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While wondering why you should pick teaching or education as your majors, something else may also occur to you. What can you do with a degree in those fields? Do they pay? What about if you don't want to teach? Will there be opportunities to let you change your line of work mid-career? Or late in the career?

To answer your questions, we will begin by saying that you come away with much more than a degree. Being related to these twin fields rewards you with valuable transferable skills as well. You can use those talents to build a new career in many of the following fields:

Education Administration

There are other roles within the school system that you may play other than a teacher with your degree. One obvious choice is becoming a part of its leadership. As an education administrator, you could be shaping school goals and policies, representing it within the community, be involved in resource allocation, etc. Potentially, you will have a say in many of the important issues concerning the school. To become an administrator, you will need a master's degree – in most cases – and maybe, advanced licensure too.

You could qualify for the following positions:

·         Principal

·         Assistant principal

·         School district administrator

·         Superintendent

Librarian

Besides the school library, a librarian is also present at public, law, academic, business, and medical libraries. Moreover, school media centers also require librarians. As one, you won't just be issuing books to visitors. You will also be in charge of the selection of materials – electronic and print – that will be part of the library you oversee. Additionally, you will be responsible for how you arrange those resources and their use.

You may choose to work in a school library, but if you don't want to do that, you have other options. While the public libraries have a bad rep, you can still select law, business, or medical librarianship.

Writer

This is an umbrella term that could be about any profession from authors to technical writers. It may not surprise you that many former teachers excel at writing and thus, make great writers. If you have hung up your teaching robes for good, you may want to consider becoming one.

There a high probability that you will find the profession suits you. You will also find there is much demand for writers. You could choose to become a part of the publishing industry and work with textbook publishers too. Or, you could write for the entertainment industry. Other choices include fulfilling the writing needs of a business or a nonprofit organization. That would mean drawing up technically sound documents, proposals, grant applications, and marketing write-ups.

When you choose this profession, you can also opt to freelance. As you already know, with freelancing come many advantages, such as working on your own schedule, from remote locations, and only taking projects that interest you. The job pays too! As a technical writer, you might earn between $71,850 and $114,930 – and even more, as your experience increases. Authors earn anywhere between $62,170 and $121,670.

Museum Educator

Museums are more than exhibits. They are an immersive experience that were present much earlier than when the digital world made its appearance. If you have ever visited one, you already know how the management may design special programs for its visitors. Those programs provide the context for the items on display.

Why not choose to be a museum educator? Your responsibilities will then include designing regular tours, preparing for field trip programs, and planning something special on weekends, historical anniversaries, etc.

As a teacher, you most likely are used to planning lessons and developing parts of curricula. You're no stranger to presenting ideas to large audiences or making them approach an issue from a new angle. Designing programs for a museum will require you to draw on those skills. You might even enjoy delving deeper into the past events and other cultures!

Instructional Technology Specialist

The American classroom of today isn't what it used to be in the previous century. Students have advanced gadgets at home that they use regularly. Therefore, holding their attention for longer than a few minutes requires the use of technology. An Instructional Technology Specialist or ITS is an expert who facilitates the acquiring of such technology. They are also responsible for its quick and effective integration into the school curriculum.

Sure, you can teach with a degree in education or teaching. But that isn't all they are good for. There is so much more you can do even after you have left working in the classroom for good. You may choose to stick to the field of education. But you can also enter a vastly different field if that is what you want. Your degree just holds the door open for you! Need even more alternative career options? Talk to us!