Jobs for the Major

Jobs for the Major

How this major affects a job search

So you've got your degree in elementary education and need a job to start paying off those college loans. If you're worried about that, consider this: The unemployment rate for educators is among the lowest at 3.9%. That means you'll be able to hopscotch straight into your career with the little tykes.

Since this major is so straightforward, the skills you obtain aren't directly transferable to other careers. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on what you want. Teachers have the liberty of swapping one subject for another, if they so desire, and if you're pretty sure you like teaching, and you're pretty sure you like kids, then we're pretty sure you're good to go.

If you have any major doubts, then we have three little words for you: Bail. Out. Now. There's no going back, unless it's to start over.

Common Career Fields

Adult Literacy Teacher: Maybe after getting your degree, you discover that kids aren't the audience you're looking for, and that's okay—all that constant high energy can often result in low energy. It doesn't make you a bad person to want to kick the coffee and Red Bull habit. There are plenty of fully grown adults who need help learning how to read instead. Some people have never had access to education, like immigrants who come over to Team USA. They all need help, too.

Early Childhood Teacher: There isn't a huge difference between a thirty-year-old and a thirty-five-year-old, but a two-year-old and a seven-year-old? Massive, and we're not just talkin' inches. If you find elementary school isn't your calling, you can take a step down in age and work with younger children. Somebody has to teach them their A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s, so why not Y-O-U?

Elementary School Teacher: An elementary education student becoming an elementary school teacher? Well, I'll be darned. Elementary education is the name of the game here, folks, and most people studying it do (surprise) end up teachin' tots. It's straightforward in a way that not many majors are. For example, most people studying film don't become filmmakers, but you? You're living up to the name of your major.

Guidance Counselor: Guidance counselors have very important roles in the lives of children. Sure, you won't be teaching them mathematics or supervising them at recess, but you'll be molding them into responsible and productive members of society (no pressure). Working with especially troubled children can be rewarding and mutually beneficial, too. Who doesn't love symbiosis?

Instructional Coordinator: Those curriculum classes you took are going to come in handy big time here. You might have been thinking it would only help you a little if you were a teacher, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You can actually create different systems of instruction to fit schools or classes. If you're working in the higher levels of the school systems, you can institute a universal approach that is taught in multiple schools.

Librarian: Kids scream and cry. That's just what they do. Some people are amazing at dealing with that, but others prefer the sound of silence. If you're in the latter category, becoming a librarian might be for you. You can still work with children, but in a quiet and controlled setting. It's kind of like taking the best of children and combining it with books. It's the best of both worlds. Also, double-plus if you like to color-code things and have a penchant for shushing people.

Teacher Assistant: Being a teacher is hard enough as it is, but managing an entire class of children by yourself can be extremely overwhelming, and even more so if there are children who need special attention. Poor teacher, drowning in a sea of pint-sized students, and right after lunch, too…but wait. What's that in the sky? A bird? A plane? Why no, it's a teacher assistant, come to save the day. Time to kick anxiety's butt and relieve pressure off the teacher. They're a teacher's salvation, superheroes, but without the cheesy catchphrases.

Current unemployment of the major

3.9%

Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college

42%

Stats obtained from this source.