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Types of Entry-Level Jobs for Education Majors

If you’re an education major with a passion for teaching others, you might be wondering about the various career paths you can take after graduation. Should you apply for a job as a high school or elementary school teacher or look for a position in a related field like the nonprofit sector? The answer depends on your interests but the great news is that education majors are very much in demand.

Here are some of the most common entry-level jobs for education majors:

High school teacher

As a high school teacher of one or more subjects, you’ll make lesson plans, grade student assignments and prepare students for state-required standardized tests. You’ll also work with students both inside and outside the classroom on class projects related to the subjects you teach. A job as a high school teacher can be fun, challenging and creative because you’ll be constantly learning as you teach. This is a great role for someone who wants to work with teenagers and help them develop the skills and motivation needed to succeed in college and beyond.

Elementary school teacher

An elementary school teacher makes learning fun by engaging students and helping them grasp the fundamentals of different subjects. Even more importantly, elementary school teachers encourage students to express themselves, think creatively, solve problems and act empathetically. Being an elementary school teacher is wonderful opportunity to help young students build confidence and develop a genuine love of learning.

Counselor

As a high school or college counselor, you’ll offer students one-on-one attention on their academic coursework and their personal and professional goals. If you’re working at a college or university, you could also offer advice on financial aid and help with career-related decisions. This is a great position for someone interested in helping students navigate the challenges that come along with their academic lives.

Nonprofit coordinator

As a coordinator at a nonprofit, you’ll use your interpersonal skills to organize and execute programs and events. You could also work as an education coordinator, helping to coordinate educational activities and review existing educational initiatives. You might also be in charge of coordinating programs with family and community organizations and monitoring program evaluations. This is a great role for someone interested in working for a nonprofit and someone who thrives in a position where they can help others.

Teaching assistant

As a teaching assistant at an elementary school or high school, you’ll assist teachers with class preparation and grading, as well as help students who need additional help. This is a great role for someone who is interested in working with students in a hands-on way or someone who is considering becoming a teacher and wants to get some additional experience in a classroom environment.

No matter what type of entry-level job you decide to apply for, as an education major you’ll be in the unique position of being able to make a significant social impact. To find out which role is right for you, consider taking on an internship to get the kinds of skills and exposure you need to make your decision.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is an Education Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Write a Resume That Stands Out.

Advantages and Disadvantages to a Double Major in College

Whether you are just starting your freshman year of college or approaching the declaration deadline, your major is probably on your mind. At most four-year universities, you must select your major by the end of your sophomore year. If you’re torn between two different areas of study or you want to supplement one subject with a similar one, you may even be thinking about a double major.

If you’ve read “What is a Double Major?” you’ll already have a sense of what a double major is and know that it can be a great way of expanding your skill set and ensuring that you have access to lots of job prospects once you graduate. But it’s important to stop and think about the potential drawbacks as well, like the fact that majoring in two subjects may be too time-consuming to allow for things like internships.

Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding if a double major is for you.

Advantages of a Double Major

Learning as much as possible

If you’re interested in psychology but also fascinated by English literature, it may feel impossible to just pick one. If you want to make the most of your undergraduate career, studying two subjects at once is a great way to take full advantage of your time at school.

Getting an edge on the competition

Studying two subjects can not only help you see each one from a new perspective, it can also transform you into a more desirable candidate down the road, giving you an edge on the competition by providing you with more insight and experience than other candidates. When employers review your background, they are likely to be impressed by your strong work ethic.

Exposure to new things

Tackling more than one subject at once will give you exposure to different industries and opportunities, making it easier to decide what you want to do down the line. This is valuable both in terms of gaining hands-on experience in your chosen field, but also in terms of narrowing down your choices by eliminating industries that aren’t a good fit.

Networking

Studying two different subjects also means having additional networking opportunities. You are likely to develop more personal relationships with your professors (since students normally get close to those who teach classes for their major) and will be able to connect with students from both subjects. This means that your social and professional networks will be larger than those of your peers and your chances of finding an entry-level job after graduation will also be higher.

Disadvantages of a Double Major

Additional time spent studying

If you are considering a double major, prepare to factor in the additional time that will take to complete. Not only will you have to complete all your general education requirements, you will also need to take all the classes required for each of your majors. If you want to graduate on time, that may mean taking on an intense course load (with more tests and papers) and if not, you will potentially need an additional semester or two to fulfill all your requirements.

Missing out on extracurriculars

With all the extra time you spend studying, you might have less time to pursue other interests. When deciding whether to take on a double major, don’t forget to consider other aspects of your college life, like extracurriculars and internships, which can be negatively impacted by the demands of your rigorous program.

Increased cost of tuition

Depending on the school you attend and the situation you’re in, adding a second major can potentially also increase the cost of your tuition. If you stay on for another semester or more, you will need to pay additional tuition and other fees during that time. While graduating with a double major can look impressive on your resume and potentially score you a better paying gig, it can also be a financial burden.

Pro Tip: If you love the idea of studying two subjects but find the prospect of a double major overwhelming, consider doing a minor instead. This is a great way to get in-depth knowledge of a second subject without taking a full course load of classes. In fact, the number of required classes for a minor is often half the number required for a major.

Choosing a major is one of the most significant decisions you will ever make during your college career. While it can feel overwhelming at times, just remember: there is no set right or wrong answer. Make sure to weigh the benefits against the time and money involved and ask yourself why you want to do it. If the answer is that you want to take on a second major for career advantages, or you are just really passionate about that area of study, then go for it! Consider your own unique reasons for pursuing a double major and make the choice that suits you best.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Marketing and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Start Your Entry-Level Job Search.

5 Careers That Require Less Than 2 Years of Training

Having a successful career starts with knowing what you want to do and working hard to pursue your goals. Although for many students this means getting a bachelor’s degree, a four-year course is not the only way to be successful. In fact, there are many in-demand jobs that require less than two years of college or technical coursework, which is great news for students opting for an associate’s degree or certification. With this training under their belt, they can graduate more quickly and begin to establish a career in an economically stable industry.

Here are five career paths that require less than two years of training.

1. Civil Engineering

Civil engineers are trained to work in the electro-mechanical industry and assist with planning, budgeting and overseeing the development of public projects. Bridges, waste treatment systems, highways, interstates, dams and city landscaping ventures are just a few jobs in which civil engineers are qualified to work.

Why you should consider it: Some technical schools offer civil engineering certification and degree programs that take less than a year to complete. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that civil engineering job opportunities are expected to grow at a faster than average rate over the next decade.

2. Licensed Practical Nurse / Licensed Vocational Nurse

Licensed practical and vocational nurses perform all the same duties as registered nurses with the exception of more specialized tasks like prescribing medication. Earning an LPN certification can take less than two years and students who complete an LPN or LVN program become certified to measure vital signs, take blood pressure, give injections and monitor medical equipment.

Why you should consider it: According to the BLS, this career is expected to grow 16 percent before 2024, meaning the need for LPN/LVNs is very high right now and the median pay is over $42,000 a year.

3. Radiology Technician

Radiology technicians help doctors conduct CT scans, mammograms and X-rays. Radiology techs also work closely with patients to explain the technical aspects of radiology procedures, prepare patients for scans or X-rays and make sure that physicians receive radiology scan results in a timely manner.

Why you should consider it: It’s a fairly lucrative field and you can train quickly. According to the BLS, radiology techs can make $57,000 a year after completing a two-year associate’s degree.

4. Massage Therapist

Alternative healing therapies have become really popular over the past 20 years, including therapeutic massage. Massage therapists use their knowledge of human anatomy and physiology to help clients identify pain points and then treat them using a variety of massage techniques.

Why you should consider it: The demand for massage therapists is expected to increase by 22 percent between now and 2024 and you can get trained fairly quickly. With 500-1,000 hours of training, massage therapists can earn a median salary of around $37,000.

5. Paramedic / EMT

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics hold an extremely important position in society by being the first responders to accidents and medical emergencies. And although it requires a high level of skill, training to be a paramedic can take as little as a few weeks, with more specialized training lasting up to two years.

Why you should consider it: It’s a rapidly growing field that’s expected to experience a 24 percent increase in openings by 2024, with an average salary of around $31,000 per year.

Having a great career is all about identifying your interests and finding out what steps you need to take to get started. By knowing what to expect from these careers, you can make a decision that’s right for you.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Write a Resume: The Basics and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

GPA vs. Intangibles: What Really Matters

Is the common thought of needing a 4.0 grade point average to be hired at a top company true? At the WayUp Internship Google+ Hangout, we asked hiring managers from Google and Ashoka how much a GPA matters versus what really matters when applying to an internship.

GPA vs Intangibles: What really matters? Video Transcription

Nathan Parcells, CMO, Looksharp:

A student from UCLA named Jessica was wondering how much does GPA matter in the application process.

Cosmo Fujiyama, Search Team, Ashoka:

That’s interesting. Actually, interesting because I haven’t thought about that. I would rather look at the PSA instead of the GPA, which is the problem solving ability.

My new term for thinking about what’s relevant and what’s translatable because these metrics unfortunately don’t apply in real life, outside of the university system.

Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator, Google:

When you’re a student, that’s your full time job, is being a student, so we expect that you take academics seriously and that you’re doing well in your classes and one thing we do, you know, when you apply we ask that you upload your transcripts so we can see your grades so we do take it into consideration but it’s not sort of this end all be all.

Cosmo Fujiyama, Search Team, Ashoka:

Don’t worry about that C+ in Chemistry. Been there.

Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator, Google:

Because we don’t stop at your resume where it says education, and then stop looking.

Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter, Google:

You know, if your resume is no internships, no external projects or interests, name, school, GPA, it’s going to be taken really seriously ’cause it’s all we’ve got. But if you’ve got this well-rounded background where you’re doing lots of different things and that’s gonna weigh more heavily than the GPA is. And so I think that’s a really important piece to it, as well.

Hayley Darden, Search Team Leader, Ashoka:

I think excellence is really important and if it doesn’t show up somewhere in your experience and on your resume as something that you value, you know, we notice that. We notice overall excellence. We notice caliber. We notice those things for sure. But I would also say that someone who’s been pursuing outside experiences has been involved and has clearly valued excellence and delivered at that kind you know, level consistently, that’s part of their narrative.

I wouldn’t be troubled by a lower GPA.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

How Do Employers Evaluate Resumes?

There are few things as important to a job search as writing a resume. You’re tasked with creating a concise document that captures your entire essence in order to grab an awesome opportunity. As you squeeze years of achievements and memories into a few bullet points, it’s not only important that you’re happy with how it reads, but that your audience likes it. And for the best odds of your audience—your future manager—enjoying your resume, it helps to know how they will read through it.

Here are some of the most common things they look for.

They look at your education

Even though your major and GPA don’t define who you are, these are likely the first stop on an employer’s journey through your resume. It’s a good jumping-off point for them to understand the topics you find interesting and gain a sense of how committed you are to your education and your future success. An employer will walk away from this section wanting to know:

That you meet their GPA expectation
That you’re studying something interesting and relevant to the job
What school you go to (possibly several if you studied abroad)

They scan your experience for brand names and key stats

When looking at your previous work or internship experience, there are generally 2 key trends an employer will seek out: relevance and impact. A great way to show that you have relevant experience is through brand names. If an employer is looking to hire you for a media job, for example, and sees that you worked for a major TV network, that’s a great start to your application.

If your past companies aren’t famous or recognizable, don’t worry — the work you did can still be relevant, and the impact is key no matter the role. This is where statistics come in: always use numbers to describe what you did and quantify the impact. If you’re scanning a resume with roughly 400 words and suddenly the number 80% pops up, chances are you’ll notice it right away, and so will your employer.

They look for unique skills and hobbies

Hobbies and skills are treated very differently across industries, but no matter the volume, each fun fact adds a lot of personality to your resume. An employer may read 100 resumes in a day, and even if they gave yours a good score and positive feedback, they are likely to remember you more for citing your mastery of guacamole making than for simply being a good fit. Keep these items detailed and unique to you—many can say they like “travel” but not everyone lists “spontaneous trans-Pacific travel.”

For skills, each entry not only completes your profile but is also a new search keyword. On WayUp, employers are most commonly using search tools to find specific experience or skills. So if there’s a programming language you know, show it! The same goes for other things like being proficient in Photoshop or having an in-depth knowledge of social media platforms.

They’ll walk away with highlights and a few notes

Resume-readers love to take a pen or pencil and mark up your resume, circling those juicy numbers described above or writing down questions for follow-ups. Realistically, the final notes they produce will be 1-3 bullets. This should lead you to ask: Did each piece of my resume tell the reader something new? For example, say you worked in 3 restaurants, so you try to be thorough and give each its own header, dates and bullet points showing your responsibilities and impact. This could take up half of your resume and all an employer will walk away with is “has server experience.” Push yourself to condense items that tell the same story, and to expound upon experience that shares something new.

Even with all these best resume practices, each employer is a different person. The same exact resume in different hands might get reviewed differently. A common system for reliable decision making is for a company to have each reader give notes on a five-point scale (from “definitely hire” to “definitely don’t”). You can’t pick your resume reader but never forget that the journey begins with submitting your application.

At the end of the day, you’re the one telling your story. So be proud of your resume and tell it like it is, but know that targeting it to your audience will dramatically improve your odds of matching with a great opportunity. Ready to create your own? WayUp’s user profiles act as digital resumes, making it easy to put your best foot forward with employers.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Set Internship or Job Goals and find answers to common interview questions such as How Have You Displayed Leadership?.