Jobs Related to Education

The field of education offers plenty of job options other than teaching positions. Training in education and teaching experience provides educators with broad knowledge and a diverse skill set. This can lead to successful career transition, especially with additional education and/or training. Fields professional educators may find themselves interested in pursuing include education administration, school counseling and counseling psychology.

Education Administration

• Educational administrators often have backgrounds in teaching. Educational administrators are responsible for, essentially, managing the school and working with the school system. Teaching involves management skills, in the form of classroom management. Those very skills can be applied in the administration of the school.

  Educational administrators include principals and vice principals, who take care of the business aspect of the school and make sure that educational standards are being met through the school's curriculum. Librarians obtain specialized training in library science and oversee the school's informational resource systems. Other administration jobs include working as a school secretary, also known as the registrar. The registrar is responsible for keeping track of attendance, academic and other student records.

School Counseling

• School counselors, also called guidance counselors, work directly with K-12 students but in a different capacity than teachers and are technically administrative staff. School counselors receive specialized training in counseling, not education, and are required to meet licensing requirements according to the states in which they teach. School counselors are educated about human development, the specific social issues school-aged children encounter, as well as how to counsel students on their educational and career options. Transitioning into school counseling could be ideal for teachers who are looking for a career option that will allow them to help students succeed both personally and socially, as well as academically.

Counseling Psychology

• Counseling psychology is also related to education and might not be a far jump for a career-changer working as a school guidance counselor. The jobs are different, but the employment setting may be same, depending on your area. Some schools hire mental health counselors in addition to school counselors to help students that have more serious psychological and social problems than common problems such as bullying and lack of motivation.

  Counseling can allow educators to use their training in psychology and behavior, knowledge of human development, people skills and desire to help others in a significant, life-changing way. Like guidance counselors, mental health counselors receive specialized training and must meet licensing requirements in their states of residency, which include at least a master's degree in mental health counseling or, depending on the state, a related field.

  Education is a "helping" profession, part of a cluster of careers that involve social service. According to the Northwestern University Department of Psychology, courses required of students in the field of education, such as human development, communications and courses in social and cultural studies, can be very relevant to a career in counseling psychology. As such, educators may consider pursuing doctoral study in counseling or clinical psychology, which further increases career options in the counseling field.