Interesting Careers in Child Development

Child Development science is a branch of social sciences which deals with the physical, psychological and intellectual development of the children and adolescents. It is an interesting career choice for those who love to work in an informal setting by caring and nurturing young children.

A career in child development is best suited for people who are interested in providing child care, teaching children or running a child care centre. Career aspirants in this field must have certain personality attributes such as high enthusiasm, high levels of creativity, high energy, ability to motivate children, good communication skills, good problem solving skills, ability to inspire confidence and trust in children, ability to work under pressure, dependability, guidance skills and nurturing skills.

There are several universities and private teaching colleges that conduct programmes in child development and child education. Professional courses available in this field include associate degrees in child development, bachelor and master level programmes in child development with various specializations such as developmental needs of special children, child psychology, and child behaviour analysis and three year duration doctoral programmes.

Universities conduct most of these courses at the departments of humanities and social sciences. Course curriculum includes various child development theories, teaching methodologies, physical, intellectual and psychological needs of growing children, needs of special children, psychological development of children, parent-child relationships, teacher-student relationships, educational and behavioral process in children, developmental crises in children, development of thought process and similar other subjects.

Plenty of job opportunities are available for trained professionals in child development sector. Major career positions available are Nursery School Teachers; Pre-School Teachers; Teacher Assistants; Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers; Child Development Consultants; Day Care Instructors; Day School Directors; Child Care Centre Directors; Child Behaviour Specialists; Special Education Consultants; Special Education Instructors; Guidance Specialists; Child Psychologists; School Counsellors; Child Behaviour Analysts; Education Administrators, Child Care Workers and so on.