The African proverb, "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" was adopted by Hillary Clinton as the source for the title of her book. And it generated a heated debate as various political pundits argued who was responsible for raising a child. Regardless of what side of the issue you follow, the fact remains that there are many individuals and groups outside of the family that will have an impact on a child. In today's society, we our children need role models who can have a positively influence on them when needed.
Below we look at some of those jobs
You can have a positive impact on the lives of children and on the future of our society by pursuing a degree in education. As a teacher, you can choose to specialize in working with children within various age categories, such as pre-school, kindergarten, elementary, middle school and high school. You may also choose to work with certain populations of students, such as ESOL students, special needs students or gifted students. In this way, you can choose the population of students that best matches your style of teaching.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual income of kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary teachers ranged from $47,100 to $51,180 in 2008. Preschool teachers, on the other hand, earned a median annual salary of $23,070 during that same year. The exact requirements for becoming a certified teacher vary slightly from state to state, but there are several online colleges that offer degree programs in education.
Although there are several career paths that you can follow with a degree in criminal justice, you will have the greatest opportunity to work directly with youth if you use your degree to land a job as a probation officer. While it is certainly true that working as a probation officer is a tough job that require working with kids who have broken the law, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you have helped put that same kid back on a positive path. Not only are you having a significant impact on that child's life, you are also impacting the future of our society by preventing the kid from becoming a criminal adult.
In general, a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a related field is required to become a probation officer. In addition to being a very satisfying job, working as a probation officer also provides a great deal of job security as well as an attractive income. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment opportunities for probation officers are expected to grow faster than the average occupation. The Bureau further reports that the median annual income of probation officers was $45,910 in 2008, with those who work in urban areas earning higher wages.
To become a school psychologist, you will first need to earn a master's degree in psychology, though most employers will want you to earn a specialist degree. After earning your educational psychology degree, you will also need to become licensed in the area. The Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) designation can be earned through the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
In addition to passing an exam, earning this credential requires completing 60 graduate hours in school psychology and a 1,200 hour internship, with 600 of those hours being earned within a school setting. This national certification is recognized by the majority of states, but you will need to check with your individual state in order to learn more about the credentialing requirements for that particular state.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that demand for school psychologists will grow as awareness about the mental health of students, behavior problems and learning difficulties continue to grow. The median annual salary for school psychologists is about $60,000. The middle 50 percent earned between $45,300 and $77,750. The highest 10 percent earned more than $102,730.
This is a profession that is very rewarding allowing you to improve the quality of life for your students as well as helping them overcome events they experience that may cause severe emotional long-term problems if unaddressed.
For some individuals, the prospect of helping children overcome problems and make their lives better is attracting many to this field. They are educated and trained to either find a support group or other resource to help a child coping with divorce or they may provide counseling. They also help parents learn how to care for children better.
A bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement although some positions may require an advanced degree. Additionally, most states have some licensure, certification, or registration requirement. In school settings, you will typically need a master's degree.
Child, family, and school social workers provide social services and assistance in their efforts to improve the lives of children and their families. Often this involves utilizing outside services and, in serious cases, bringing in child protective services. Some social workers obtain jobs in a school setting allowing them to directly assist students and their parents to overcome any behavioral or emotional problems. The stress of a divorce can often affect students academically and emotionally with some turning to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. This is where a good social worker can perhaps make a notable difference in their lives guiding them toward a healthier approach to handling the emotional affects of family problems.
Employment of child, family, and school social workers is expected to grow by about 12 percent, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Median annual wages of child, family, and school social workers were $39,530 in May 2008.
Becoming a coach at the public school level requires an individual who is well versed in specific sports. They are responsible for training the athletes for competition, instilling good sportsmanship, teamwork and managing their teams during games and during practice sessions. They oversee the practice training by running drills that improve the player's form, techniques, skills and overall fitness ability.
High school sports may often be taken quite seriously, especially in certain parts of the country. For their players, there may be college scholarships at stake as well as compensation for a winning coach. With that in mind, often coaches perform other duties including scouting the opposing team and developing plays that optimizes the team's performance.
Middle and high school coaches are primarily teachers of other academic subjects who supplement their income by coaching part time. Being a coach at the secondary school level requires you to have a bachelor's degree. It is rare that a school cannot find a suitable teacher to take on this role; however, it does happen and when a school needs to hire from outside, they look for someone who not only has experience in that sport but who also meets State certification requirements.
If this is a road you are looking to travel, then obtaining a bachelor's degree in a program related to coaching would include exercise and sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition and fitness, physical education and sports medicine.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of athletes, coaches, umpires and related workers is expected to increase by 23 percent through 2018 as increased participation in organized sports gains momentum for its physical and recreational attributes. Naturally, job opportunities will be greatly influenced by funding for athletic programs as local school boards find a way to deal with budget cuts. To date, most of the athletic programs are still being run with budget shortfalls being addressed by fundraiser, booster clubs and parents. Look for them to continue to loudly advocate for the uninterrupted continuation of public school athletic programs.
The median annual salary earnings of coaches and scouts in May 2008 were $28,340. The middle 50 percent earned between $18,220 and $43,440. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $15,530, and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $62,660. Elementary and secondary school coaches' median earnings were closer to $22,390.