Education Careers Outlook
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in the field of education is expected to increase by 20 percent through 2014, higher than the average growth rate projected for all industries. Aside from growth within the field, many job openings will arise from the need to replace workers who retire or change occupations.
Enrollments in elementary, middle, and secondary school are projected to remain flat, which will lead to average employment growth for preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers. Opportunities should be good, though, in schools in inner cities and rural areas, and in the following states that are predicted to have large increases in enrollment: California, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. Opportunities should also be strong for educators who specialize in the teaching of mathematics, science (especially chemistry and physics), bilingual education, vocational education, and foreign languages.
Postsecondary student enrollments are expected to increase, spurring much faster than average employment growth for postsecondary teachers. Opportunities should be especially strong in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Although college enrollment is expected to increase, competition for full-time faculty and administrator positions will remain high. Lower paid, part-time instructors, such as visiting professors and graduate students, are replacing tenure-track faculty positions. Organizations such as the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers are working to prevent the loss of full-time jobs, as well as to help part-time instructors receive better pay and benefits.
More instructors will find work in community colleges and other adult education programs. The federal government is committed to providing vocational training for high school graduates who choose not to enroll immediately in four-year colleges or universities. These school-to-work programs prepare graduating seniors for high-wage technical jobs and require trained adult and vocational education teachers.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the number of special education teachers, speech-language pathologists and audiologists, and counselors will grow about as fast as the average occupation through 2014, because of increasing enrollment of special education students, continued emphasis on inclusion of disabled students in general education classrooms, and the effort to reach students with problems at younger ages. Jobs for teacher assistants also will grow somewhat faster than average in general, special education, and English-as-a-second-language classrooms.
Careers in Education:
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Career and Employment Counselors and Technicians
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Computer Trainers
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Elementary School Teachers
- English as a Second Language Teachers
- Guidance Counselors
- Interpreters and Translators
- Mathematics Teachers
- Medical Ethicists
- Naturalists
- Nursing Instructors
- Preschool Teachers
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Special Education Teachers
- Teacher Aides
For More Information:
- American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
- American Association of School Administrators
- American Association of University Professors
- American Federation of Teachers
- National Education Association
- Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children