Top Career Choices in Education

College students who are studying education majors have a plethora of rewarding careers to choose from after they graduate with their degree.

They also have a wide array of choices to select from, ranging from teaching positions in youth education through adult education, with additional choices in administration positions and government jobs.

Education jobs, in their entirety, are expected to realize a growth in opportunities due to the amount of retirees who are expected to be leaving their positions in the next decade as well as the amount of professionals who will be leaving their current position to accept a promotion into a higher paying position.

The careers in education below include several different factors that push them to the top of the "best career choices" list. Salary, prestige and stability mark these jobs as some of the best for graduates with education majors. Although these careers require at least a bachelors degree in education, and usually necessitate either a masters or a doctorate in education, the top career choices in education will repay that college investment within the first few years.

College Professor or Postsecondary Teacher – The future is bright for postsecondary teachers, with an expected rate of growth in job opportunities of 15% by the year 2018. Nearly 2,000,000 job openings are projected to open between the years 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, leaving plenty of room for growth for professionals who are currently teaching at the elementary level and working toward their online master's degree in education, for example. A master's or doctorate degree is essential for this type of position, whether the teacher is working for a brick-and-mortar institution or an online school.
Federal Jobs – Vocational rehabilitation specialists, education program specialists, public health educators, and educational services specialists are some of the job titles that education majors might find in the federal job sector. Salaries will vary drastically, depending on the years of experience and level of education achieved for these types of occupations. Adult literacy and remedial education are two occupation possibilities that are listed by the BLS, who predict a 15% increase of jobs by the year 2018. This "faster than average" growth combined with the median wage pay of $22.26, documented from May of 2008, indicates that this is a sector of jobs that land in the top career choices for education majors.
Education Administrator – With over 445,000 Education Administrator jobs in the U.S. in 2008 and a projected job growth rate of 8% by 2018, there will be plenty of opportunities to enter into this position in the near future, according to the BLS. US News called this position one of the Best Careers 2011 under their Social Services category, noting that professionals who are seeking a position as an education administrator should see "strong growth over the next decade". Although this career can be highly demanding, education administrators usually get to enjoy weekend and holidays off, in addition to vacation time and pay.
Instructional Coordinator – Instructional Coordinators are also often referred to as personnel development specialists, curriculum specialists, or instructional coaches, and their basic job description includes developing and improving the curriculum for institutions. According to the BLS, the outlook for these professionals is favorable, with an expected growth of 23% by the year 2018, which is much faster than the average occupation. In May of 2008, instructional coordinators earned an average of $56,880; however the highest earning 10% brought home an annual salary of over $93,250.
Online Teacher or Tutor – Noted as one of the "5 Flexible Careers" on Yahoo! Education, online teachers and tutors can enjoy the flexibility that the Internet provides as a teaching platform. Although online schools and colleges rely mostly on pre-written lessons that do not necessarily require a teacher, technology is constantly expanding the possibilities. The use of video conferencing for live, real-time lectures or one-on-one tutoring for online students who need a helping hand are becoming more popular and may perhaps be how online schools will enhance their programs in the future. While online tutors could potentially gain clients with a bachelor’s degree, college and university teachers will need a graduate-level degree to teach online. As an example of possible salary offers, postsecondary computer science teachers earn an average of $78,000 per year.

Typically, the higher the level of degree that a graduate has accomplished, the more opportunities for advancement, higher salary, bonuses and benefit packages they will receive in the career world, regardless of the niche career field. This is also true for graduates who obtain a degree with a focus in education; a masters or a doctorate degree is going to reach higher potentials of employment, pay and benefits. Some of the above career choices may require licensing beyond the college degree. With these thoughts in mind, the above listed career choices have extremely excellent outlooks for the future, making education a great choice for a major for those students who are still on the fence with their selection.