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Job outlook for general education instructors in the United States
General education instructor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected general education instructor job growth rate is 2% from 2018-2028.
About 5,400 new jobs for general education instructors are projected over the next decade.
General education instructor salaries have increased 10% for general education instructors in the last 5 years.
There are over 8,496 general education instructors currently employed in the United States.
There are 81,527 active general education instructor job openings in the US.
The average general education instructor salary is $58,566.
Are general education instructor jobs in demand?
General education instructor job and salary trends over time
General education instructor jobs over time
General education instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,496 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 37,883 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 40,167 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 42,033 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 42,196 | 0.01% |
Average general education instructor salary over time
General education instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $58,566 | $28.16 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $57,513 | $27.65 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $55,934 | $26.89 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $54,333 | $26.12 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $53,343 | $25.65 | +2.4% |
General education instructor jobs by state
Most common states for general education instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 315 | 45% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 387 | 40% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 495 | 37% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 190 | 30% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 216 | 29% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 532 | 28% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 295 | 28% |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,866 | 27% |
| 9 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 918 | 26% |
| 10 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 351 | 26% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,046 | 25% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 2,164 | 24% |
| 13 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 411 | 24% |
| 14 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 213 | 24% |
| 15 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 718 | 23% |
| 16 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 602 | 20% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 211 | 20% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 118 | 20% |
| 19 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,346 | 19% |
| 20 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,395 | 19% |
Most common cities for general education instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miramar | 1 | 1% | $53,033 |
| 2 | Jacksonville | 1 | 0% | $52,751 |
| 3 | New York | 1 | 0% | $72,828 |
General Education Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of general education instructor experts
Tiffin University
College of the Marshall Islands
Lehigh University
Wilson College
Mercy College
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Jackson State University
Franklin and Marshall College
Universty of San Francisco
University of Louisville
Merrimack College
Thomas More University
University of Kansas
College of Saint Benedict
Queens College of the City University of New York
Villanova University
Lafayette College
Grambling State University
Skidmore College
College of Charleston
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What general advice would you give to a General Education Instructor?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Because of the state of higher education in our country today, teaching in higher education can be a difficult field to break into. However, most colleges and universities still hire adjunct instructors (part-time instructors). Students shouldn't be afraid to teach as an adjunct for a while to get some experience and decide if teaching is for them.
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Flexibility and adaptability will be the biggest skills instructors will need. The state of higher education is changing, and the 'ivory tower' is going away. Colleges and universities are starting to focus more on career-oriented programs, which include practical and application skill sets. In order to stay relevant, the focus of humanities classes like art and film should be on teaching students analysis, synthesis, and other critical-thinking skills. The content becomes less important and becomes only the vehicle for teaching these skills.
What will help General Education Instructors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
What general advice would you give to a General Education Instructor?
Alexander Velasquez: My general advice to any graduate beginning their career in their field is to continue to learn and be a student of your craft. Be open to learning new things because you never know how they will improve your skills and qualifications. For example, I am currently learning video editing. I never thought I would bother to learn video editing, but it makes me a more versatile instructor being able to give students the option of doing video projects, combining and editing them, and having a digital record of what students have learned in the classroom. And given the rise of online learning, it's important nowadays to be an effective instructor both in the traditional in-person format and within the digital landscape.
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alexander Velasquez: I think that in the next three to five years the most important skills to have—and I mean this—will be critical thinking and imagination. This may sound a bit outlandish, and maybe even a bit naive, but hear me out: Artificial intelligence is making strides to the point where papers are writing themselves with simple instructions, videos are generating themselves with simple instructions, and software is beginning to write itself; and all this has been happening within the last few years. We may begin to see that in the next three to five years, once coveted programming jobs could become automated. Now, what I'm *not* saying is don't go to school for computer programming; but what I *am* saying is that the nature of work and employment *is* changing. For example, if you and and AI are making a video, and both of you have the same script, same voiceover, and so on, the only thing separating your final product from the AI's is the way you *think and imagine*, the perspective that you have as someone who can think critically about the information and lay it out in a visually appealing manner. AI can't do that—at least not yet—because it simply spits out the information it's given. But critical thought, metalevel thinking about information, is what will be one of the most important assets to have in the coming three to five years.
What will help General Education Instructors increase their earning potential?
Alexander Velasquez: I think everyone should look into their career fields and find out what it is that makes you more valuable in that field. Are there any certifications that you can get? What is it that you need to know or learn that companies will find valuable? Much can be learned online, so pick up as many of those skills as you can, and make sure they're on your resume or CV. I believe all those things could maximize salary potential, especially when starting out.
Dr. Floyd Beachum
Bennett Professor of Urban School LeadershipLehigh University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Floyd Beachum: This advice would be for a recent graduate of a doctoral program who is interested in pursuing
a career as a faculty member at a college or university. Three quick pieces of advice I would give
include: get organized, get focused, and get moving. Get organized in terms of getting all of
their materials together as they embark upon a new position or as they look for a position. They
will need to have easy access to relevant documents, official paperwork, files, and/or work
products. Organization is the key to a better work flow. Get focused in terms of having the right
mindset to be successful as an academic. This requires that the person work diligently to
develop a research agenda in which they will have to publish articles, books, book chapters, and
present their research at academic conferences. Two major conferences in educational
leadership are the annual meeting of the University Council of Educational Administration
(UCEA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Focus also includes
teaching various courses in educational leadership. It will take a considerable amount of time to
plan, read, coordinate, teach the course, and continuously learn while teaching. Focus also
means getting used to serving on various department, college, and/or university committees.
Service work helps evenly distribute work loads to help accomplish the goals of that college or
university. The last step, is get moving. This means that once the preliminary steps are taken,
then the person should be very purposeful as they go about doing all of the things mentioned
here. There is no time to waste because a person in the role of a new faculty member usually
has about three years before their first big review and six years before they must go up for
tenure and promotion. These decision points are high stakes because if they are productive,
then employment continues, if they are not productive, specific improvement advice can be
given and/or employment can be terminated.
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.
Professor of English, Program Director MAHUMWilson College
English Department
What skills will help General Education Instructors earn the most?
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.: Self-advocacy. I am not suggesting every English major rush to their boss and demand a big raise, but our culture continually suggests one should apologize for majoring in a liberal arts field. I don't buy it. English majors are amazing at solving problems, facilitating communication, researching ideas, developing programs-they are, in short, the total package. And they have a tremendous capacity to learn new skills and new abilities. This is why students from my college, for example, end up in a huge variety of subject fields. We need to understand the value we bring to any organization as an English major.
What skills stand out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.: In the academy, we often talk about English majors teaching students vital skills in critical thinking, communication, research, and analysis. An English major can be handed a project and know how to research the necessary components, compile them together in a clear and consistent format, and present that material to a client or supervisor with confidence. And I think the skill that really unites all of these aspects of the English major is independence. In our field, we ask students to articulate the rudiments of pragmatics, identify the meaning inherent to a seventeenth-century poem, and punch back at the masterpieces of the canon. No student can tackle such a diverse learning platform without a streak of independence that teaches them that, yes, scholars have been analyzing and deconstructing Shakespeare for 500 years, but no one has quite seen the text the way you have, and that's why you need to write about it. Heck, in a national conversation about higher education that strongly suggests that any major without a specific job title in its name should not even be considered, it takes someone who is a bit of a maverick to choose a major in English. But that independent streak serves our students really well in their careers and lives beyond college.
On a resume, I look for independence in that projection completion mode: acting as editor for student media; presenting a paper at a conference; writing a theatrical work; publishing; internships; etc. Anything that shows me that the applicant can tackle a project and get it done is what I am looking for.
Dr. Eric Martone
Interim Dean of the School of Education, Associate Professor, History/Social Studies Education, Editor, Global Education ReviewMercy College
School of Education
What skills stand out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Dr. Eric Martone: Teachers with multiple certifications provide districts with flexible skill sets and versatility. This is particularly the case when elementary teachers can combine general classroom teacher certifications with special education certifications or when secondary education teachers can combine certification in a content area or areas as well as certification in special education. At Mercy College, we have various dual and tri-certification programs that allow candidates to do just that. For example, our tri-certification early childhood education program allows teachers to be certified in three areas: early childhood education, childhood education, and students with disabilities. In addition to combining general education certifications with special education certification, combining them with certification in teaching English as a second language is also highly desirable.
What soft skills should all General Education Instructors possess?
Dr. Eric Martone: In the era of COVID, stress management and adaptability are two critical soft skills that educators must have more than ever.
What hard/technical skills are most important for General Education Instructors?
Dr. Eric Martone: In the era of COVID, skills with technology, particularly in the areas of remote and hybrid learning, are especially crucial.
What skills will help General Education Instructors earn the most?
Dr. Eric Martone: Educators who are compassionate, with strong leadership skills, willing to make take chances to make a difference.
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: Most important advice: Take initiative and be productive.
Find practical ways to use skills even if unpaid. Volunteer work is good. Use language skills. Technology skills. Exploit technology skills around the area of interest. If you want to be a teacher find out what software they are using today; what research skills are they utilize. Make sure you log your activities during the gap year especially those that relate to the area in which you want to work. If you want to go into finance, and you're working at a lawn service, understand and learn the business model and the accounting. If you're working at Starbucks (or in any commercial environment), get a chance to do inventories, learn about the ordering process and sources and suppliers for those orders; and how people are scheduled for work. All of that is relevant experience for business.
The CFO and recruiter for Keystone Staffing Solutions emphasized having evidence in your resume of of being productive during the gap time, no matter if it's one, two or three years. Evidence of being productive is what recruiters want to see on your resume: He stresses: "What did you do to expand your knowledge and skills not only in your selected area but beyond. BEING PRODUCTIVE for yourself proves to be an indicator of how productive you will be for me."
Still on gap year. How to go about it? Use teachers, friends, family, anyone in the field or related to it to provide guidance, insight, suggestions. This can lead to projects or experience that will help in learning and growth.
What technical skills for a General Education Instructor stand out to employers?
Leticia Pérez Alonso Ph.D.: In the past some employers appeared to be attracted to candidates who were familiar with online or distant education. Given the changing face of the academia, especially over the last year, I believe that skills to work remotely will be especially taken into consideration when hiring instructors of English language, education and literature. As I see it, an ability to develop online courses through platforms such as Canvas, Moodle or Blackboard stand out to employers of the educational sector. Along these lines, experience with video communications technologies such as Zoom will be a plus when deciding to hire an online or distance English teacher.
Additionally, specializations in English literature appear to have dropped, yet positions in rhetoric and composition are still in demand. Therefore, those English majors interested in literature might want to diversify their curriculum and receive training in areas such as technical and professional writing. They might also be interested in expanding their knowledge in second language acquisition or pedagogy to teach English to foreign speakers.
What type of skills will young General Education Instructors need?
M. Alison Kibler Ph.D.: The key for today's graduate is to come ready with relevant skills and experience. A college degree without relevant skills and experience will just not be as sufficient as in previous years to land that first, post-graduate role.
Creativity, proactivity along with strong communication skills and intellectual grit to anticipate and respond proactively to the unexpected are the competencies most prized in today's labor market. Showing that one worked through the pandemic, and even pursued additional skills and experiences relevant to a role or field, will make a graduate stand out from among their less prepared and proactive peers.
In the last class of American Studies graduates (class of 2020), I saw some students take a new path to a job. For example, one student had an internship where she worked remotely for a digital marketing firm. This then became a full-time job after graduation. Another student had worked on legal research (also remote) over the summer and in her senior seminar, and then got a job as a legal assistant in the New York DA's office. She hopes to ultimately go to law school. This is a job that other AMS alumni have secured in the past. Other students got jobs as community organizers, teachers, museum curators and entry-level business positions. These paths seemed largely the same as in the past. All built on course work and/or internships where they developed skills and deepened interest in topics. The student that went to work as a community organizer, for example, had done a senior research project on homelessness.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Elliot Neaman Ph.D.: In the corporate world, companies are now having to shift from a physical workspace to working at home, so that means young people entering the workforce have an advantage since they are usually more tech savvy than older people, although that is not always the case. There will be new opportunities in companies that see a lot of demand because of the pandemic. Think about at-home exercise companies like Peleton. Obviously a lot of businesses are suffering or disappearing, like retail and restaurants, so you'll see a shift away from that, but service industries are going to become even more important, especially those that fill the niche of providing services at home.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Janet Kelly Ph.D.: Telecommuting. We learned that employees - public employees - can serve the public effectively while working from home. We should see less clustering of public administrators in city centers, a reduced need for public buildings and other physical infrastructure, and more emphasis on the kinds of skills that support telecommuting.
How do you envision technology impacting General Education Instructors in the next 5 years?
Deborah Margolis Ph.D.: One of the many things that COVID has taught us is the importance of educational technology and that educators need to have facility with technology. We have also learned that some things that we thought had to be done in person, can be done remotely/virtually. Since some experts suggest that we may be dealing with COVID and remnants of COVID until 2025, educational technology will continue to play an important role for us in the U.S. The use of technology during the pandemic has also shown us ways that education can be enhanced for those who might otherwise be unable to access on-ground educational opportunities.
Dr. Jodie Mader Ph.D.
Professor, Chair, Faculty Development DirectorThomas More University
History Department
What experience really stands out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Dr. Jodie Mader Ph.D.: What stands out is one's ability to critically think and write. Applicants that can demonstrate the ability to communicate and think critically will be essential to the modern employer.
How do you envision technology impacting General Education Instructors in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jodie Mader Ph.D.: Technology will be key. Students will be expected to have not only a strong grasp of technology but also the ability to use it in a variety of ways.
Luis Corteguera
Professor and ChairUniversity of Kansas
Department of History
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Luis Corteguera: The pandemic and the economic crisis has only highlighted the value of a university education. People with a BA/BS continue to do better economically than those without, and the difference will increase. The specific area of study will be less important than having the degree in hand. Rather than seeking an education that offers professional training - which are hard to predict and employers usually provide - a liberal arts education will actually prove more valuable in the long-run, since employers consider such graduates to have a greater variety of intellectual and analytical skills that will enable them to adapt and be trained to solve the complex problems of the future.
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Luis Corteguera: Learning a language is one of the most important skills to acquire, and there are many opportunities that can later be complemented with university courses. Any kind of professional experience can also be valuable, not necessarily because it will help to build a resume for the future, but more importantly, to explore interests and maybe discard options. These experiences can also give students a better awareness and appreciation for the skills that can best be acquired through university studies.
Jeffrey Anderson Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorCollege of Saint Benedict
Department of Peace Studies
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Jeffrey Anderson Ph.D.: Gap years in our field, where graduates collect some really formative experiences, are common. The pandemic has made this more challenging for a couple of reasons. First, deployments in organizations like the Peace Corps have continued to be pushed back. International placements have been very hard hit. Second, when many formerly direct service positions do start, many have been in a remote format. This has been a challenge for graduates to make connections with coworkers and the community in which they serve.
These issues are likely to continue for the near future. The pandemic, however, has created widespread concern for topics connected to social determinants of health. COVID has shined a light on healthcare inequalities, unhealthy environments, and the vulnerability, economic and otherwise, of essential workers. Already, I have observed more positions in our field being created by hospital systems, departments of health, health insurance organizations, and nonprofits designed to reduce health disparities. This has created engaging work opportunities for our graduates.
Zavi Gunn
DirectorQueens College of the City University of New York
Center for Career Engagement and Internships
What skills stand out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Zavi Gunn: The ability to analyze data, spreadsheets, formulas, and pivot tables is increasingly in demand. Highlighting your collaborative, creative, and innovative side is also a plus. In addition, employers look for digital competency - particularly video editing and social media management skills.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Sally Scholz Ph.D.: Many of our graduates had to shift gears rapidly. Students who had planned to launch a new career decided instead to take up part-time or temporary positions that would allow them more flexibility. One of the biggest trends is not in the job market, per se, but in the work/life planning. Many of our graduates found themselves moving back home to live with parents rather than launching into a new city. Even those with new jobs spent the first six months of the position being trained and working remotely. They tended to stay with parents in order to save money and avoid moving to a new city during a time when finding a social community would be difficult.
What experience really stands out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Eric Ziolkowski Ph.D.: No area of academic inquiry is better suited than religious studies, an inherently interdisciplinary area devoted to critically fathoming the limitless spiritual resources of religions, for encouraging students to cultivate the kinds of intellectual perspectives and skills that will be needed to navigate the existential quandaries and challenges of the post-pandemic world.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the General Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: The demand for teachers is still prevalent. Virtual job fairs and interviews are the current trends. Additionally, employees are looking more at the candidate's knowledge and comfort level with online teaching and using technology to impact student learning.
What General Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Training to be essential is critical. Increasing skills in using technology are necessary. Keeping students engaged and actively learning through technology is a crucial tool that will be extremely important to a teacher, whether teaching in person or virtually. Additionally, the gap year should be used to identify an area of interest for work. Once the site is specified, the graduate should build professional relationships and learn the site's culture.
What general advice would you give to a General Education Instructor?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Flexibility is important. The graduate must be prepared and flexible! The graduate must be prepared to teach effectively and efficiently, regardless of the delivery method and flexibility regarding reporting to the school or working from home. Be prepared and accepting of the fact that what is required of you may change unexpectedly. In this age of uncertainty, the graduate must be flexible enough to perform as needed and remain focused on student growth.
What experience really stands out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Tillman W. Nechtman Ph.D.: In my home department, we've tried to stress that students need to ask themselves how they plan to tell their own story - how they want to present themselves - when they leave the college and head out on the job market. That's a personal question, one only the student can answer, and the answer shapes the things that a particular student will want to put on a resume. For instance, if you wanted to go to graduate school, we'd all suggest that you take the Thesis in History and put in the full-year work on a single research project.
That way, in your cover letter (and never underestimate the value of the cover letter as a tool for guiding potential employers through your CV and your other materials), you can narrate the work you did there. If you think your goal is to work in a museum setting, you should consider taking our class in Public History. That is a course that does a lot of directed research too, and it can span a year as well. But, it's a course that partners students with local public history institutions so that students get first-hand experience mobilizing historical research within a museum or institution of that sort. The key is for students to think about the story; they will tell potential employers. What are the things you did - that unique combination of courses and experiences - that make you stand out against the broader pool of applicants? How will you write that story in a cover letter so strong that nobody reading it will miss that you are the one candidate for the position? Be bold here. Make it clear. You stand out from the pack. Yes, perhaps other have taken a more traditional path to a specific job, but if that employer or graduate program wants somebody who can think outside the box or who brings in a different set of skills that just might shake things up in a positive way, well, make sure they know you're their candidate.
What type of skills will young General Education Instructors need?
Tillman W. Nechtman Ph.D.: When it comes to skills young graduates need, I will speak specifically to the field of History. It's always been the case that History Majors do well in the job market. Now, to be sure, there is the temptation to limit the scope of what jobs we imagine a historian can do. Career Service Offices sometimes think that History Majors teach, work in libraries, and archives, maybe a museum, and that is about it. The fact is that it's not uncommon to find CEO at Fortune 500 companies who were History Majors as undergraduates.
Presidents. Media personalities. Lawyers. Judges. You name it. History Majors are everywhere, and I think I know the reason. History Majors learn to take lots of data - and we're omnivorous about what we call data - and we synthesize it. We give it two frames. First, we weave it into a narrative form, a story, if you will. Second, we give that narrative analytical meaning. We offer a thesis or an argument about the content we're sharing. Those are vital skills. The ability to walk people through data and to help them understand your analysis of that material. What field wouldn't appreciate that set of capabilities? And, I think that explains why History Majors tend to do so well in a host of fields and professions. I don't foresee that that will change in the future.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on General Education Instructors?
Tillman W. Nechtman Ph.D.: I do think that we'd be mistaken to think that there won't be a lasting impact from this pandemic on those who graduate while it is ongoing. Economically, there will be ripples for some time. That seems obvious. But, there are other issues to consider too-psychology, for instance. Seniors in the graduating class of 2019 did not get a graduation ceremony to mark that pivotal moment in their lives and in their learning. That's a loss. It needs to be recognized as such. And, it's but one example of the kind of losses we're all experiencing and which we all need to recognize. There is grieving that will need to be done once we've passed through the emergency of this pandemic.
For those who can make a comparison, the pandemic is not unlike getting a dramatic and life-altering medical diagnosis. It changes you. You don't just go back to being who you were before. Of course, History teaches us to appreciate that - the way life is an ongoing journey. Each step makes us a different person than we were before. To reflect more on the economics of this and the specifics of the job market, though, I would say that the pandemic has pushed a number of graduates that I know from last year back home to their parents' houses. Even those who have been fortunate enough to secure work have jobs that are remote right now, and rather than settle in near their jobs, and folks have opted to go home, hunker down with the family, and work from their old bedrooms. Those are the fortunate ones. I know many graduates from last year who did not secure work, and, in that way, I compare the class of 2019 to those who graduated during the Great Recession and struggled through that economic turmoil. Within the academy, hiring freezes will certainly hurt those with Ph.D.'s who are on the market. There simply aren't jobs right now. At my institution, we're still not even certain we can hire people on a temporary basis to replace colleagues going on sabbatical next year. Those sorts of decisions would have been made months ago in normal times. It's hard for me to imagine that that sort of dislocation won't cause economic and career ripples across time.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on General Education Instructors?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: It's hard to imagine that there WON'T be an enduring impact of the pandemic. For History graduates, the worst of it is likely to be that two graduating classes will essentially be entering the job market at the same time---the 2020 graduates as well as the 2021 graduates---increasing competition. Many graduates, especially people coming out of a strong public history program like CofC's, have had many of their typical entry-level jobs essentially vanish for the better part of a year (coming back soon, I hope!)---museum work, park service work, historical societies, and so on. For non-history-specific jobs, where History majors are at an advantage (jobs that require good critical thinking and people skills), the market seems likely to bounce back more quickly.
What type of skills will young General Education Instructors need?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The most important skill a History degree teaches has is critical thinking and writing, and those are skills that remain valuable for most of the white-collar workforce in this country.
What experience really stands out on General Education Instructor resumes?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The experience that most stands out on resumés, to my mind, is definitely internships or anything where the applicant has had to show initiative and exercise independent thought.