Field of Study Overview

Studying in the field of education will help prepare you to be an effective and inspirational teacher. You will learn skills on how to manage a classroom while still providing an interesting lesson. In this field, you will influence children, teenagers or adults in a way that can change their lives. A teacher is much more than an educator, you will act as a counselor, disciplinarian, friend, and confidant. The roles you will play in the lives of your students are endless.

However, teaching is not the only career available in the field of education. It is also possible to become a principle or an administrator. Here is where you take the knowledge you already have about the teaching profession and use it to help your school run smoothly. Another direction that you may choose to go within this field is career or guidance counseling. This allows you to have a more one on one role with the student in order to motivate and encourage them.

If education interests you, but working directly with students is not your passion, you may choose to work as a curriculum developer. Here you would work with state standards and tests, instruction methods, and technology to make sure students are getting the best education possible.

Required Skills

There are many different skills essential to working in education: Some of the most important are enthusiasm, compassion, dedication, creativity, organization, and flexibility. No matter how perfectly you plan a lesson or a meeting; there is always a chance that something may not go according to plan, making quick thinking and adaptability important. It is also important to have a passion for the future, even if you are not working directly in a classroom every day.

There is a very wide variety of majors within education. Students with different strengths can excel in this field because of the endless options. Students in education should have a desire to help the greater common good and should also have strong communication skills. Communication is important for teaching, but also to make sure everyone is on the same page, whether it is parents, administrators, or the state. Most of the concentrations within this field will require at least one semester of student teaching.

Careers

There are a variety of career opportunities for those who enter the education field. Some may want to be a classroom teacher in either a particular grade level or subject, whereas others will choose to serve as a school administrator. Other options include school counseling, curriculum development, educational policy, tutoring and more. With the many diverse directions you can go, there is bound to be a career options that appeals to you.

Average starting salary of education graduates is $34,942 with a mid-career salary of $54,870. This may vary depending on what field you go into.