Have you always wanted to help others, but didn’t know how? Learn about different careers in education and training information that might be a great fit for you. Working in the field of education is a great place to make a difference! It requires a love for working with children, helping others, patience, and teamwork.
I have considered each program at some point in my life. When I graduated high school, I worked as a teachers aide for three years at a local district where I grew up. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, I worked as a substitute teacher and resident substitute teacher. As a resident substitute teacher, I was offered a teaching position and had the option to work on an emergency teaching credential! My experiences in education after 8 years in the schools have informed me of the great opportunity to work on an emergency credential, along with many other careers in education and training!
I now have a Master’s in School Psychology and have worked around occupational therapists, physical therapists, and principals in various settings.
Below you will find different careers in education, along with detailed information about each program! Under each career listed, are some different universities for you to consider. Keep in mind that not every state is listed. I have listed the state that I live in, along with some nearby states.
Here are different careers in education and training information for you to choose from:
Careers in Education and Training Information
1. Teacher
This is one the most known careers in education. Did you know that there are different types of teachers? In education, there is a general education teacher, special education teacher, substitute teacher, resident substitute teacher, long-term substitute teacher, and a teacher with an emergency credential.
A general education teacher must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree along with a single subject credential or a multiple subject credential. A single subject credential allows the teacher to teach in a secondary setting. Secondary settings are for teachers that teach in a middle school or a high school. The multiple subject credential allows the teacher to teach in an elementary school setting from Kindergarten through fifth grade. General education teachers work with the general population of students in schools.
A special education teacher holds a special education credential in addition to their bachelor’s or master’s degree. The difference between a special education teacher and a general education teacher is the specialized instruction that students receive. Special education teachers are required to help students make progress based on their specific goals for the year. In a special education classroom are teachers aides that assist the teacher with students that have behavioral or learning problems. Students have the opportunity to receive specialized instruction and work in small groups in math or reading.
You can find more information on teaching programs in this post.
Teaching Credential Programs:
University of Redlands (Redlands, California)
California Baptist University (Riverside, California)
California State University of San Bernardino (San Bernardino, California)
Brandman University (Online)
Brigham Young University– Hawaii (Laie, Hawaii)
Dixie State University (Saint George, Utah)
Different Types of Substitute Teachers
A typical substitute teacher works as a day to day substitute for other teachers. This type of teacher covers for contracted teachers within a school district. A substitute teacher can usually have a bachelor’s degree and does not need a credential of any type. Most districts allow substitute teachers to work the days that they want and to call off on the days that they choose. There is not a required schedule, and these teachers work for different school sites each day.
Resident substitute teachers are held to a higher standard. Unlike a day to day substitute teacher, a resident substitute teacher has a bachelor’s degree and works at one specific school site. Although this substitute teacher is at one school site, they can cover for a different teacher on the school site each period or stay in one class for the entire day. This depends on the needs of the school and the decision of the principal.
Long-term substitute teacher positions require a bachelor’s degree. A long-term substitute teacher may work up to 30 days in one classroom for multiple school sites. These teachers are meant to fill long term positions for teachers that are on leave so that the students can have structure and routine. The long term substitute should be able to lesson plan for each work that they cover in the classroom.
What is an emergency substitute credential?
If you have a bachelor’s degree and work as a substitute teacher for a school district, you may come across an open position at a school site. If the position is available, and the school wants to keep you in the classroom, you can apply for an emergency credential! Many individuals do not know that these types of credentials exist, but they do! If you work as a substitute teacher and are thinking about becoming a teacher, take this opportunity! It is helpful when the school staff like you, know you, think that you work hard, and most importantly, want the best for the students! Having an emergency credential means that you can be hired through the school district, make the base pay of a teacher, all while you are in a credential program.
You can choose your credential based on the school site position. For example, if it is a multiple subject credential, then you work for the elementary school site that offered you a teaching position. Like most teachers, you need to pass the state’s examination for teachers and will have the same position once you have your actual single or multiple subject credential. Essentially, you still need to go through the interview process to be hired for a school site and the position. How awesome is that?! A full-time credential program consists of approximately a year worth of coursework, along with a short internship. Lastly, you need to pass the state’s examination for teachers and will keep the same position once you have your actual single or multiple subject credential.
2. School Counselor
Love working with kids, but are terrified of running a classroom full of them? Maybe you can consider becoming a counselor. School counselors help with students’ academic and personal success. Counselors work in the office setting of an elementary, middle, or high school. Schools counselors are considered advisors. They advise students in private or public schools. Counselors help students learn about future colleges, scholarships, grants, and resources available to the student. School counselors also set up students’ schedules for the school year, provide short-term counseling, and create plans to assist students in reaching their goals. Overall, counselors support the students and help students problem solve in their day to day lives.
The educational requirements for a school counseling position are to first obtain a bachelor’s degree and then pursue a master’s degree in school counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential. The credential program may take 2 to 3 years total. Along with the credential, school counselors must pass the state examination, which is usually the PRAXIS II. There are also internship hours that must be completed before obtaining the credential.
School Counseling programs:
University of Redlands (Redlands, California)
California Baptist University (Riverside, California)
Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Arizona)
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Texas State University (San Marcos, Texas)
3. Speech and Language Pathologist
Speech and language pathologists (SLPs), also known as speech therapists, work with students that have difficulty speaking for various reasons. Some of these reasons include language disorders, swallowing disorders, fluency disorders, speak, or pronounce words. A typical day for an SLP may help children work on sounds, put sounds into words, learn how to talk in a social setting, use one’s voice, fluency “stuttering,” or feeding and swallowing.
SLPs assess and diagnose children with speech disorders. Therefore, they have a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. To become an SLP, you must apply for an SLP program and meet the university’s requirements. The program can range between 2 to 3 years depending on the university. Also, you must pass your states required examination before practicing as an SLP, which is usually the PRAXIS exam in SLP, along with internship hours upon completion of the program.
SLP Programs:
California State University Long Beach (Long Beach, California)
California State University San Marcos (San Marcos, California)
Brigham Young University- Utah (Provo, Utah)
Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona)
The University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas)
4. School Psychologist
Have you ever heard of a school psychologist?! This is one of the least known careers in education! School Psychologists are different than a typical psychologist, and are essential in the field of education. Daily requirements in this position are to provide mental health services, test for suspected disabilities, advocate for students and families, and research academic interventions. Additionally, school psychologists provide a safe learning space, collaborate with family and community, create partnerships, work as a team, evaluate school programs, provide knowledge about behavior, assess for disabilities, complete suicide risk assessments, and so much more. On an average day, the school psychologist pulls a student out of class to complete an interview, administer assessments, talk with teachers, observe students in the classroom, write IEP reports, make phone calls, respond to emails, and hold IEP meetings.
If you want to become a School Psychologist, you must have a bachelor’s degree of any type. However, when applying for the School Psychology program, you must complete the required pre-requisites. The programs can range between 2 to 4 years to complete. In the program, you will complete coursework, 450 practicum hours, and 1,200 hours of internship. Practicum hours are the hours you spend watching the school psychologist. The internship is separate and is another 1,200 hours that you must complete before you can practice as a school psychologist. Upon completion of the program, you would obtain a master’s degree in school psychology with a PPS credential. To obtain the credential and work as a school psychologist, it is required to meet your state’s requirement to practice as a school psychologist, which is usually the PRAXIS exam.
School Psychology Programs:
California Baptist University (Riverside, California)
University of California Riverside (Riverside, California)
University of La Verne (La Verne, California)
Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, California)
San Diego State University (San Diego, California)
Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona)
University of Texas (Austin, Texas)
5. Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists (OT’s) work with children in the schools on their fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are using motor and coordination to write with a pencil, pen, and marker. Occupational therapists help children develop strength and coordination to write their names, use scissors in the classroom, and more!
To do this, OT’s give assessments that focus on a baseline to find the child’s skills and what they can do. Once a baseline of skill is determined, therapy is provided so the child can do these skills on their own.
If you want to become an occupational therapist, you will need a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. Most programs will range from two and a half to three years. You will have classwork and fieldwork hours. In the field, you will have different settings that you gain experience in, such as schools, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and additional sites. Your fieldwork hours will count toward your degree and are around 1,000 hours to complete the OT program.
Occupational Therapy Programs:
Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, California)
California State University Dominguez Hills (Dominguez Hills, California)
University of Texas at El Paso (El Paso, Texas)
University of St. Augustine for Heath Sciences (Austin, Texas)
Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona)
Choosing the right path in education..
There are so many options to consider, and choosing one option was hard! Maybe you love children, want to help others, want to change the field of education, or have had experiences in your life that have made you consider the field of education. If any of these reasons are true, I created a page of this information for you.
As you can see, some of the schools listed are the same, and some of the schools are different. The school and Department of Education for each of these universities typically offer all of these programs at their school. You may find that some schools do not offer these programs, which is usually if it is a smaller school or some online programs.
However, teaching and counseling programs are usually the only programs that you can find online if you are considering an online program. But for School Psychology and SLP programs, the instructors prefer that you come to campus to learn the material.
I hope you have the knowledge going forward that will help determine if the field of education is right for you! Working with children requires patience, empathy, compassion, and setting an example. If you have a love for working with children and want to make a difference, you should consider a position in the field of education.
Schools are in desperate need of hardworking, devoted, caring, and life-changing professionals to work with students! Working in the schools also has the perks of working when your children are in school, and being off when your children are home. Typically these positions are contracted with the district, so you get breaks when your kids are off and long summers!
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Juliana Caldwell says
Thank you! I love helping others find their passion and see what programs are available to them 🙂