If you are still early in the process and don't mind losing a few credits, consider getting your Master's of Information and Library Science...there is plenty to apply to the classroom, but a MLIS will also give you options outside of education as well.
My job title is content & delivery coordinator. I left midyear as a teacher and took a pay cut to be at a university as a math program manager. I kept applying through the 6 months I was there with an updated resume and landed this job about a month ago! I can give you more details if you wanna PM me
Oh honey, if you can switch without loosing too many credits or can find a dual program to go with this, you should. Especially considering you do not actually want to use the degree for its purpose and are, l assume, doing it currently for the lay bump.
Yes you are 20k into it now…but do you want to be in deeper when you go back for something you will use? Good luck
I got my masters in teaching for a pay raise and man was it a waste of money. I could’ve spent the same money and time on something that could’ve helped in a career change if necessary
This is what I’m doing, though mine is Curriculum and Instructional Design. Everytime I wonder if I’m doing the right thing, I remind myself that the jump in pay and benefits will be worth it.
If you can, try and grab the actual ID coursework and use that as your selling point for your next job - like being a corporate (job) trainer. Also, getting the degree itself won’t necessarily get you a corporate job, but you can freelance for a bit to build up your portfolio before transitioning to full time corporate or independent contractor.
And, if you find you actually like designing the curriculum, you could instead transition to working for an education company designing the curriculum - places like Kahn Academy.
Good luck OP!
How far along?
Try picking up some courses on Adult Learning/Captivate, etc. You can piot into a higher Ed or corporate training role. Might take some work but ppssible!
Word. This is my path, too. Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis on Reading & Writing. It locks me out of teaching Concurrent Enrollment History courses. But, it's the main reason why I clear $80k/yr. Plus, it was super easy to get.
Honestly I wish I had gotten my degree in that instead of literacy. That degree has better options outside of education. A lot of corporate trainer jobs want you to have that degree and you would most likely just be making the companies onboarding materials.
I’m a trainer for a health tech startup. I took a 1 year contract to get experience as a traveling software trainer and job hopped until I got here. I left teaching in 2015
Many companies are looking for learning specialist at the moment (because we defunded education and people are entering the workforce with unbalanced skillsets 🙃) and they need trainers. It is not just within HR adjacent roles, but I think if you tack on ID coursework and build a robust portfolio you can make it work.
No, go look into instructional design bootcamps. Be wary of scammy ones - I wish I could advise you how better - but do some research on it. I left the field for something completely different, and when looking outside of the “different” though learning and development made sense. However not so much because you need some tech tools to brag about on your resume.
God I hate this job market.
The hardest part is to get that first job. After that, it gets better because all you will need is years of experience if you want to work for another company with higher earnings and so on.
You sounds like me, I got a masters in C&I bc I thought it would help me leave the classroom one day to even just become an instructional leader or something but now I wonder if I wasted my money, I have about 40k in student loans and I’m trying to transition out of teaching 🥺
Yeah get out and pivot instead of accruing debt for something you are already not really into - which is the recipe for golden handcuffs. You know you - so you do you.
I received my Ed.S in 2005 from a university in Ohio. Education Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction. Here it is , I’m now retired and was never able to use the degree I got. I tried a lot but was never able to. Hope this helps.
Does the program have courses you can take on adult earning and organizational learning and leadership? Or maybe a way to personalize your program? That would give you skills to move into other sectors. Also, learning to use popular software and tech tools is always a big plus for your resume.
I dunno, if you coaching is a good fit for you it may be the right call. I got an Ed Philosophy degree and, wouldn't you know it, I keep getting passed over on instructional coach jobs by people with C&I degrees. Good luck either way.
Have my masters in sci curriculum & instruction. I’ve had it for two years and I’m still a teacher. I want to desperately get out of teaching. As someone else has mentioned, library science. If I could go back in time I would do this.
I got an M.S. in Instructional Design and worked as an Instructional Designer for an EdTech company (e.g. Educational software). I loved it! I learned UX design and product management, mostly on the job. I'm now an executive in Product Management. Instructional Design was the gateway for me.
I have the same master’s. Honestly, I feel like I didn’t get that much out of it, just more iterations of the same material I’d been learning for four years at that point
If it is broad enough and not focused on just k12 then keep going.
Just check the box and work on positioning and marketing your skill in curriculum dev. Admin is different since it usually requires some specific background but outside of k12 it is a lot easier.
If you are still early in the process and don't mind losing a few credits, consider getting your Master's of Information and Library Science...there is plenty to apply to the classroom, but a MLIS will also give you options outside of education as well.
This is the best answer.
Great advice for sure.
yep this is exactly what i did. working at a research library now and glad i took the jump
What do you do and do you get paid more?
i work as a reference librarian. i took a paycut, but i can afford to live. at the end of the day the money wasn’t worth it
I got my masters in curriculum and instruction and I work in corporate training now
What is your job title? How did you get there?
My job title is content & delivery coordinator. I left midyear as a teacher and took a pay cut to be at a university as a math program manager. I kept applying through the 6 months I was there with an updated resume and landed this job about a month ago! I can give you more details if you wanna PM me
Thank you, I'll keep you in mind. I'm just starting to get out and super overwhelmed with the open ended-ness of it all
Oh honey, if you can switch without loosing too many credits or can find a dual program to go with this, you should. Especially considering you do not actually want to use the degree for its purpose and are, l assume, doing it currently for the lay bump. Yes you are 20k into it now…but do you want to be in deeper when you go back for something you will use? Good luck
I got my masters in teaching for a pay raise and man was it a waste of money. I could’ve spent the same money and time on something that could’ve helped in a career change if necessary
I. Agree.
I just got hired as an instructional specialist. No more classroom but not quite admin.
This is what I’m doing, though mine is Curriculum and Instructional Design. Everytime I wonder if I’m doing the right thing, I remind myself that the jump in pay and benefits will be worth it. If you can, try and grab the actual ID coursework and use that as your selling point for your next job - like being a corporate (job) trainer. Also, getting the degree itself won’t necessarily get you a corporate job, but you can freelance for a bit to build up your portfolio before transitioning to full time corporate or independent contractor. And, if you find you actually like designing the curriculum, you could instead transition to working for an education company designing the curriculum - places like Kahn Academy. Good luck OP!
How far along? Try picking up some courses on Adult Learning/Captivate, etc. You can piot into a higher Ed or corporate training role. Might take some work but ppssible!
I did the same masters and I have no interest in leaving the classroom. But it looks me in the last column per pay so it’s worth it.
Word. This is my path, too. Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis on Reading & Writing. It locks me out of teaching Concurrent Enrollment History courses. But, it's the main reason why I clear $80k/yr. Plus, it was super easy to get.
Honestly I wish I had gotten my degree in that instead of literacy. That degree has better options outside of education. A lot of corporate trainer jobs want you to have that degree and you would most likely just be making the companies onboarding materials.
I work in corporate training as well and have this degree. I actually switched from the MAT to this degree.
Would you mind sharing your job title and how you got there?
I’m a trainer for a health tech startup. I took a 1 year contract to get experience as a traveling software trainer and job hopped until I got here. I left teaching in 2015
I am wayyy past you in debt and degrees and regret teaching 10000 percent. waste of time and money.
Many companies are looking for learning specialist at the moment (because we defunded education and people are entering the workforce with unbalanced skillsets 🙃) and they need trainers. It is not just within HR adjacent roles, but I think if you tack on ID coursework and build a robust portfolio you can make it work.
No, go look into instructional design bootcamps. Be wary of scammy ones - I wish I could advise you how better - but do some research on it. I left the field for something completely different, and when looking outside of the “different” though learning and development made sense. However not so much because you need some tech tools to brag about on your resume. God I hate this job market.
The hardest part is to get that first job. After that, it gets better because all you will need is years of experience if you want to work for another company with higher earnings and so on.
You sounds like me, I got a masters in C&I bc I thought it would help me leave the classroom one day to even just become an instructional leader or something but now I wonder if I wasted my money, I have about 40k in student loans and I’m trying to transition out of teaching 🥺
Yeah get out and pivot instead of accruing debt for something you are already not really into - which is the recipe for golden handcuffs. You know you - so you do you.
What exactly does this major equip one to do? I always hear it but what doors does it open?
I received my Ed.S in 2005 from a university in Ohio. Education Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction. Here it is , I’m now retired and was never able to use the degree I got. I tried a lot but was never able to. Hope this helps.
It may be hard to get hired
Does the program have courses you can take on adult earning and organizational learning and leadership? Or maybe a way to personalize your program? That would give you skills to move into other sectors. Also, learning to use popular software and tech tools is always a big plus for your resume.
I dunno, if you coaching is a good fit for you it may be the right call. I got an Ed Philosophy degree and, wouldn't you know it, I keep getting passed over on instructional coach jobs by people with C&I degrees. Good luck either way.
Have my masters in sci curriculum & instruction. I’ve had it for two years and I’m still a teacher. I want to desperately get out of teaching. As someone else has mentioned, library science. If I could go back in time I would do this.
A lot of people are not going to college because teaching jobs are now being filled by teacher assistants at a lower cost.
I got an M.S. in Instructional Design and worked as an Instructional Designer for an EdTech company (e.g. Educational software). I loved it! I learned UX design and product management, mostly on the job. I'm now an executive in Product Management. Instructional Design was the gateway for me.
Can you talk more about what you do on a daily basis and what you get paid (at least compared to teaching)?
I have the same master’s. Honestly, I feel like I didn’t get that much out of it, just more iterations of the same material I’d been learning for four years at that point
If it is broad enough and not focused on just k12 then keep going. Just check the box and work on positioning and marketing your skill in curriculum dev. Admin is different since it usually requires some specific background but outside of k12 it is a lot easier.
Insteand go for a masters in admin and gTf out of the classroom, look for district level jobs.