Being a teacher doesn’t always mean working in a classroom… career and technical education teachers can also instruct students in workshops, fields and kitchens. Career and technical education teachers teach students practical subjects to prepare them for a future career in fields such as auto repair, agriculture, healthcare fields, or culinary arts. Like all teachers, career and technical education teachers develop lesson plans and assignments, grade student work, enforce classroom rules, and discuss student progress with students and parents. These teachers focus especially on hands-on skills. They provide academic instruction as well as developing activities for students to practice actual work tasks. Students might replace brakes on cars, take blood pressure, or write a simple computer program. Teachers typically oversee these tasks in school workshops and laboratories, where safety is an important consideration. Some develop relationships with local organizations to create work experiences for advanced students. Most career and technical teachers work typical school hours in public middle- or high schools, following the traditional 10-month school year with a 2-month break during the summer. They may attend meetings before and after classes. Career and technical education teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and work experience in the field they teach. Public school teachers generally need a state certification or license.
What they do:
Teach occupational, vocational, career, or technical subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level.
On the job, you would:
Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Arts and Humanities
English language
Education and Training
teaching and course design
Math and Science
psychology
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Engineering and Technology
computers and electronics
Basic Skills
talking to others
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Social
teaching people how to do something
understanding people's reactions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
use rules to solve problems
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
do two or more things at the same time
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Concern for Others
Dependability
Self Control
Cooperation
Adaptability/Flexibility
You might use software like this on the job:
Object or component oriented development software
jQuery
Objective C
Word processing software
Google Docs
Microsoft Word
Development environment software
Apache Kafka
Go
bachelor's degree or master's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.