How to Build a Teaching Career That Works for You
Posted On June 23,2025
Whether you are considering early childhood education as your first career or are ready to make a move from a dead-end or unfulfilling job, you can feel confident that a teaching career can be incredibly satisfying. From your first class as you prepare until your first day on the job, it’s essential to find a program that will support you in building a teaching career that works for you.
Think About Where You Want to Be
We all must start somewhere, but if you don’t have a plan, you won’t know if you’re on the right track. Crafting a professional growth plan can help make sure that you are on the track you’d like to be on and aren’t getting too comfortable – or worse, stuck – in a role that isn’t right for you. When you begin your career, think about some milestones and benchmarks you’d like to attain.
- What would you consider a successful first year in early childhood education?
- What’s the next step you’d like to take? How long will you give yourself to make that move?
- When will you assess if you’d like to stay and progress in your current setting or begin the process of branching into another role?
- Do you need any additional skills, knowledge, or experience to move into your next role?
Find a Mentor to Help Guide You
Teaching is a career that relies on quality mentoring. From your very first day in the classroom, look for a veteran teacher you admire and trust to help you grow. Not only will your mentor help you with the day-to-day tasks, from the mundane (help using the copier or finding the spare snacks) to the challenging (offering classroom management tips and tricks), but your mentor should also work with you on where you’d like to go in your career. Your mentor will have a good understanding of who you are as a teacher and where your strengths lie, and they can help you determine the best path for your career. As you reach your benchmarks, your mentor can help assess your options, give you advice to strengthen your weaknesses and help you find the best way to move forward in your career.
Consider All the Possible Roles You Can Explore
An early childhood education degree doesn’t limit you to working in a preschool or daycare. Are those great places to land in your career? Yes. Do they offer opportunities for fulfillment? Yes. Are they your only options? No! In today’s world, education is about so much more than what happens in a traditional classroom. With a degree in early childhood education, you can teach in a daycare or preschool setting. You can own a preschool or preschool. Or you can choose many other careers, including:
- Child Life Specialist
Work at a hospital or medical center, guiding children through complex procedures and medical events with play-based learning.
- Early Childhood Curriculum Specialist
Take your learning and experience in the classroom to develop and implement curriculum for early childhood programs, home-based programs, or online learning supplements.
- Private Childcare Provider
Much more than a babysitter, private childcare providers work with clients in their homes and provide a rich educational experience in their first few years of life before attending school. Some private childcare providers will even travel with families to maintain consistency in their early education.
- Childcare Specialist in Non-Traditional Settings
Cruise ships, resorts, and other family destinations are often eager to find early childhood education specialists to develop and manage their programs.
- HeadStart Teacher/Director
If you are passionate about working with communities in need, Head Start provides a valuable program to families who would otherwise find preschool out of their reach.
Moving from the Classroom to Leadership
Some teachers are lifers in the classroom – they feel their greatest contribution to the field is by working with students every day. These veteran teachers are incredibly valuable. However, some teachers, after spending time in the classroom, feel called to move into a leadership role. Educational leadership is still a career that makes a difference, even if you aren’t working directly with young children daily. Educational leaders still shape the future, focusing on the bigger picture. If you are interested in academic leadership roles, such as a preschool or daycare director, you may need additional coursework to develop the necessary skills to manage a school.
Those who are best suited for these roles are teachers who excel in communication, organization, and decision-making. They need to understand educational policy, strategic planning, and staff development. If this is a path you’d like to explore, finding a good mentor is important.
Follow Your Map, But Balance Your Journey
Teachers, like many other careers that focus on making a difference in the community, can have a high rate of burnout. It’s so easy to focus on your career journey that you can forget about yourself as a person. If you want a long career, you need to make sure you are taking care of yourself as well as taking care of your students. Organize your work at school so you can be efficient and manage your workload, find a strategy for stress management that works for you, and make sure you dedicate time for self-care and personal enjoyment.
Many career academies strike a balance with their curriculum and programs, helping aspiring teachers reach their goals while offering the flexibility and support necessary to prevent burnout. When you are first starting on your journey, look for a flexible, career-focused program that will help you take charge of your future.
Teaching is an incredibly rewarding career, no matter where you find yourself along the way. A degree in early childhood education will open many opportunities to choose from. With the right guidance from your career academy, you’ll find it easy to map the path to a long and successful career.
Ready to turn your passion into a purpose-driven career? Start building the teaching future that fits your life—with flexible programs, real support, and a clear path forward at Athena Career Academy. Apply today and take the first step toward a rewarding career in early childhood education.