Health Education Specialists build social perceptiveness, coordination and instructing skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary (85%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 85% | $80,250 | +25% | Graduate degree |
| 2 | Social and Community Service Managers | 81% | $80,390 | +25% | None |
| 3 | Dietitians and Nutritionists | 80% | $76,400 | +19% | Graduate degree |
| 4 | Training and Development Specialists | 80% | $69,280 | +8% | None |
| 5 | Clinical Nurse Specialists | 80% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
| 6 | Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | 79% | $74,260 | +16% | None |
| 7 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 79% | $107,310 | +67% | Graduate degree |
| 8 | Instructional Coordinators | 78% | $77,440 | +21% | Graduate degree |
| 9 | Special Education Teachers, Middle School | 77% | $66,810 | +4% | None |
| 10 | Registered Nurses | 76% | $97,550 | +52% | None |
Compared with Health Education Specialists, median $64,070. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as health education specialists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
85% skill match · $80,250 · +25% pay
Troubleshooting · Instructing · Quality Control Analysis
81% skill match · $80,390 · +25% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Complex Problem Solving · Service Orientation
80% skill match · $76,400 · +19% pay
Quality Control Analysis · Complex Problem Solving · Judgment and Decision Making
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary (85% skill match, median $80,250), Social and Community Service Managers (81% skill match, median $80,390) and Dietitians and Nutritionists (80% skill match, median $76,400), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 18 pay more than health education specialists at the median. The biggest increases: Medical and Health Services Managers (+93%, $123,860), Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (+67%, $107,310) and Registered Nurses (+52%, $97,550).
13 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 12 usually need a graduate degree: Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary, Dietitians and Nutritionists and Clinical Nurse Specialists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.