Before you commit to a degree program, take stock of the moments that already hint at whether teaching is for you.
- You mentored a coworker through onboarding. → That's patience.
- You helped a friend or family member push through homework when they wanted to quit. → That shows adaptability, finding a new approach when the first one didn't land.
- You coached a team through a losing streak and kept them motivated. → That's empathy.
- You noticed the kids you tutor absorb material in completely different ways. → That's genuine curiosity about how children grow and learn.
If any of those sound like you, you're already further along than you think. Moments like these highlight the qualities that help early childhood and elementary educators succeed. Many of these skills are strengthened through coursework, classroom experience and practice. What matters most is your willingness to learn and your interest in helping students succeed.
How difficult is it to switch to education from a completely different career?
Depending on your prior experience, switching into education from another field could be a significant transition. You'll likely need to complete a degree program, meet state certification requirements and get comfortable in a classroom setting if you haven't worked in one before. It takes time and coursework, but it's a well-worn path: career changers make up a meaningful share of new teachers every year, and online, flexible programs have made the shift more manageable than it used to be.
The good news is that your outside experience isn't a setback to overcome; it's an advantage. Classrooms need people who have run a business, managed a team, worked in health care or spent years in a field completely unrelated to education. Here are just a few examples of how students benefit by learning from your unique perspective and the real-world experience you have to offer:
- A former accountant brings financial literacy lessons to life.
- A former nurse recognizes signs of stress in a student before it becomes a crisis.
- Someone who spent a decade in retail already knows how to de-escalate a frustrated person.
- A person with sales experience is an expert at holding a room's attention.
None of that experience goes to waste in a classroom. It becomes part of your teaching toolkit.
“There are people sitting around the edges that we actually think could help make a difference,” said Carole Basile, dean of Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. “Some of these people are volunteers, some are people in the community who have deep knowledge of language, of culture. Some bring expertise, work experience, corporate experience, and experience working in non-profits. These people all have something to contribute."
What is a day in the life of a teacher like?
Teaching asks a lot of you, and it's worth knowing that going in. You're delivering a lesson while managing a classroom full of different personalities, moods and needs: the kid who didn't eat breakfast, the kid still rattled from a fight with a friend at recess. You must be able to pivot on the spot, keep their attention and do it all with a supply budget that only stretches so far.
Here's the other half of the picture: two-thirds of K-12 teachers say they're satisfied with their workplace, and that satisfaction tracks closely with pay, workload and whether they get to spend each day doing what they do best, according to Gallup survey data.
Ask teachers why they stay, and the answer is rarely about the paycheck. It's the moment a struggling reader finally gets it. It's the student who comes back years later just to say thanks.
Wins like that are hard to quantify, but it’s ultimately that sense of purpose that outweighs the demands of the job.
How can you balance a job, a family or a busy schedule while earning your degree online?
With an online format, your coursework bends to fit your life, not the other way around. Many programs at ASU offer six start dates a year with fully asynchronous sessions and set deadlines, so you can complete work around your current job or family responsibilities instead of logging in at a fixed time. Enrollment coaches and academic advisors help you plan each session before it starts, empowering you to stay on the right track toward your goals.
It’s important to be aware that student teaching, internships and applied experiences require in-person time in an educational setting. However, depending on the program you choose, there may be options that make it easier to meet these requirements. For instance, the master’s in elementary education with teacher certification offers two alternative pathways to certification, so you can select the one that works best for you. The bachelor’s in educational studies with a concentration in early childhood studies requires working with young children for a minimum of 15 hours per month, but this can be done at your current workplace or as a volunteer. Simply put, make sure to pick a degree program that aligns with your professional goals, life obligations and in-person requirements.
Do you have to become a teacher with an education degree?
Teaching in a classroom is one outcome of an education degree, not the only one. Instructional designers build training programs and digital courses for schools, companies and nonprofits, applying the same learning principles you'd use in a classroom to a different audience. Curriculum developers shape the materials and standards teachers rely on every day, often working for districts, publishers or education organizations. Tutors and learning specialists work one-on-one or in small groups, which appeals to graduates who want the connection of teaching without managing a full classroom. School and district administrators lead the systems that support teachers and students, a path that usually builds on classroom or instructional experience first.
For a deeper look at where an education degree can take you, read what you can do with an early childhood education degree.
Earn your education degree online at ASU
Once you know education is your path, the next step is choosing the program that matches where you want to end up. At ASU, education degrees are often available both online and in person, offering the same top-ranked quality in both formats. Listed below are online degree programs sorted by the direction you’ve decided to take.
The classroom is where you want to be
If teacher certification is the goal, consider these online degree options:
- Master of Education in early childhood education – teacher certification
- Master of Education in elementary education – teacher certification
- Bachelor of Arts in Education in elementary education (with the option to pursue teacher certification upon graduation)
If you’re already certified or if certification isn't your immediate goal, you should explore these online programs:
- Master of Education in early childhood education
- Master of Education in elementary education
- Bachelor of Arts in Education in educational studies – early childhood studies
Outside the classroom is where you want to be
If you’ve decided that you want a career in education that differs from a traditional teaching role, there are online education degrees that also fit that criteria:
- Master of Education in educational leadership
- Bachelor of Arts in Education in educational studies – instructional design
- Master of Education in learning design and technologies
The field of education is waiting for exactly what you'd bring to it. All it takes is deciding to begin.