Career Explorer Education
Changing shape
Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
Teach vocational courses intended to provide occupational training below the baccalaureate level in subjects such as construction, mechanics/repair, manufacturing, transportation, or cosmetology, primarily to students who have graduated from or left high school. Teaching takes place in public or private schools whose primary business is academic or vocational education.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 12% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by -0.3% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $63,820
- Job growth to 2035
- -0.3%
- Openings a year
- 8,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 123,000
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Teach academic or vocational subjects
- Monitor individual behavior or performance
- Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance
- Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures
- Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products
What the work looks like
- Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress, provide feedback, and make suggestions for improvement.
- Present lectures and conduct discussions to increase students' knowledge and competence using visual aids, such as graphs, charts, videotapes, and slides.
- Supervise and monitor students' use of tools and equipment.
- Administer oral, written, or performance tests to measure progress and to evaluate training effectiveness.
- Provide individualized instruction and tutorial or remedial instruction.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as enrollments in career and technical education courses decrease in favor of other fields, such as communications, design, healthcare, and public service. Additionally, the number of high school graduates is projected to decrease.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Dietetic techniciansChanging shape, Index 47, +2.7%
- Exercise physiologistsHuman edge, growing, Index 82, +12.8%
- Librarians and media collections specialistsChanging shape, Index 18, +2.6%
- Administrative services managersHuman edge, growing, Index 66, +5.2%
Also known as: Cosmetology Instructor, HVAC-R Instructor (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, And Refrigeration Instructor), Instructor, Professor, Automotive Instructor, Automotive Technology Instructor, Flight Instructor, Teacher.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.