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RESEARCH & EXPLORE CAREERS RELATED TO AN EDUCATION MAJOR 

Resources Available in the Career Services Office
Occupational Information for Education Majors
Dana Mentors
Graduate School Information and Links

Resources Available in the Career Services Office

  • Confidential professional career counseling by the Director of Career Services is available to any Dana College student without charge for assistance in deciding about a major, an occupation, preparing and executing a job search, or any other questions which arise in the process of career decision making.  Students may make an appointment by contacting the Director by email (lauch@dana.edu) or telephone (426-7258).  Persons can also ‘walk-in’ without an appointment between 10:00 a.m. – Noon, and 1:00 -5:00 p.m. on a first-come-first-served basis.
  • The Career Services Office (next to the bookstore) offers many print resources for 2-week checkout or use in the Career Services Office (books, periodicals, employer information files, leaflets, and references).  There are numerous free handouts on a variety of career issues and job search topics available.  Just stop in and help yourself from the racks by the door!  We also have a variety of internet websites bookmarked for you on our computers.
  • Two computers with internet access which may be used for any career-related task (examples: resumes, cover letters, job search) are available for Dana students and alumni in the Career Services office.  To use these computers for producing documents, be sure to bring your own flash drive so that you can save what you produce.

Occupational Information for Education Majors
There are many things you can do with an education major in addition to teaching.  This page,  http://www.dana.edu/careerservices/career_education.html (link to this page here) lists 60 occupations which Education majors enter, as well as links to locate further information about these occupations, things you can do now in college to maximize the career opportunities after graduation, how to focus your career choice if you are having trouble deciding, and a number of other education-related sites on the web.

Dana Mentors
Career Services maintains a contact list of Dana College friends and alumni who are currently employed in many education-reIated fields.  If you would like to talk about an education-related career with someone currently employed in that field for more information about what they do on a day-to-day basis as well as tips about launching a career in that field, please contact the Director of Career Services to receive name(s) and contact information.

Graduate School Information and Links

  • There are several issues to think about before going off to graduate school immediately after college:
  • What is your career destination and is graduate school directly after college a good step in a plan to get there?

Because of the expense involved in graduate school and the variety of ways in which certain types of employers view a graduate school education in a potential hire, it is a good idea to establish whether you will be more valuable as a potential entry-level hire to a prospective employer with a graduate degree or without.  For some occupations such as being a college professor, librarian, or college student services staff member a graduate degree is mandatory.  For others such as public or private school teaching you might be more attractive as an entry-level hire without a graduate degree.  After being hired you will add the perspective of some experience and you can then go on to get your graduate degree in the evening and have the choice to advance within the school system or move to another position.  The best way to find out which is more advantageous is to discuss the issue with someone currently working in the occupation to which you aspire.

  • Consider how you will pay for graduate school.

Some employers will fund all or part of your graduate education.  In some fields you can obtain fellowships or grants.  If you must pay for your own courses, will you save ahead, or take educational loans?

  • Timetable for Graduate School Application

Your Junior Year: Getting into graduate school is competitive. If you get started early you will improve your application and increase your chances of getting in.  As a junior you can:

  • Start thinking about where you'd like to apply. Gather information about the various programs you are considering. Browse through brochures and web sites.  Check out the web sites at the end of this page.
  • Request catalogs and applications from schools that interest you.
  • Meet with faculty and career counselors to discuss programs and your plans.
  • Find out what the admissions requirements are for the schools you are considering.  Not all graduate programs (even within the same university) have the same admission requirements.  Never assume anything about what the admission requirements are for a particular program.
  • Take extra elective courses that may aid your application. For example, in education, extra writing, pyschology, and statistics courses are good bets.
  • Determine which standardized tests to take.   Probably the GRE will be required, but you should check the particular admission requirements of the schools.  Take advantage of the free practice tests offered every fall and spring in Omaha. The registration fees for graduate admissions tests are in excess of $100, and it makes sense to find out if you will need to do extra preparation before paying that registration fee.  Consider a prep course if it makes sense to you.
  • Take any required standardized exams for which you plan to have your scores sent to the graduate programs of your choice towards the end of your Junior year. Then you will have time to retake them if needed.
  • Get involved in your field. Assist a professor with a project or do some volunteer work.
  • Check your transcript for errors.  You can get an advising copy of your transcript from the Registrar’s Office or your advisor.

Your Senior Year:  Now is the time to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. 
SUMMER/SEPTEMBER

  • Take or re-take the necessary standardized admissions tests if you haven’t done that already and check the due dates for the test scores at the programs where you are applying.  Make sure you arrange for your scores to arrive by that date. You will either take the GRE, or MAT, depending on what your program requires.
  • Narrow your choices to 2-3 graduate schools (or as many as you feel you can afford to apply to).
  • Decide which faculty members to ask for letters of recommendation.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

  • Research sources of financial aid.
  • Obtain copies of the application forms and the list of documents you will need to submit for the programs you will apply to.  They may have a paper packet you will send for, or the application may be completely online.  Carefully examine each of the applications and note any questions or essay topics that that you will need to think about.
  • Write a draft of your statement of purpose if you are required to submit one.
  • Ask a faculty member and/or the career counselor to read your essays and provide feedback. Take their advice!
  • Ask faculty for letters of recommendation and ask them if they can provide you with a good letter of recommendation.  If they do not seem enthusiastic about doing so, ask someone else.  A tepid letter from a recommender is a stumbling block for you.  At the time you ask, provide each of your faculty references with a copy of your transcript, each program's recommendation form, and your statement of purpose. It may also be helpful if you provide the professors with sample recommendation letters and a current resume to bring them up-to-date on what you have been doing. Ask him or her if there's anything else that you can provide to help them.  Make sure the faculty knows when the recommendation letter will be due and plan to check with them about a week before the due date to see if the recommendation has been sent.
  • Check and record the due date for each application, and make a note to check with your faculty recommendations one week ahead.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

  • Arrange for your official transcript to be sent to each program to which you apply. Request that the Registrar hold your transcript until the Fall semester grades are in.
  • Finalize your essays and statement of purpose. Don't forget to seek input from others.
  • Apply for fellowships and other sources of financial aid, as applicable.

DECEMBER/JANUARY

  • Complete the application form for each program. Scan the form into your computer, use a typewriter for a neat and clean application form, or print out the document from the web site so you will have a record of what you sent. Reread your essays and statement of purpose before sending. Spell check!
  • Mail or submit your applications.
  • Most schools send a postcard upon receipt of each application. Keep track of these. If you don't receive a postcard or letter, contact the admissions office by email or phone to ensure that your application has been received before the deadline.

FEBRUARY

  • Depending on your field, start planning for the admissions interviews. What questions will you ask? Prepare answers to common questions.
  • Fill out the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. You'll need your tax forms to do this.

MARCH/APRIL

  • Visit schools where you've been accepted. While there, talk with current graduate students in the program to get their assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the program.
  • Discuss acceptances and rejections with a faculty member and/or the career counselor at your school.
  • Notify the program of your acceptance.
  • Notify programs that you're declining.

Graduate School Links

Accepted.com's graduate school application writing resource .  Personal service is only available for a fee, but you can take a look at some online articles on Application Writing, Statement of Purpose, Writing About Goals, Sample Essays, and Ten Writing Tips.

DegreeFinder.com Search for graduate programs (click on Schools by Level) and select “graduate”

GradSchools.com International and Study Abroad Graduate programs.

GradView's Information about financial aid for graduate school Covers the basics of the different types of financial aid available (governmental, institution based scholarships, fellowships, and assistance, and employer-based assistance)

Info.GradSchools.com A number of articles on financial aid --where, how much, why, how to, plus a number of links on the financial aid topic

Peterson's Graduate School Information A search engine for graduate school programs in the field of your interest, plus links for test preparation, help with personal statements, and financial aid.

Purdue University's online writing lab  has an excellent discussion of personal statement writing and offers tips and examples.