Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: Similar Pay, 17.1% vs 2.2% Growth

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Consider Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary and Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary. 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

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $80,250
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
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: Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory and clinic work, assignments, and papers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 8,500

Know before you choose

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

See the full Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $77,270
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
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: Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (15,200 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary is at 17.1% projected growth, compared with 2.2% projected growth for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary is at 8,500 annual openings, compared with 1,000 annual openings for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary is at $80,250, compared with $77,270 for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

66.2/ 100

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

37.9/ 100

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

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

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary	Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$80,250	$77,270
Pay percentile	72.6 percentile	67.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	17.1%	2.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	8,500	1,000
2025 employment	96,100	15,200
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	Doctoral or professional degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS 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 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

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