What Can You Do With an Education Degree? 14 High-Paying Jobs
By Devlin Peck · Updated
Part of the Teacher Career Change guide
An education degree qualifies you for far more than a classroom. The 14 roles below span corporate learning and development, edtech, technical writing, project management, and school leadership, with pay ranging from roughly $59,000 to $127,090 per year. Teaching is one option, not the only one.
If you're planning to leave the classroom entirely, my guide to the best jobs for former teachers covers the whole decision. This page focuses on where the degree itself gives you an edge.
What can you do with an education degree besides teaching?
You can move into corporate learning and development, edtech, technical writing, project management, or school-adjacent leadership. The 14 roles below pay between about $59,000 and $127,090, and several require no additional degree beyond the one you already have.
Here's the full list at a glance, ordered by pay:
| Role | Pay (median unless noted) | Growth (2024-2034) | Extra credential needed? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training and development manager | $127,090 | 6% | No new degree; senior experience | BLS (May 2024) |
| School principal | $104,070 | n/a | Master's in ed leadership + teaching experience | BLS (May 2024) |
| Project manager | $100,750 | 6% | Optional certificate (CAPM/PMP) | BLS (May 2024) |
| Technical writer | $91,670 | 1% | None; writing portfolio | BLS (May 2024) |
| School psychologist | $84,940 | n/a | Specialist-level graduate program | BLS (May 2024) |
| Instructional designer | $83,347 (average) | n/a | None; portfolio | Devlin Peck's ID Salary Survey |
| Instructional coordinator / curriculum developer | $74,720 | 1% | Often a master's on the school side | BLS (May 2024) |
| EdTech specialist / customer success | $69,398 (average) | n/a | None | Salary.com |
| Educational consultant | $68,877 (average) | n/a | Teaching experience | Glassdoor |
| Corporate trainer | $65,850 | 11% | None | BLS (May 2024) |
| School & career counselor | $65,140 | n/a | Master's for school counseling | BLS (May 2024) |
| Education HR specialist | $64,350 (average) | n/a | Optional HR certificate | Salary.com |
| Librarian | $64,320 | n/a | MLIS degree | BLS (May 2024) |
| Preschool director | $59,483 (average) | n/a | State licensing (varies) | Glassdoor |
Fourteen options is a lot to weigh. Tell the matcher below what matters to you (salary floor, remote work, how much extra schooling you'll tolerate) and it will rank these paths into a personal shortlist.
Answer a few questions and I will rank all 14 jobs in this article against your constraints. You get a personal shortlist with a link to each job's section, not a generic list.
Which corporate jobs can you get with an education degree?
Corporate learning and development is where education-degree pay ceilings rise fastest, because these roles pay on corporate scales rather than district salary schedules. Six roles stand out.
Instructional designer
Instructional designers combine learning science with writing, psychology, and design to create training experiences for companies, nonprofits, and government agencies. If you want the full picture of the day-to-day, here's what an instructional designer does.
The pay is strong. According to Devlin Peck's Instructional Designer Salary Survey, full-time instructional designers in the US average $83,347 per year. Corporate IDs average $87,384, and roughly one in five US respondents earn $100,000 or more.
You don't need an education degree to succeed in instructional design, but the one you have transfers almost perfectly. Learning theory, curriculum design, assessment, and working with stakeholders all carry over. This is why so many former teachers pick this path; my guide on how teachers transition into instructional design walks through it step by step.
What corporate hiring managers actually screen for is a portfolio. A small set of polished work samples beats a second degree in nearly every corporate hiring process. Plenty of aspiring IDs host their portfolio sites on devlin.host, the free project hosting inside my AI simulation builder devlin.ai.
Real people make this jump all the time. Sean Anderson, a former teacher, built a portfolio and now works in instructional design at PowerSchool. You can see his story and others like it on the Peck Academy showcase.
Training and development manager
This is the highest-paying role on the list: a $127,090 median salary with 6% projected growth from 2024 to 2034, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024). Training and development managers lead the teams that instructional designers and trainers work on. They own training strategy, budgets, and vendor decisions.
Be realistic about the path: this is a destination role, not an entry point. Most people reach it after several years as a trainer or instructional designer. But if you're mapping a five-to-ten-year career after teaching, this is the ceiling worth knowing about.
Corporate trainer
Corporate training is the closest match to classroom teaching on this list. You facilitate workshops, onboarding, and on-the-job training for adult learners inside companies. Classroom management, lesson pacing, and presentation skills transfer directly.
BLS data (May 2024) puts the median at $65,850 for training and development specialists, with 11% projected growth from 2024 to 2034.
Technical writer
Technical writers turn complex information into manuals, help centers, and product documentation. It draws on the same skills teaching does: organizing information and simplifying difficult ideas for a specific audience.
Pay is higher than most people expect. The BLS median is $91,670 as of May 2024, though projected growth is a flat 1%. Many technical writers also freelance on a project basis, which adds flexibility. Your way in is a portfolio: rewrite a confusing process doc, document a piece of software you know well, and build three or four samples before you apply.
Project manager
Project management rewards exactly what teaching builds: planning, communication, deadline juggling, and problem-solving under pressure. Project management specialists earn a $100,750 median salary per BLS data (May 2024), with 6% projected growth from 2024 to 2034.
Some roles want proof you've run projects before, so start by naming the projects you already ran as a teacher (curriculum rollouts, events, accreditation prep). An entry-level certificate like the CAPM, and later the PMP, gives hiring managers an easy reason to say yes.
EdTech specialist or customer success manager
Learning-technology companies hire former educators for implementation, onboarding, and customer success roles: helping schools and companies adopt their platforms and get results from them. You already speak the customer's language, which is the hardest thing for these companies to train.
Salary.com lists an average of $69,398 for educational technology specialists, and customer success roles at edtech companies often pay on software-industry scales with bonuses on top.
Which education jobs pay well outside the classroom?
If you want to stay in education without a classroom, leadership, counseling, and curriculum roles pay between about $59,000 and $104,070. The trade-off: most of them require an extra credential or license.
School principal
Principals set school strategy, manage senior staff, and answer to districts and boards. The BLS median is $104,070 (May 2024), the highest school-side figure on this list.
Plan for the requirements: nearly every state expects a master's degree in educational administration or leadership plus several years of classroom teaching. Your education degree is the foundation, not the finish line.
School psychologist
School psychologists support student well-being and work closely with students who have additional learning needs. BLS data (May 2024) puts the median at $84,940.
One thing to get right before you commit: this role requires a specialist-level graduate program, typically three years including a supervised internship. A general psychology degree plus an education degree does not qualify you in most states. The NASP graduate program directory is the place to find accredited programs.
Instructional coordinator (curriculum developer)
Instructional coordinators and curriculum developers design curriculum frameworks, refine existing courses, and train teachers on new materials. BLS treats these as one occupation with a $74,720 median (May 2024) and 1% projected growth. School districts usually want a master's degree plus teaching experience.
The corporate version of this role skips the credential requirement. Joanna Cappuccilli, a former teacher, moved into curriculum development at Amazon Web Services after building a portfolio; her story is on the same showcase linked above.
Educational consultant
Educational consultants advise schools and districts on teaching practice, assessment methods, and technology integration without delivering lessons themselves. It's a strong fit if you have a track record and want variety. Glassdoor lists an average of $68,877. Credibility comes from experience here, so this path suits teachers with several years behind them.
School counselor, career counselor, or academic advisor
These three titles fall under one BLS category, school and career counselors and advisors, with a $65,140 median (May 2024). Academic advisors guide students through degree requirements; career counselors help them pick and prepare for career paths.
Note the credential split: K-12 school counseling requires a master's in school counseling plus state licensure, while academic advising roles in higher education often require only a bachelor's degree.
Librarian
Modern librarianship looks nothing like the stereotype. School and academic librarians manage digital resources, eLearning platforms, and research instruction. The BLS median is $64,320 (May 2024). Most positions require a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), so factor one to two years of graduate school into the plan.
Education HR specialist
HR specialists in education handle recruitment, grievances, and staff relations across schools and districts. Your understanding of how schools actually work is the differentiator over generic HR candidates. Salary.com lists an average of $64,350, and an HR certificate can speed up the transition.
Preschool director
Preschool directors own curriculum, operations, staffing, and compliance for early-years programs. It's the most responsibility-dense role at this pay level, but a rewarding one if early childhood is your specialty. Glassdoor lists an average of $59,483. Licensing requirements vary by state, so check yours before committing.
Do you need a master's degree or extra credentials for these jobs?
No for the corporate track, yes for most school-adjacent roles. Instructional design, corporate training, technical writing, project management, and edtech roles typically require a bachelor's degree plus a portfolio or a short certificate. School leadership, counseling, and library roles usually require an additional degree or state license.
| Bachelor's + portfolio or certificate | Additional degree or license required |
|---|---|
| Instructional designer | School principal (master's + teaching experience) |
| Corporate trainer | School psychologist (specialist-level program) |
| Technical writer | School counselor (master's + licensure) |
| Project manager (CAPM/PMP optional) | Librarian (MLIS) |
| EdTech specialist / customer success | Instructional coordinator (often a master's, school side) |
| Education HR specialist (HR certificate optional) | Preschool director (state licensing, varies) |
| Educational consultant (experience-based) |
This split should shape your decision. If you need income within six months, the left column is realistic. The right column is a one-to-three-year plan with tuition attached.
How do former teachers actually make the switch?
Pick one target role, translate your teaching artifacts into that field's language, and build a small portfolio before you apply. Here's the sequence that works:
Pick one target role, not five
Use the table and matcher above to commit to a single path. Generic applications spread across five job titles lose to focused candidates every time.
Translate your teaching experience
Lesson plans become curriculum design samples. Professional development sessions become training facilitation. Student data tracking becomes learning analytics. Start with the full list of transferable skills from teaching and map yours to your target role's job descriptions.
Build two or three portfolio pieces
Create work samples that speak your target industry's language: an eLearning module for instructional design, product documentation for technical writing, a project plan for project management. This is what gets interviews.
Rework your resume, then apply deliberately
Rewrite your resume and LinkedIn around the new title and its keywords, not your teaching title. My guide to changing careers from teaching covers the messaging in detail.
If your real constraint is working from home, most of the corporate roles above can be done remotely; my roundup of remote jobs for former teachers goes deeper on which ones.
And if you want structure and feedback for the instructional design route specifically, that's what my school, Peck Academy, exists for. It's a licensed career school where you build a flagship Storyline 360 portfolio project with extensive feedback, and an advisory committee of 10 independent industry experts keeps the curriculum current.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with a teaching degree besides teach?
You can move into instructional design, corporate training, technical writing, project management, or edtech customer success on the corporate side, or into counseling, curriculum, consulting, and leadership roles within education. Several of the corporate options require nothing beyond your existing bachelor's degree and a portfolio of work samples.
What is the highest paying job with an education degree?
Training and development manager is the highest-paying realistic destination, with a $127,090 median salary per BLS data (May 2024). On the school side, principals top the list at a $104,070 median, though the role requires a master's degree and years of teaching experience.
Is an education degree worth it?
Yes, and not only for teaching. The degree builds curriculum design, assessment, and communication skills that corporate employers pay $65,000 to $127,000 for. Its value depends on pairing it with the right next step: a portfolio for corporate roles, or a graduate credential for school leadership and counseling paths.
Can you work in business with an education degree?
Yes. Corporate learning and development teams regularly hire education graduates as instructional designers, trainers, and program managers. Most corporate employers care more about demonstrable skills and work samples than about what your degree says.