With well over two million people employed at at estimated 1,800 universities and high education institutions across the U.S., it should come as no surprise that traditional teaching jobs in colleges aren’t the only important faculty jobs available; everything from administrative positions to skilled artisans contribute in a meaningful way to successful colleges and universities, too. Here are just a few examples of the career paths you can find at your local university that are a bit different from your average teaching jobs:
Research Assistants: Most full-time teaching jobs in universities require that the professors conduct additional research projects or studies in their own field of expertise, and research assistants play a huge role in making these projects feasible. Many departments reserve part-time research positions for current students, but plenty of research opportunities are also available for post-grad prospective employees as well.
Information and Record-Keeping Jobs: The most well-known information-centered job in a college is probably that of librarians, but can also include accounting positions and secretarial work for the entire university, for a smaller college within the university, and even for individual departments. As digital access and storage becomes more important for information and records, the employees in these jobs have the important task of preserving and converting information from paper to digital files.
Education Administration Jobs: Education administration is another important facet of university faculty jobs, and many of these positions do require applicants to have some experience teaching, but they provide opportunities for employees to make a big impact on higher education programs without the stress of conducting a class. These jobs range from dean and president positions to admissions officers and student life counselors. Most jobs in higher education administration require a Master’s degree, as well as experience teaching or working in a school, but these are great opportunities for anyone interested in taking a more managerial-type role in the education industry.
So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to find out what career opportunities your local college has for you?