3.
2 Career Path
1.1.2- Identify the scope of career opportunities and the requirements for education,
training, certification, licensure, and experience.
To display a visual presentation of my chosen career path, I created a Prezi
([Link] that includes everything I plan to do from high
school all the way to securing a position in the department of education. I cover the classes I
have taken in highschool and give insight to my extracurriculars and activities outside of the
classroom. I then go over the colleges I am planning on visiting and my overall goal. Next I
journey into the degree I am striving to obtain and the requirements that go into that, then finally
finishing my journey by sharing where I want to end up teaching and what age level I want to
specialize in.
I started my path on becoming a teacher at The Olentangy High School. Within the
school I have taken classes such as Teacher Academy to further prepare me for the role of
becoming a teacher. I plan to take the ACT this October and score a 27 or above. I play varsity
basketball for the school and within this program help coach the Little Lady Braves kids camps.
Jobs I have had or currently have include being a Panera and a Sticky Fingers Ice Cream
employee, which entails me to interact with parents and their children constantly. I also babysit
kids from the age of six months to ten years old around my neighborhood (3.2.1). From taking
self-assessments recently, I have discovered that I am a visual learner, including structural
visualization and numerical reasoning. This means I can specifically visualize numbers and three
dimensional objects, but being visual in multiple areas also means that I can picture and plan out
my classroom and the activities we do, making myself a great teacher and always being on top of
things, therefore succeeding in the profession (3.2.2).
My next stop on my journey to the education field is going to college. I have picked out a
few schools that have always been in the back of my mind. If I were to go out of state, I would
definitely want to go to North Carolina University because I have always had an odd
appreciation for it growing up, but out of state tuition will definitely affect my final decision. In
state, I have decided that I would like to Visit The University of Cincinnati and Kent State
University mainly because I think their distance of two hours away from my home is very
acceptable. My second pick would be The Ohio State University because it is now a very good
school with great programs, the only setback would be how the acceptance rate is only 54% now.
My top choice would have to be Ohio University. Looking into it, the university is only a one
hour and thirty minute drive, and the acceptance rate is around 75%. They also have a great
education program and I would be able to major in early childhood education, which has always
been my goal. At Ohio University, 93% of students are employed within a year of graduating,
and it is one of the top 20 Ohio honors colleges (3.2.3). This makes me feel confident that I could
attend this school and come out with a great chance of getting a successful job quickly.
In college, in order to be able to teach within Ohio after graduation, I will have to
graduate with a bachelor's degree. There are two routes I can take within this degree. The first
one entitles me to have to pass exams from the State Board of Education, and have twelve hours
of semester reading in early childhood education. The alternative is passing exams in my subject
area, complete a summer training program, and be assigned to teach in Ohio in the Teach for
America program (3.2.4). There are also many options of positions within the educational system
to choose from. These include the Superintendent, who is responsible for anything that occurs in
the district, including redistricting, severe punishments, and overwatch of the school board. I
could join the Teachers Association, where I would be tasked with making sure that teachers
rights are withheld and watching over them. One of the other many options would be a School
Board member, where I would attend board meetings and vote on matters within the district such
as punishments for offenses or even just what books should be allowed in the classroom (3.2.5).
Personally, after I graduate with my degree, I hope to be able to apply and secure a position as a
kindergarten teacher and then begin the process of getting my masters degree. My Aunt, who is a
kindergarten teacher in Ohio, completed her Masters online after she had a steady job and was
confident that she could handle the extra task. She told me that teaching is a great profession for
her as she gets to spend time with her family and kids, which is the thing that keeps her happiest
(3.2.6). Being a huge family person, I feel like the job would also help out with me being able to
raise my kids and spend time with them.
My path to teaching seems to be the average path. Highschool, graduate with a Bachelor's
degree, and then finally becoming a kindergarten teacher. I am beyond excited to continue on
this path and work my absolute hardest to ensure that I get myself there as I truly feel if I do I
will love going into work each and every day.
