My only work experience is child care, but I need more money. I have a degree. What can I do?
I have a four year degree in teaching first through sixth grade, but all my work experience is in teaching or camps for 2-4 year olds, half a year of kindergarten, and about 7 years of working an after-school program for kids aged 6 to 14.
I love my job. Right now I'm an assistant teacher for a pre-k class. But it's not enough money. There's also free pre-k coming to my city soon, so I don't even have job security unless I apply to work for the government pre-k, which could be even worse pay.
The only other career I ever seriously considered was something in video games, but that was back in high school. I do not want to be an elementary school teacher. I did student teaching in a well-regarded school and it was the most miserable experience of my life.
I feel like I have no real marketable skills outside of working with kids. I'm open to going back to school or doing training, but I'd prefer not to if there's another path.
What would you do in my shoes? Are there adjacent roles I'm not thinking of that value teaching degrees and classroom management without requiring me to run my own elementary classroom?
Posted May 12, 2026, 3:03 PM UTC