The educational sector is vast. You can work publicly, privately, in government agencies, and in NGOs. There is no limit where you can work in education because society as a whole needs education to continue to evolve and improve. This applies from its most elementary form to post-graduate education.
There are so many roles and so many opportunities out there and an indescribable amount of need. The world needs more teachers, more educators, more educational policymakers. It needs people who care and who can improve the very face of education so that it is more accessible and more intuitive.
Job Roles within the Educational Sector
There are numerous roles within the educational sector. Not only that, but it is so large and has so many different students to cater to that you can even make your own role and create a future role that is entirely your own.
You can work in so many different fields and organizations, including:
- In schools, colleges, and universities
- In government education departments
- At NGOs and non-profits
- In prisons and rehabilitation facilities
- At museums
- As a consultant
- In curriculum development
- In training and development
- In educational policy development
- Privately as an educator
Whenever someone needs to learn, you have a prospective job opening. Considering that learning is as essential to students as it is to employees, there is no shortage of opportunities for you when you want to work in the education sector.
How to Further Your Career in the Educational Sector
1. Start with a Foundational Degree
You do not actually need a teaching degree to get started in the education sector, especially if you don’t intend to teach children. You can earn an English degree, or a marketing degree, or even a business degree. The higher up in the educational sector you go, the more you will realize that management and organization skills are key to your success, so while a teaching degree can be a great place to start if you want to work in academic institutions (at least at first), it is not the only path forward.
2. Getting Started with Your Career
While you can immediately go on to earn an MA in education, this is not the only way forward. You can instead start working professionally. This could be an essential step if you didn’t earn a high enough grade to qualify for that masters. If that is the case, don’t worry because most institutions will allow you to use work experience to qualify if your grades didn’t make the cut.
Even if you did earn enough to qualify for that masters, there are many reasons why you would want to hold off. Having professional experience can make your post-graduate degree more relevant, can help you understand what you want to do with your career, and of course, can help you propel your career forward.
The best part about this choice is that, in many cases, you won’t even need to take time off from your career to go back to university. There are 100% online degrees that can be taken on a part-time basis, allowing you to progress your career two-fold.
3. Earn a Master’s in Education
Being a teacher is a very noble career choice, but if you want to help people on a grander scale rather than a personal one, earning an MA education online is a must. Of course, you can customize it to help suit your interests; for example, you can specialize in educational leadership, language, and literacy, or in special education needs, but overall, what this degree is going to do is prepare you for more advanced roles.
Instead of working with students, you will be working to improve every student’s experience. This can be for the public education sector or for a specific group or organization. Either way, you will combine theoretical and organizational theory with improving curriculum, learning environments, and even teaching tools for the betterment of students everywhere.
4. Start Looking Beyond the Classroom
Teachers can work in many great sectors, and the best part is that regardless of where they work, their influence will be critical for future generations. Of course, you don’t need to wait until you earn your Master’s in Education before you move on to more policy-focused roles, but it can help you secure the position in question.
5. Stay Up to Date with Policy and Theory
A Master’s in Education is a platform from which you can build your career. Without regular maintenance, however, the foundation can start to crumble. So keep it sturdy by regularly attending workshops, talks, and reading journals and other publications so that you are on top of the latest theory and policy changes. This is how you stay on top of your career and how you can become a lead thinker in education.
6. Attend Networking Events
Those workshops, talks, conferences, and other similar live events are excellent networking opportunities. This even applies to online events, thanks to new platforms that encourage networking and communication with a variety of innovative tools. Use these opportunities to get in touch with great people throughout different divisions and organizations. Collaboration is key for a bright future for education.
7. Use Your Network
Networking is also excellent to help you get unique job opportunities come your way. Never underestimate how much people want to hire the known factor instead of going through the traditional recruitment process. Not only that, but you can also get top minds for jobs you post for if your network is thriving.
8. Forge Your Own Way Forward
No matter what, it is key to remember that education is a very pliable field. If you see a missing piece, then fill it. Making your own way is just as important for education and for students. You can become an advocate for a minority so that their needs are finally seen and met. You can work to include new essential information into the standard curriculum that was not there before. Trailblazers are essential to make education more accessible, fair, and useful, so don’t hesitate to forge your own way forward.
