Joining the education field can provide you with an invaluable opportunity to become a leader within a community of lifelong learners and human service professionals. Educators are committed individuals who meet the challenges of diverse societal needs—and they’re not only teachers. They are counselors, coaches, and professors. They are principals, administrators, and education policy experts as well as specialists in students with disabilities or underrepresented backgrounds. They work in schools and colleges in the United States and abroad. They serve at nonprofit organizations and run their own businesses, working with everyone from infants to the elderly. Impacting lives is part of the day-to-day job description. And there is a constant, if not growing, need for more motivated and passionate young educators to join their ranks. Consider where a career in education could take you.
Education is transformational
Making a positive difference in the life of a student can be immeasurably rewarding. Think about the qualities that describe your favorite teacher or sports coach. Did they have a special way of explaining complex concepts? Were they able to push you in ways that made you perform better than you ever imagined? If you want to help students set goals and work through setbacks to meet those goals the way others once did for you, you may be called to teach.
If you want to become a teacher, there’s a world of opportunity to work with students at every stage of development, from early, middle, and high school education to college. When choosing a school, look for an institution that is accredited and allows you ample opportunities to enhance your skills through practical experience in the field working with qualified teachers. As part of a Teacher Education program, you can contribute to the national dialogue on education through advocacy and service. Early Childhood Education teacher and graduate of Ohio University, Brianna Pickett praises the preparation her school gave her, “The way the program is set up, you’re in the classroom so much that by the time you graduate, you feel like you could run any classroom very well and confidently.”
Related: 4 Great Benefits of Majoring in Education You Should Consider
Education can take you outside the classroom
If teaching in the classroom directly isn’t for you, don’t dismiss Education as a major. The education departments at most universities will yield many more options for you to consider beyond a career in the classroom. The Patton College of Education at OHIO, for example, comprises five departments: Counseling & Higher Education, Human & Consumer Sciences, Educational Studies, Recreation & Sport Pedagogy, and Teacher Education. And the students within these programs are as diverse as the programs!
If you have an interest in health and wellness education you may be suited for a degree in Physical Education, which challenges students to get moving, whether in schools, recreation centers, resorts, or nonprofit organizations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the YMCA, or the YWCA. Kelsey Heck, an Outdoor Recreation & Education major at OHIO finds value in hands-on learning experiences as she recalls a 26-day expedition she went on sophomore year. “You spend 10 days backpacking in West Virginia and 10 days sea kayaking on the Outer Banks. The teachers make you make decisions,” she says. “I learned how to be a leader.”
Education can make you a leader
Leaders are needed both inside and outside the classroom. While teachers lead students, administrators lead the greater community of a school or academic region. “Public education has the potential to be the great equalizer,” says Michelle Connavino, recipient of a Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education. Her motivation to pursue teaching was rooted in her belief about the benefits of public education. It’s an important part of our shared democracy, as there is an inherent responsibility to help ensure that everyone has access to excellent and equitable education. Pursuing educational leadership means you have an influence on reshaping and improving the quality of education for the future.
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As you can see, the options in education are far more diverse than the traditional image of a teacher in front of a classroom might suggest! If you do decide to pursue a degree in Education, you will discover a variety of ways to lead in developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to meet the great challenges and equally great rewards of shaping and mentoring the future.
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