The first organization I looked into was the National PTA (www.pta.org) . This organization appeals to me because it works to unite schools and families through educator development programs, community outreach and policy reform. They are advocates for the educational system as a whole. Within the PTA, there is a job opportunity that interested me. The job is that of Leadership Development Manager. The duties of this job include, but are not limited to: developing an e-learning plan for the National PTA, developing online course work, evaluating course feedback, conducting staff training and leadership meetings. The requirements of this job include exceptional management and organizational skills, understanding of adult learning and its methodology, knowledge of key issues in education, being able to travel and at least a bachelor’s degree in adult education and at least 5-7 years minimum of experience in the planning and implementation of adult education. I think this job sounds interesting and challenging. I have most of the requirement, especially in the area of adult education as that is my specialization. However, I would have to have several years of experience in order to qualify for this position.
Next, I chose the NAEYC (www.naeyc.org). This organization is the largest in the world of its type, working on behalf and for the welfare of young people.
A position I found interesting is a board member seat. While this is not considered a career, there would be much involved and a large time commitment to this job. The governing board acts and makes decision in the best interest of the NAEYC. The qualifications to become a sitting member of the board include, but are not limited to candidates who have demonstrated leadership and advocacy in the early childhood education field. They will also need to have expertise in whatever field has been left vacant on the board. One must be nominated for the board. While this position sounds quite interesting to me, I have many years to go before I feel that I will have made the necessary contributions to early childhood education that are required to be in this position.
Finally, I looked into the Division of Early Childhood or DEC for short (http://www.dec-sped.org/). This organization is an international membership organization that cares for the well-being of children with special needs and disabilities. The DEC is currently hiring an executive director. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to planning. Developing and administering the goals of the DEC. The executive director will also have fiscal responsibilities for the organization and will work to support the board of directors. The requirements of this position are that candidates have experience running a non-profit organization, the ability to handle the finances of a non-profit organization and a demonstrated ability to achieve the desired outcomes of an organization. No where is it listed that a certain degree or form of education are required. While I think this could be a very interesting job, I do not have any experience with running a non-profit organization. I hope in my future to add this to qualification to my list of abilities.
References:
Division of Early Childhood (n.d.). Retrieved on March 28, 2013 from: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Career_Center.
NAEYC (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.naeyc.org
National PTA (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.pta.org/index.cfm.
