My Dream Job and Long Term Goal of Working as an Extension Educator

To become successful as an adult, starting young is the best option. Setting short-term goals is a great way to measure success. While looking into my future, and striving for success with a career that best suits me, I need to find my talents and what motivates me. Then, I need to work hard and surround myself with people who support my goals, and who will help me to achieve them. Accepting failures is also important, mistakes are a huge part of success. Taking every opportunity I get is will also assist me in this journey, opportunities help with meeting new people and giving once in a lifetime experiences. Setting goals will hopefully help me find success in the future, and in finding the right career for me.

When reviewing the results of my career assessments, I felt curious. The Skills Test showed that I might be apt at Business or Operation Management or possibly Supports Systems. I agree with the Business Management side, but I am not as interested in Support Systems. On the other hand, the Interest Test revealed that I might enjoy Administrative Support, Human Resources, or Travel and Tourism. Administration is something I have considered, but I am not interested in a career involving traveling. Finally, my top results on the Career Clusters Test were the following: Marketing, Finance, and Government. I enjoy math and thinking through problems, so these careers might be a good fit for me. My mom is a Business Manager, although I think I might possibly enjoy this field, at the moment I am interested in Agriculture. Extension Education is the area I am most interested in, this career deals with Youth Development, Ag literacy, 4-H programs, and livestock. It is obvious to see why I am curious about my Career Test Results.

Although my test results gave me new ideas about my future career, I have decided that I am most interested in the Agriculture field. Nebraska Career Connections says that the career cluster Agriculture and Natural Resources opens up a wide variety of jobs. Such as: farming, animal science, aquaculture, horticulture, environmental engineering, food science, agriculture education, and equipment mechanics. Agriculture and Natural Resources has changed tremendously, it has gone from hunting, to farming, building shelters, providing food and important education for our world. According to Megan Burda, (The Extension Educator in 4-H and Youth Development in York) Agriculture Education’s part of this career cluster is to, “Educate citizens across the state through research-based programming that reflects needs of the local people and communities.”

After considering the job options of this career cluster, I’ve come to the conclusion that Extension Education would be the best career choice for me. I am most interested in this career because, I enjoy working with others, including children and would love to educate the public about the importance of Agriculture. 4-H is a huge part of Extension Education, it is something I am proud to be a 5-year member of, it has opened up many opportunities to me, such as: showing livestock, giving back to the community, working with others, and it has helped me develop leadership and life skills. I want to give back, and give these same chances to other kids who were just like me.

Working hard in high school and college are the only ways I can fulfill my dream of this career. Staying active in 4-H will give me advantages when applying for a job within extension. Being involved in speech, will help me build confidence with this job, because I will have to speak out in front of groups of people. Extension Education jobs are given through UNL; therefore, attending UNL would be a good option for me, to begin as an assistant in this job I will need to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree, but to become an Extension Educator I will need to have a Master’s degree. Having a degree in Education would also be beneficial for this career. To be successful, I will need to achieve these goals to be at my best potential with a job in this field.

After I accomplish my education goals, I will now work for a profit. The starting salary for an Extension Educator is $55,000 according to Megan Burda. There are around 300 Extension professionals across the state of Nebraska. Retirements and relocations open up about 20 positions a year, so as you can see, there are always openings in Extension Education. According to Tanya Crawford, (Extension Assistant in York County) there are many opportunities for growth within this career. Specializing in specific areas such as: Youth Development, 4-H, Livestock, Horticulture, and Nutrition Management are some of the most common areas of growth.

Looking into my future career, helped me realize that I have a lot of hard work to put in these next few years. Considering my talents and interests, they showed me that Agriculture Education is the field most suitable for me. As I will be headed to high school next year, I know what classes will prepare me for this career. Then, in college I will work for the degrees I need, to begin my career as an Extension Educator. The salary of this job, will also allow me to be successful when it comes to starting a family. Job growth is also something I am looking forward to in this career, but this will take even more dedication. Working for my success and setting short-term goals starting now, is probably the best thing I can do to achieve my long-term goal. 

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