Are you itching to make a major career change in your life? Maybe it’s not a career change so much, but your first real career, and you want to pick something that you feel passionate about. For many people, the perfect career is one where they feel they are making a difference and giving back to the world in a positive way. There is no better way to do that than by working with kids. You will be helping to shape, inspire, motivate and fill kids with the knowledge they need to be successful and happy in their lives.
Here’s a look at three rewarding careers that will allow you to work with kids of different ages so that you feel as though you’re making a difference.
Speech-Language Pathologist
Want to work in the medical field but are looking for something outside the traditional hospital or urgent care clinic environment? You may want to consider a job as a speech-language pathologist. People often refer to them as speech therapists, but that doesn’t cover their complete role. Yes, they can help with speech and language disorders, but they are also able to assess and aid oral, swallowing and feeding skills as well as cognitive communication.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this is a growing field that is expected to increase by 21% between 2021-2031. This is much faster than the national average. As a speech-language pathologist, the median pay is $79,060/year as of 2021. As for the work environment, it varies. You may work in schools, residential care facilities, private practice and more.
ESL Teacher
Perhaps you’re already a teacher, or you’ve decided that is a career path that interests you. You may then want to consider working as an ESL teacher – English as a Second Language. These teachers are essential to helping students learn how to read, write and speak English if they were born outside of the U.S. and their native language isn’t English.
Think about the struggles they have in a classroom trying to keep up and complete their studies. ESL teachers need to show a good deal of compassion, patience, and understanding towards students. The demand for ESL teachers is also quite high, as immigration numbers continue to boom. Statistics show that children English language learners (ELL) are on the rise, opening real potential when it comes to a career path.
School Counselor
Another path work looking into is a career as a school counselor. This career is also enjoying growth, which the BLS has predicted to be 10% from 2021-2031. As a school counselor, you will be working to help students develop their social skills, academic skills and even advise them on how to choose their career path. School counselors can be found in private and public schools. The median pay for this career is $60,510/year.
For those wishing to build a career that works with children, there are many different paths to take, just like these interesting and rewarding options.
