If you’re trying to decide whether or not you want to pursue your Master’s in Education in School Counseling (M.Ed.), it’s important that you know what you can do with your degree. Going back to college to earn a graduate-level degree is a huge accomplishment and it can truly change the direction of your career. Since you’ll have to spend 2 to 4 more years in class earning your graduate degree, it’s important that you know which paths you can travel down once you have your diploma in hand. Here are some careers you’ll be able to pursue with this M.Ed degree.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016
Working As a Counselor in Public and Private K-12 Schools
As you might expect, with your Master’s in Education concentrating on counseling students in schools, you’ll be eligible to become a school counselor. As a member of the education team, your job will be to assist students with their social and their personal development so they are better able to achieve the highest level of education. The end goal is for students to succeed in school so that they can succeed in a career later in life.
While helping students become productive students and contributing members of society is a fulfilling job, it’s not for everyone. Since there’s usually only one counselor in a institution, or an average of 1 counselor for every 457 students nationwide, competition for jobs can be fierce. This is why many counselors are looking for different ways to use their M.Ed. degrees.
Working as a Psychology Teacher
If you’d rather instruct students, another option for using your M.Ed. would be to pursue a position teaching psychology. As a teacher, you will develop your own psychology curriculum and class schedule while you teach students the subject that you have a passion for. What is nice about teaching psychology at this level is that students generally select the class as an elective so they are more interested in the subject area.
Working as an Addiction Counselor
When you’re studying for Master’s in Education with a concentration for educational counselors, you don’t have to work in a traditional educational setting. Since the focus of your degree courses is on learning psychology and educational theories, there are other ways that the content that you’ve learned can be applied.
One unique way to use your degree would be to work as an addiction counselor. The education that you’ve already completed should satisfy the certification requirements in your state because the requirements are similar to those set by licensing boards for education team members. When you work in addition or behavioral disorder counseling, you can help run outreach programs about addiction or you can work as a support system for an addict who needs help and treatment.
You have to decide what type of audience that you’d be happiest working with when you’re working towards earning your M.Ed. degree. You are not just limited to working in elementary, middle, and high schools. You could work in an outpatient facility or a government facility depending on your preference and what is in demand when you graduate. Start comparing your options and where the job outlook is highest to find the best option that will help you travel down a career path that you’ll love.
