By Ellie Santonato
“Bright Outlook Careers” refer to occupations or professions that are projected to have a significant growth rate, high demand for workers, or promising job opportunities in the future. These careers typically offer favorable prospects for employment, advancement, or earning potential due to factors such as technological advancements, demographic trends, or changes in the economy.”
Welcome to the blogpost series by the Education, Human Services, and Government Career Community that helps students and alumni explore careers within their area of study.
The College of Education at DePaul University enrolled 1,300 students between their undergraduate and graduate programs. 2/3rd of the students enrolled in the college partake in teacher education programs dedicated to becoming the future educators of early childhood, elementary schools, middle grades, and secondary schools. A professional educator transforms lives, making the world a better place one student at a time.
Education students can find themselves traditionally working in early childcare centers and Kindergarten through 12th grade education facilities ranging from private institutions, public schools, and charters. Some students with education degrees may find themselves in leadership positions at the district level. Others may find themselves working within schools and then transferring to related industries such as nonprofit.
Being an education major equips you with a variety of transferable skills that are valuable in numerous careers beyond teaching. Here are some key skills you might have developed:
Communication Skills: Effective verbal and written communication is crucial in education and applicable in any role that involves teamwork, presentations, or client interactions.
Leadership and Management: As an education major, you learn how to lead groups, manage classroom dynamics, and guide students, which translates well into leadership and managerial roles.
Problem-Solving: Teaching requires quick thinking and adaptability, helping you become skilled at identifying challenges and finding solutions, a valuable skill in any job.
Organization and Planning: Lesson planning involves setting goals, creating materials, and managing time efficiently, which are essential skills in project management and other organizational roles.
Adaptability: Educators frequently adjust their teaching strategies to meet diverse learning needs, a skill that is valuable in any role requiring flexibility and quick adaptation to change.
Interpersonal Skills: Working with students, parents, and colleagues hones your ability to collaborate, empathize, and build relationships, which is important in customer service, HR, and team-oriented environments.
Public Speaking: Teaching often involves speaking in front of groups, enhancing your confidence and skills in public speaking and presentation.
Critical Thinking: You learn to analyze information, assess student needs, and make data-driven decisions, which are applicable in research, policy-making, and data analysis roles.
Creativity: Developing engaging lessons fosters creativity, which can be valuable in marketing, content creation, and innovative problem-solving.
Attention to Detail: Grading, lesson planning, and monitoring student progress require careful attention to detail, useful in administrative, editorial, and quality control roles.
These skills make education majors well-suited for a variety of careers, such as training and development, corporate communications, project management, counseling, and more.
Here’s how you can use your Early Childhood, Elementary, & Secondary Education degree to become any of the following Bright Outlook Careers:
If you are interested in teaching at the middle school level or the high school grades an attractive feature of applicants is their interests in coaching sports. Educators looking to get more involved with their schools should speak with administration. These additional responsibilities allow educators more opportunities to interact with students and develop deeper relationships. Additionally, it allows early-career educators more opportunities to practice instruction and implement various learning strategies. Finally, there is an aspect of administration and management that comes with coaching. One must be prepared to demonstrate leadership technique, strategic planning, and possibly resource allocation.
Working for school administrators is not for everyone as some educational leaders may hold unrealistic expectations for their teachers. Some educators might work better being their “own boss” and may prefer to care for children in private households and provide support and expertise to parents in satisfying children’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and social needs. Duties may include meal planning and preparation, laundry and clothing care, organization of play activities and outings, discipline, intellectual stimulation, language activities, and transportation.
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
Although not directly related to the field of education, this bright outlook careers working as a Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner holds many transferable skills educators have. For example, one must be well versed in organizing, planning, and prioritizing workload. Much of this skill development comes from lesson planning in which as an educator one must determine specific goals and has to plan, organize, prioritize various instruction methods to get students to accomplish their work. Additionally, a teacher must be able to analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best solutions and solve problems. If you are interested in this type of work one might find themselves working in the hospitality industry or working for a for-profit organization or private association.
When one thinks of working in the non-profit sector working in development as a fundraising manager/coordinator usually is one of the first thoughts that comes to mind. This is a bright outlook career area looking at 5% to 8% projected growth between 2022 and 2032. In other words, O*Net Online is projecting this career will open 2,500 over in the next eight years.
Training and Development Specialists
As the 2023-24 school year began I wrote two blog posts (August 2023, September 2023) regarding where teachers were ending up employed after leaving their classrooms. Mentioned, but truly explored in either article is that many educators find themselves in Training and Development Specialists roles. This is because as an L & D specialist you will design or conduct work-related training and development programs to improve individual skills or organizational performance. May analyze organizational training needs or evaluate training effectiveness.
In every previous and future Bright Outlook Careers post, we try our hardest to select positions that would not require any additional training or education. However, some related Bright Careers will require some additional credentials.
Archivists usually need a master’s degree in one of the following fields: History, Library Science, Archival Studies, Political Science, and Public Administration. The most common and versatile is a Library Science degree as well as Archival Studies. In the work’s most basic form, an Archivist will Participate in research activities based on archival materials. In other words, an Archivist will appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
For some educators they may enjoy working in the school environment, but the daily tasks of instruction, management, and grading may have become too much. To become a School Social Worker, one must obtain their MSW (Master of Social Work) along with their LSW (Licensed Social Worker). As a School Social Worker one will provide assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children to maximize the academic functioning of the students. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy.
Much like teaching Speech-Language Pathologists have the opportunity to work with a majority of young children. One of their main responsibilities is to analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals similar to how an educator will do the same for a student’s reading and math comprehension. Additionally, a Speech-Language Pathologist be well-versed in learning strategies. In other words, they will be well-equipped to select and use training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. Overall, a Speech-Language Pathologist will assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.
In closing, exploring Bright Outlook Careers is crucial for students and alumni to navigate the evolving landscape of employment opportunities. With a foundational understanding of various industries, Early Childhood, Elementary, & Secondary Education Students can harness their skills and knowledge to thrive in diverse industries, shaping the future of society and their own professional trajectories.
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Need more guidance on utilizing your tools when it comes to future experiences. Whether you’re a senior looking for post graduate opportunities, an alumni looking for a new opportunity or a student looking for employment opportunities, we are here to help you. Book an appointment with Ellie, or another member of the advising community through Handshake, or by calling the front desk at (773) 325-7431.