Have you ever heard from a friend or family member that Education is a flooded field? This may have been true a decade or two ago, but due to a rash of retirements, teachers are once again in-demand.

In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for special education, kindergarten, elementary and high school teachers will grow between 7% and 8% between 2016 and 2026.

Now is the perfect time to consider a career that enables you to inspire others and truly shape the future.

There are a lot of options when it comes to teaching degrees. Start the process by asking yourself some important questions. Do you like working with young children? Older children? Those on the verge of adulthood? Do you have a passion for a certain subject or simply the process of learning and discovery? Do you want to help those with special needs fully develop their skills?

The answers to these and similar questions will help you determine what type of program you want. For example, Daemen offers eleven different undergraduate programs in Education:

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Bachelor of Science: 

• Early Childhood Education / Special Education (Birth – 2)
• Childhood Education (1 – 6)
• Childhood Education / Special Education (1 – 6)
• Visual Arts Education (K – 12)
• Adolescence Special Education / Students with Disabilities Generalist (7-12)
• Adolescence Biology (7-12)

Bachelor of Arts: 

• Adolescence English (7-12)
• Adolescence French (7-12)
• Adolescence Spanish (7-12)
• Adolescence Social Studies (7-12)
• Adolescence Mathematics (7-12)

Not sure what you want to do? Make sure to talk to your admissions counselor about the best program for you.

More so than almost any other field, experience matters when it comes to education. Consider your options. How soon will you be exposed to classroom experiences? How much individual attention will you get in a program? Is the program cutting edge? What do they offer to best equip you for your career as a teacher?

Daemen students begin to have structured field experiences in classrooms in their first year and small classes (12:1) mean that faculty members are able to provide personal attention to every student.

State-of-the-art technology (such as Swivl robots, smartboards, iPads and educational apps) give you an advantage in terms of learning and assessment of your teaching techniques. And strong community partnerships lead to a wide array of diverse learning experiences.

Interested in the field but not sure yet what is the best fit for you? Make sure to talk to your counselors about various programs, electives, subfields and other options to ensure the degree you get is a perfect fit for you.

Consider graduate programs, related specialties (such as Applied Behavior Analysis) and how all the puzzle pieces will fit together to lead you to the career you want and deserve.