Careers in Education: Career Paths, Salaries, Responsibilities, & Demand

Careers in education are highly demanded. Some decades ago, these careers were merely limited to teaching, and nowadays, these careers have more job options. There are specialties that do not require very long studies. Meanwhile, careers in education suppose a longer career path. 

Thus which are the positions you can opt for with an education degree?

Education Career Paths

The first step to achieving one of the hundreds of education careers is to start with a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is normally a four-year career if full-time education is considered. Depending on the country or state, the final degree can vary from bachelor to masters. It also depends if your choice is the primary or secondary school teaching or administrative position. Most colleges nowadays offer online and on-campus classes, and it is up to you what to choose. 

The advantages of online degrees are schedule flexibility. The engaging process is simple, as you can also take classes at the colleges without moving from your country. Meanwhile, on-campus degrees offer you already scheduled and planned programs by a well-organized studying calendar. Here, you do not need to work on your time and task management and focus on your studies. Task management software will help you to come up with lots of difficulties. Both types of Education career degrees give you a network creating possibilities. 

Here are some education careers you are likely to study.

Teaching

The most common job one can achieve if the education career is acquired. Teaching at a primary, secondary, or high school sometimes can suppose different educational degrees or masters. In general, degrees specify for which age students your degree is valid. However, there are also some certificates that can allow you to opt for more job positions and areas. Teaching does not always imply teaching at schools. It also includes language academies or adult schools, private classes both online and face-to-face.

Education Administration 

A position you can opt for with your education career. Nevertheless, you should have a master’s degree in Education Administration. Business school admissions consultants have a wide registry of possible degrees, colleges, and application options. If you have doubts about the issue, it is always a good option to ask for advice.

This sphere coordinates the educational plans of the state, city, or district. This job requires collaboration with other administration members and adaptation of the academic curriculum to the legal, educational frame. 

Education administrators are doing both schedule and event clarifications, deciding on in-school behavior disciplines and consequences. Principals are education administrators. Professionals who opt for this position should count on problem-solving and decision-making skills. 

School Counseling

Position is one of the most diverse jobs in education. School counselors fight for equality in learning and attention to diversity. The counselor aims to help students to obtain the maximum benefits of their studies. 

School counselors work with the students helping them obtain the balance between their mental and physical health. In other words, school counselors guide the students through their path to real life. 

This position supposes interaction with the students and solution offering capacities to solve many different issues and situations that can occur in the school context and not only. 

ESL or EFL teaching

One more path education careers can offer you. English as a second language or English as a foreign language teaching practice is more and more popular nowadays. Language teachers did not appear to be demanded a lot. However, this is a fallacy as language specialists, especially English language professionals, are in a shortage.

How Much Are Education Careers Paid?

This is quite a broad sphere to have a unique answer. Let’s analyze Education area professionals’ salaries by their occupation. 

How Much Do Teachers Make?

The average teacher salary in the US is rolling in between around 45,000 and 87,000 dollars per year. According to Newsweek, the best-paid teachers work in NY. They earn from 70 to 87,000 dollars per year; meanwhile, the lowest teachers’ salary is in the state of Mississippi, with an average of 45,000 dollars. 

Washington is the area that holds the best public schools with students that score really high in education. Teachers here gain around 72,000 $ per year. 

How Much Do Education Administrators make?

School and college administration job salaries can vary depending on the position. To have an idea about general education administration salaries, school principals made an income of about 95,000 $. The average school administrative salaries in 2021 were about 70,000 $. However, it depends on how much these professionals would be paid: certificates, skills, positions, years spent in similar positions, and more. 

How Much Do School Counselors make?

School counselors’ salary is similar to that of the teachers. In 2020 and 2021, the school counselors made between 45,000 and 75,000 dollars yearly. The average salary is counted to be 58,000 dollars, and this rate has been rising from year to year, being the highest in 2020. 

According to USnews the cities with higher education counselors are Riverside, El Centro, Fresno, Stockton, and Napa. It is curious that all of them are situated in California, and the salary for a school counselor can reach up to 91,000 dollars. 

The next state with the highest salaries for school counselors is New Jersey, with the highest salary of 75,000 dollars. 

Growing Careers in Education

Education careers are growing rapidly. In the United States, most of the newly created jobs are related to the healthcare system and social relations. These jobs are followed by education sector enhancement. 

• One of the education jobs with the most promising perspective is a Postsecondary-Teacher job. Postsecondary teachers teach academic notions that are beyond the high school program. These teachers can be involved in colleges and business schools. Postsecondary teachers’ duties are to teach their subjects and guide the students on selecting courses that would adapt to their necessities. Postsecondary teachers design and correct exams, prepare tasks. Sometimes they can be involved in certificate supposing tasks or official exam committees. 
• SPED or Special Education Teachers attend to students with individual differences. They offer special training and collaborate with the families of the students. This specialization is gaining growth, and more professionals are required in this field. 
• Curriculum Coordinators are demanded nowadays. They review and create new curricular content and ensure that it fits the state or regional education curriculum standards. This profession is also known as Curriculum developer or instructional developer/ counselor. 
• Postsecondary Education Administrators are responsible for college services, academic services such as reviewing applications, checking academic tasks, research planning, and more. In California, postsecondary college administrators used to make around 78,000 dollars on average. 
• Superintendent is a promising leadership position that aims to manage and overcome the challenges the college board offers. To manage this position, one should hold both a bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s degree in education administration. Personal qualities that are highly recommended are leadership skills, problem-solving capacity, and quick decision-making abilities. Superintendents need to connect with different schools and make sure that the tasks and responsibilities of the college are fulfilled.

What Do Teachers Do?

Teachers’ jobs seem to be one of the most evident ones. What do teachers do? They teach. Yes, they do. However, there are a bunch of other responsibilities and tasks teachers perform. Except delegating, tutoring, and controlling teachers have other undertakings as well. 

• Prepare classes – teachers work hard to prepare classes that will motivate students and push them to learn.
• Create tasks – teachers create tasks that sum up students’ previous knowledge and add more information to it. These tasks need to have a coherent connection with the ones done before and the ones that will be done in the future.
• Think of changing their teaching methods from time to time – this helps them to keep the students motivated.
• Pay attention to diversity – teachers are the referees of the classroom; they need to pay attention and attend to diversity; they must understand and work with individual differences.
• Teachers are normally involved in different organizations which supply effort and participation.
• Exams are inseparable parts of the teaching process. If it supposes an effort for the students to do an exam, teachers have to prepare, check, grade them, and give feedback. 
• Meetings with families are another duty teachers assume and fulfill. Collective and individual meetings with the parents or legal tutors of the students are compulsory during the school years. Teachers discuss different situations with students’ parents and try to give solutions to some situations. 

Teaching Shortage and Demand

Starting from 2013, the education area has a big demand for education professionals. Even though Covid19 had a big impact on all the professional areas, the education sphere is still facing a teaching professionals shortage. Urban areas state have more demand for teaching professionals. Some cities have demands for teachers of nearly all subjects. There are, however, districts that have the demand of specific professionals: Maths or Science teachers, bilingual education professionals. 

Final Thoughts

Education careers are challenging but satisfying. Education has always been one of the most valued social areas. Teaching, which was supposed to be the only education career outcome, has now given the path to some other professions related to education. Education administrators and counselors are only some of the education career job positions considered growing careers. The path of education careers is challenging. Most promising job opportunities require bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the area. Even after obtaining these degrees, constant certificated formation is highly valued. 

The education sphere is not just a mere profession. It requires dedication, passion, motivation, and patience. Teachers learn themselves from their inspired students. Education specialists are in constant changes and updates due to the huge amount of resources and materials applied in this area. If you choose this path, it will be hard but gratifying.