Career Coach
Karen Platt
Karen Platt provides career and education advice to prospective college students and recent graduates. She has several years’ experience teaching Reading & Composition at the college level, and holds a Ph.D. in English.
She provides guidance for people who are considering going back to school, for those in the midst of getting their degree, and for recent graduates hoping to leverage their new credentials into new career opportunities.
Featured Schools
University of Phoenix
Whether you're seeking an associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, University of Phoenix can help you reach your goal much sooner than you might expect.
Programs:
Walden University Online
Earn a respected bachelor's degree, master's degree, or Ph.D. online at Walden University.
Programs:
From Nursing to Teaching
Ask Your Question
Question
I'm 40 and an LVN/LPN, but I've always wanted to teach young children. I'm wondering if there are any programs online where I can do the classes necessary and get my degree to teach.
Answer
There are a few options here. If you'd like to switch to a teaching career relatively quickly and fulfill all requirements online, you could earn a diploma as a teacher assistant. As a teacher assistant, you would work alongside a regular teacher in a daycare or pre-K-12 classroom. Similarly, you could earn an online associate's degree in early childhood education. With this, you could be a teacher in a daycare, preschool, and some kindergarten programs.
If you'd like to become a primary or secondary public-school teacher with your own classroom, you'll need to earn your B.A. and become licensed, as all U.S. states require licensure of their public-school teachers (private schools don't always require licensure, but often require a B.A.). The good news is you can take classes online to earn both your B.A. in education and teacher licensure. But be advised that you'll need to complete student teaching requirements, which will place you in a regular classroom to gain real-life teaching experience, and keep in mind that this will not be a paid teaching experience. Additionally, many states require their licensed teachers to earn their master's degrees after a predetermined number of years of teaching. Luckily, there are many online master's degree programs in education.
If you'd like to become a primary or secondary public-school teacher with your own classroom, you'll need to earn your B.A. and become licensed, as all U.S. states require licensure of their public-school teachers (private schools don't always require licensure, but often require a B.A.). The good news is you can take classes online to earn both your B.A. in education and teacher licensure. But be advised that you'll need to complete student teaching requirements, which will place you in a regular classroom to gain real-life teaching experience, and keep in mind that this will not be a paid teaching experience. Additionally, many states require their licensed teachers to earn their master's degrees after a predetermined number of years of teaching. Luckily, there are many online master's degree programs in education.
