Also called: Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers build instructing, judgment and decision making and time management 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 Special Education Teachers, Secondary School (82%).
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 | Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | 82% | $74,260 | −4% | None |
| 2 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 80% | $72,040 | −7% | None |
| 3 | Instructional Coordinators | 80% | $77,440 | 0% | None |
| 4 | Occupational Therapists | 79% | $100,330 | +30% | None |
| 5 | Dietitians and Nutritionists | 79% | $76,400 | −1% | None |
| 6 | Clinical Nurse Specialists | 79% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses | 79% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Speech-Language Pathologists | 78% | $97,870 | +27% | None |
| 9 | Adapted Physical Education Specialists | 78% | $76,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Special Education Teachers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | 77% | $65,030 | −16% | None |
Compared with Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary, median $77,270. 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 recreation and fitness studies teachers (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.
82% skill match · $74,260 · −4% pay
Service Orientation · Social Perceptiveness · Coordination
80% skill match · $72,040 · −7% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Coordination · Programming
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
80% skill match · $77,440 · 0% pay
Coordination · Social Perceptiveness · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Special Education Teachers, Secondary School (82% skill match, median $74,260), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (80% skill match, median $72,040) and Instructional Coordinators (80% skill match, median $77,440), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 6 pay more than recreation and fitness studies teachers at the median. The biggest increases: Physical Therapists (+33%, $102,760), Occupational Therapists (+30%, $100,330) and Genetic Counselors (+29%, $100,040).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
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.