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Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary vs Industrial Production Managers: what changes?

Consider Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary if you want to plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools. Consider Industrial Production Managers if you would rather plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications. Entry credentials differ: Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary, master's degree; Industrial Production Managers, bachelor's degree. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (5 years or more) and Industrial Production Managers (5 years or more).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary and Industrial Production Managers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

National median pay (2025)
$105,870
Route into the job
Master's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience
Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
20,600
Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary brief

Industrial Production Managers

National median pay (2025)
$126,060
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience
Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Set and monitor product standards, examining samples of raw products or directing testing during processing, to ensure finished products are of prescribed quality.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
17,000
Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Industrial Production Managers brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Industrial Production Managers has the edge on projected growth

Industrial Production Managers is at 2.6% projected growth, compared with -0.3% projected growth for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary.

2

Typical preparation differs.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary: Master's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Industrial Production Managers: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

3

Industrial Production Managers has the edge on median pay

Industrial Production Managers is at $126,060, compared with $105,870 for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary.

4

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary has the edge on annual openings

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary is at 20,600 annual openings, compared with 17,000 annual openings for Industrial Production Managers.

57.1/ 100

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

vs
65.5/ 100

Industrial Production Managers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary vs Industrial Production Managers

DimensionEducation Administrators, Kindergarten through SecondaryIndustrial Production Managers
Median pay (2025)$105,870$126,060
Pay percentile86.5 percentile91 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)-0.3%2.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)20,60017,000
2025 employment343,800252,100
How you qualifyMaster's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or moreBachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 5Job Zone 4
Related work experiencePrior related experience: 5 years or more.Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary briefRead Industrial Production Managers brief

Try another comparison

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary vs Education Administrators, Postsecondary

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
$105,870 · -0.3% growth
Education Administrators, Postsecondary
$104,590 · 1.8% growth
Compare careers →

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary vs General and Operations Managers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
$105,870 · -0.3% growth
General and Operations Managers
$105,770 · 5% growth
Compare careers →

Industrial Production Managers vs General and Operations Managers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Industrial Production Managers
$126,060 · 2.6% growth
General and Operations Managers
$105,770 · 5% growth
Compare careers →

Industrial Production Managers vs Compensation and Benefits Managers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Industrial Production Managers
$126,060 · 2.6% growth
Compensation and Benefits Managers
$149,230 · 1.1% growth
Compare careers →
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