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Beyond education
Program or Project Manager: a guide for teachers
By Devin Lewis, Founder of NextGround
- Runs timelines
- Aligns teams
- Reports status
- Removes blockers
You might like this if
- You ran the whole grade-level team
- You like plans and deadlines
- You keep many people moving
What the job is
Project managers turn a goal into a plan, timeline, and budget, then keep a team moving until it's done.
A day in the role
A team standup, updating the project tracker, a call with a client about a delay, and rewriting the timeline.
Teaching skills that translate
Running a grade-level team, planning a school event, and juggling 150 students' deadlines at once.
How teachers get there
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the role typically needs a bachelor's degree with no prior work experience required, and certification can help. Document a school project you led with its timeline and outcome.
Pay and outlook
Occupation: Project management specialists
- Median pay
- $102,320
- Projected growth
- 7% through 2035, about 76,500 openings a year
View the source. Data as of May 2025 wages, 2025 to 2035 projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NextGround can help you prepare for
Project planningStakeholder updatesRisk managementTooling basics