In today’s culture, learning to read well is a necessary skill. It is crucial for completing an education and succeeding in a career, performing tasks of everyday life, remaining current on local and world news, and staying in touch with friends and family. A career in this area affords you the opportunity to directly and positively influence the lives of others. You may be wondering how to translate your master’s degree focused on reading education into a specific job. This article offers information about five great options for you to consider.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016
Reading Specialists
Reading specialist is the most common career path. In this role, you will work predominantly in elementary schools. This is a great path if you enjoy assisting students with difficulties learning to read, challenging students who are gifted, and guiding students through learning English as a second language. This path is perfect if you prefer working in depth and one on one with students. ReadingRockets.org offers a guide to understanding the various tasks of this job.
Curriculum Development
If you are more interested in designing instructional material than implementing it, curriculum development is a great choice for you. You will work with teachers and administrators to create the materials and methods that schools use to teach students to read. You also have the option to lend your services to private institutions. If you enjoy making new discoveries, these positions often offer opportunities to conduct research.
Higher Education
With a masters degree, you are qualified to teach at community colleges and many universities. This is a great path with many options if you prefer teaching adults. You can teach adults who are new to English or learning to read for the first time; you can instruct college students who want to teach others to learn to read; and you can focus on more advanced areas, such as literature and communications. A career in higher education also opens doors for conducting research. The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium is the best place for finding jobs in higher education.
Editing and Publishing
Editing and publishing is a great option if you want to read and help others improve their writing. In this varied profession, you can focus on books of different genres, magazine and newspaper articles, online blogs, or academic articles. You can also help students and job seekers with documents for college and career preparation, such as cover letters, personal statements, and resumés. This is a flexible option, as you can work for a company or freelance your services.
Writing
With a deeper understanding of how people learn to read, you can become an exceptional writer. You can write textbooks teachers use to teach students to read. You can write fiction or nonfiction, books or articles. You can write for a company or work for yourself. Whatever your choice of expression, your masters degree will provide you with the tools you need to make it readable for your intended audience.
Now you have a snapshot of the jobs you can get with a masters in reading education. Take a moment to figure out which of these 5 career paths speak directly to your passions.
