states split licenses into elementary and secondary options, with 7th grade being the first one available for those with a degree in secondary education. This means some teachers, who work better with younger age groups, could teach their content area in 7th and 8th grade classrooms. Their advanced content skills help to provide younger students context, and help to prepare them for related and more advanced studies as they transition to high school coursework.
With a Master’s Degree, Adjunct Professor Opportunities Open Up
Many states require their teachers to secure a master’s degree in order to secure or maintain their permanent teaching license. Those who work in secondary education already have a highly specialized area of content knowledge, and can opt to study this field at the graduate level. Upon graduation from such a program, those in secondary education actually have the qualifications to seek adjunct teaching opportunities at community colleges and universities, or they can continue with subject-specific doctoral programs if they wish to do so. This is often not the case with other teaching specialties, which lack a concentrated area of study in a given subject.
Related Resource: Maintaining Teacher Certification
Secondary Education is the Most Versatile Program for Today’s Educators
The nature of secondary education is that it focuses dually on specialized subject matter and critical teaching skills. As students evolve in their profession, and as their understanding of both teaching and a given subject area evolves, they’re able to more effortlessly extend their degree into new opportunities or different types of classrooms. As a result, the types of jobs available with a secondary education degree range from an engaging middle school classroom to a more advanced high school discussion among other students, to adjunct positions that see students lend their own skills to a new generation of educators and other professionals.
