What Can I Do With a Major in Education?
Education majors receive training that is specifically designed to prepare them for careers in teaching. However, these students also learn many other skills that translate to many other types of work. For example, the public speaking, planning, and leadership skills that education majors develop are needed in many different occupations.
It should come as no surprise that the majority of people who graduate with a degree in education go on to work as teachers or in other positions within the education sector. These graduates work at all levels of education, from kindergarten through college (with additional education).
About half of all teachers have a change of heart at some point during their careers, and choose to pursue a career in an occupation that’s unrelated to their major. These graduates are able to find work in many areas, but often end up working in management, administrative, and sales occupations.
Education majors earn a median salary of $40,000, which is about 40% less than the median salary of all college graduates combined. Salaries for teachers tend to remain pretty flat over time when compared with salaries in other occupations. However, nobody earns a degree in education because they want to get rich, and teachers typically enjoy more perks (like time off) than people in other occupations.
Careers for Education Majors
Below is a list of occupations that education majors commonly work in. This is not a comprehensive list, but it should give you an idea of the types of work available to graduates with a degree in this field.
| Occupation | Median Salary | Median Hourly | Current jobs | Outlook | Required Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Literacy Teacher | $46,530 | $22.37 | 86,900 | Good | Bachelor’s Degree |
| College Professor | $62,050 | $29.83 | 1,756,000 | Good | Graduate Degree |
| Editor | $51,470 | $24.75 | 129,600 | Normal | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Elementary School Teacher | $51,660 | $24.84 | 1,549,520 | Good | Bachelor’s Degree |
| High School Teacher | $53,230 | $25.59 | 1,109,500 | Good | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Instructional Coordinator | $58,830 | $28.28 | 139,700 | Good | Master’s degree |
| Librarian | $54,500 | $26.20 | 159,940 | Normal | Master’s Degree |
| Middle School Teacher | $51,960 | $24.98 | 659,460 | Good | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Preschool Teacher | $25,700 | $12.36 | 12,190 | 457,240 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Public Relations Manager | $91,810 | $44.14 | 56,720 | Normal | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Public Relations Specialist | $52,090 | $25.04 | 258,100 | Good | Bachelor’s degree |
| Recruiter | $52,690 | $25.33 | 207,850 | Good | Bachelor’s degree |
| Self-enrichment Teacher | $36,338 | $17.47 | 252,800 | Good | Experience |
| School Principal | $86,970 | $41.81 | 236,100 | Normal | Master’s degree |
| Social Service Manager | $57,950 | $27.86 | 130,560 | Normal | Bachelor’s degree |
| Social Worker | $42,480 | $20.42 | 350,500 | Good | Bachelor’s degree |
| Special Education Teacher | $53,220 | $25.59 | 459,600 | Good | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Technical Education Teacher | $53,920 | $25.92 | 103,000 | Normal | Bachelor’s Degree |
