What Can I do With a Degree in Child and Family Studies?

Career Center Library Resources
The Career Center Library has a variety of resources to help students explore potential career fields. These resources include information about typical responsibilities, qualifications, career paths, job outlook, salary, and related careers.

Career-Related Books for Child and Family Studies Majors

• Careers for Kids at Heart and Others Who Adore Children
• Real People Working in Education
• Real People working in the Helping Professions
• Careers for Caring People and Other Sensitive Types
• Careers for Good Samaritans and Other Humanitarian Types

Books of General Interest to Liberal Arts Majors

• Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors
• The Best Jobs for the 21st Century
• The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People
• Making a Living While Making a Difference

Vocational Biographies
Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n

• Children's Advocate Coordinator
• Children's Librarian
• Day Care Center Director
• Early Childhood Interventionist
• Family Day-Care Provider
• Family Resource Coordinator
• Hospital's Child- and Family-Life Specialist
• Nanny
• Recreation Center Director
• Textbook Editor

Professional Associations

• National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP)
• National Head Start Association (NHSA)
• National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for Child and Family Studies Majors

• Family Studies? Where Can your Human Ecology Degree Take You? — Includes a list of potential jobs for family studies majors. From the Counseling Service, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
• Preschool Teachers and Child-Care Workers — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
• Recreation Workers — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
• Child and Family Studies: What Can I Do With This Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.

Places of Employment

Students who major in child and family studies develop skills that are valued by employers. These skills include: interpersonal, research, analysis, writing, oral presentation, critical thinking, synthesis, and problem solving. Students and alumni may find employment in business, government, nonprofits, social services, and educational institutions depending on their skills and experience. Internships or relevant part-time jobs may be a prerequisite to finding employment.

The following list of employers and job titles was derived from the Career Center's jobs database where the employer specifically requested child and family studies majors. This list does not reflect all potential places of employment or kinds of jobs for child and family studies majors. This list does not reflect current openings.

• Aspen Education Group — Therapist
• Benton County — Juvenile Outreach Specialist
• Camp Fire USA, Portland Metro Council — Youth Advocate, Site Supervisor
• Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions — Admissions Counselor
• Central City Concern — Parent Trainer
• Christie School, The — Teacher Counselors
• Clackamas County Children's Commission — Primary Caregiver
• Community Action Organization — Family Advocate, Family Support Worker - Opening Doors, New Parent Network Supervisor, Outreach Worker
• Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services (CNHS) — Home Ownership Program Assistant
• Doernbecher Children's Safety Center — Child Safety Advocate
• Dungarvin Oregon, LLC — Skills Trainer
• Education Service District 105 (ESD105) — KidScreen Specialist
• Friends of the Children — Professional Male Mentor
• Hopelink — Child Development Manager
• Jackson County — Project Service Coordinator
• Janus Youth Programs — Skills Trainer, Crisis Intake Specialist
• Juliette's House Child Abuse Assessment Center — Child Interviewer/Intake Counselor
• Lifeworks NW — Bilingual Mental Health Therapist, Child Milieu Counselor,
• Mayhew Program , The — Summer Island Program Facilitator
• Morrison Center Child & Family Services — Adolescent and Family Counselor, Program Evaluation/Data AnalystSchool Based Clinician, Child Development Therapist, Residential Counselor/Skills Specialist, Dual Diagnosis Therapist (SSM), Youth Care Specialist, Family Support Specialist, Relief Residential Counselor, Treatment Coordinator, Family Therapist, Bilingual Family Therapist
• Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) — Administrative Assistant/Disabilities Services - Head Start, Supervisor/Site Coordinator, Child Care Resource and Referral Specialist
• Neighborhood House, Inc. — Child Care Specialist
• Nike, Inc. — Teacher Assistant
• Outside In — Youth Specialist I & II, Workforce Development Case Manager for Youth, Housing Specialist
• Peninsula Children's Center — Before/After School Care Site Director, Education Director
• Portland Community College (PCC) — Lead Child Development Specialist
• Portland Impact — Program Specialist I - Parent/Child
• Portland YouthBuilders — Advocate
• Salvation Army, The — Youth Advocate
• Strategic Therapy Associates, Inc. — Home Based Therapist
• Tongue Point Job Corps Center — Residential Advisor
• Trillium Family Services — Child and Adolescent Treatment Specialist. Awake Overnight Child and Adolescent Treatment Specialist
• Volunteers of America of Oregon, Inc. — Infant Interventionist, Child Care Supervisor, Toddler Interventionist
• Westside Family YMCA — Youth Counselor
• YMCA of Columbia-Willamette — Site Director
• YWCA of Greater Portland — Program Manager

Miscellaneous

• Child and Family Program — From the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory, Portland, Oregon.
• National Organizations Serving Child Care and Other Professions

Department of Child and Family Studies — Portland State University