In this installment, we’re exploring the field of Education, a traditional area of study that continues to evolve and adapt along with changing career landscapes and new technologies. Studying education today encompasses much more than preparation for classroom teaching. In addition to that classic role, new subfields for education majors include User Experience (UX) and Instructional Design.
First, we’ll explore the various paths to teaching children in classroom settings, also asking, “what type of college student would fit well with this field?” Then we’ll dive into two emerging and interconnected fields that came out of education, offering vibrant alternatives for students drawn to education but interested in roles beyond the classroom.
Who Thrives In Education?
One of the biggest draws of the education field is that it allows students with specific academic interests to pursue a career that actually involves, rather than capitalizes on, their educational background. Certain subject areas – like history, literature, or earth science – allow these same graduates to work with history and literature on a daily basis, remaining close to the academic fields they love.
It’s crucial to note, however, that a passion for the subject matter isn’t the whole picture when it comes to finding your fit in education. Classroom teaching also involves a large amount of pedagogy (the study of learning and teaching), understanding of child development, and community facilitating. For this reason, students drawn to teaching often, but not always, have backgrounds that involve mentorship, camp counseling, or youth leadership groups. Classroom teaching combines the social-emotional skills with an opportunity to inspire young learners with subject material on a daily basis.
Students intending to teach typically reach their goal via one of two contrasting paths. The most traditional path to education involves an undergraduate major in education (typically elementary or secondary), often supplemented by a minor or double-major in the academic field one wishes to teach. For elementary education majors who are learning how to teach a diverse range of subjects with a focus on age-specific development, a subject-area double-major is less necessary, but can of course be an exciting and enriching addition. During or after graduation, education majors are able to pursue licensure in their state of residence as a classroom teacher.
The other, newer path to classroom teaching is called “alternative certification pathways,” and is also an accepted method to pursue educational licensure. Students following this path obtain an undergraduate degree in their subject area of choice – anything from the social sciences, to STEM, business to the humanities – and then pursue abridged postgraduate coursework in education to become credentialed (requirements vary by state). This path leads to certification in the student’s subject of choice, and the eventual certification doesn’t differ from a traditional certification.
While teaching is a rewarding and important career, the field is rife with misconceptions. Education has become more challenging in our increasingly interconnected and tech-focused world, and many wrongly assume that it’s a low-paying career choice. While no one goes into education to get rich, classroom teaching is actually a remarkably stable and resilient career path, offering among other benefits:
- Routine vacation and time off
- Robust government benefits
- Retirement plan
- Union backing
Teaching can also be misconstrued as a career with limited opportunities, when in fact classroom experience can lead to exciting roles across various industries:
- Higher education admissions
- Research
- Education technologies
- And the emerging paths we explore below…
Instructional & Curriculum Design: A Specialized Direction
Curriculum/instructional design is connected to classroom education, but is its own distinct field. For students passionate about both the practical and philosophical sides of pedagogy, but prefer a more generalized and creative role than classroom teaching, curriculum design offers a great alternative. Curriculum design studies and creates effective, engaging, culturally-relevant curriculum. This specialized field focuses on:
- Instructional design principles
- Education technologies (especially emerging ones)
- Equity and diversity in curriculum materials
Career opportunities include positions with school districts, universities (as instructional designers), educational publishing companies, and corporate and government training departments. Education students can begin developing expertise in instructional design by learning concrete skills and models such as ADDIE and Backward Design. Traditionally, students became curriculum designers via a bachelor of arts degree in education and a masters in curriculum design, but some universities now incorporate curriculum design into an undergraduate degree. In addition, specialized professional certificates in curriculum design have become an attractive and affordable alternative to a traditional masters for many students.
UX Design: A Broader Approach
User Experience (UX) Design is a distinct but related field that developed in the 1990s. It focuses on how users experience products, businesses, or technologies, whether educational, professional, leisure/personal. UX Design seeks to optimize accessibility, ease, usability, and value. Work in this field combines research, testing, and design in collaboration with coders, marketers, and other specialists. If classroom teaching applies pedagogy in a community-facing, academic setting, and curriculum designers apply these same principles in creative, behind-the-scenes ways in schools, then UX Designers can be thought of as the people applying these principles in the world at large – from established corporations to emerging start-ups.
UX Design is a lesser-known path that we expect will gain recognition and importance over the next decade. UX Designers are a crucial part of our transition to a more digitized, integrated, and supportive world. Many educators find that their expertise in scaffolding complex concepts, analyzing learning barriers, and creating accessible materials transfers seamlessly to user experience opportunities. This crossover potential makes UX Design an exciting alternative career path for education majors who want to apply their pedagogical knowledge in broader contexts while still making meaningful contributions to how people learn and interact with the world.
For a long time, the field of education suffered from stereotypes and misconceptions about who belongs in the classroom versus in school (or district and beyond) administration. Thanks to efforts to diversify the teaching profession, including myriad scholarship opportunities, mentorship programs, and professional organizations, leadership roles in the field are increasingly held by educators of wide ranging backgrounds. At Plan the Path, we find that one of the reasons so many students get excited about education is the potential to make a meaningful difference in others’ lives. Because education prepares students to tackle challenges like inequitable access to learning, technological literacy, and community development, careers in this field remain practical, durable, and resilient choices.