How You Can Start Teaching Sooner Than You Think
Posted On September 25,2025
You want a career where you feel as though you are making a difference, but right now, you feel stuck in a job you don’t love. You’ve always loved the idea of teaching, but going back to school feels like a commitment you just can’t make. Going back to school is expensive, it’s a long process, and you can’t just take a break from your current responsibilities to chase something new. While those fears are common, the reality is that becoming an early childhood educator is well within reach. Early childhood education programs are affordable, flexible, and can get you teaching much sooner than you may think.
How Long Does It Really Take to Earn an ECE Degree?
An associate’s degree in ECE takes two years, after which you can begin teaching in daycare or preschools. A teaching degree from a traditional college or university is a standard four-year, full-time program with a bachelor’s degree. So how is it possible to earn an early childhood education degree from a career academy, community college, or technical school in only two years? Are you missing out on vital information? Will you really be prepared? Will you be able to get hired?
What these two-year programs do that most four-year programs don’t is to cut out the fluff/filler/unnecessary general education requirements. Traditional universities consider you a student first and aren’t as focused on training you for an actual career. With a two-year program, instead of getting a degree for the degree’s sake, you are getting a degree so you are prepared to have a career. In those two years, you will have a comprehensive program that prepares you in every way to have your own classroom.
Can I Study ECE Without Going Full-Time?
Career academies know that everyone comes with a unique experience. Some ECE students can commit to attending school full-time with a traditional schedule. Many can’t make that commitment, either because they are holding down another full-time job, committed to raising a family, or any number of other reasons. At a career academy, juggling your degree with life isn’t a problem. These ECE programs are designed for flexibility. You can take evening and weekend classes that leave your days free for work or family commitments. While taking classes full-time can get you through the program more quickly, even students who are taking classes around their other obligations can finish the program sooner than they may think. When you are looking at ECE programs, look for flexible schedules and talk to an admissions advisor about how long the program will take for your unique situation.
Will I Be Job-Ready After Two Years?
There’s what colleges and articles tell you, and then there’s reality. If you watch or read the news at all, you know that the job market is tough right now. University graduates who have invested thousands of dollars in their degrees are struggling to get anything that can even pay their rent, let alone allow them to start making any sort of dent in their student loan debt. With all this struggle, can you really get a good job in only two years?
In a word, yes! Not every career can claim this, but jobs for early childhood educators are available, and schools are anxiously looking for qualified teachers to fill those roles. Preschool teachers, preschool assistant teachers, and daycare teachers are all in-demand careers with plenty of roles to fill to meet the increasing need. When you graduate with a two-year degree in ECE, you will be exactly what these employers are looking for – someone excited, committed, and prepared to work with young children. Your two-year program, lacking in fluff but packed with a thorough and comprehensive curriculum of relevant subject matter, will more than prepare you for your first job.
How Hard Is It to Land Your First ECE Job?
Getting your first job in a new career is intimidating, no matter what that career is. No matter how good your training is, you still may feel that your experience won’t stack up against more qualified candidates. While experience does matter, daycares and preschools know that new teachers come to their first job not only prepared with the most up-to-date teaching knowledge and best practices, but with enthusiasm and drive to put their new knowledge into practice. New teachers are excited to have their own classroom, work with a variety of students, and gain the experience they need to become master teachers. New teachers love the idea of setting up their classrooms, building routines, and creating a learning community of young and eager minds. Preschools know this, and because that enthusiasm is so important to successful teaching, they are ready and willing to hire teachers who can showcase that passion.
Of course, coming from a supportive career academy will help you get your first job as well! When you have a strong program backing you up, you’ll have job placement assistance that includes helping you network to find opportunities, building a strong resume, even as a new teacher, and preparing for the interview questions you should expect. When you are comparing programs, ask about job placement assistance and the success rate of placing new graduates in teaching roles.
Ready to Start Teaching Sooner?
Becoming an early childhood educator is affordable, flexible, and faster than you think. There are plenty of good jobs available for those who have a passion for working with young kids. Teaching preschool students is an incredibly fulfilling role, and with the increased demand the profession has now, it’s an excellent choice for a new career.
Athena Career Academy’s flexible, affordable ECE program gets you classroom-ready in as little as two years, with job placement support to help you launch your new career. Contact us today to learn more.