Childhood studies are a great foundation for a variety of careers working with children and young people. It could lead to very rewarding careers, specially if you like working with children.
Here are three careers, courtesy of Prospects, that you could pursue across a variety of industries if you have studied childhood studies.
1. Social worker
Social workers are supposed to work with families for their support. They make sure that children and adults do not come into hard, both physical and emotional. The job can be very demanding and difficult, specially because most things are subjective.
It can be a very rewarding career, but has its fair share of risks. Sometimes, the people they are trying to help might not take it very well, like if they decide that children in their home environment are unsafe and need to be removed.
Social workers can also help with legislation and communities. They could be needed at homes, schools or hospitals.
Social workers should also be prepared to work cases that receive a lot of media attention, especially under dire circumstances. A social worker has a lot of responsibility and wrong judgment calls can cause a lot of harm to the people involved, which is why the power that comes with it should be exercised with great care.
2. Child psychotherapist
The role of a child and adolescent psychotherapist is to treat children from a psychoanalytic perspective. They can help children with various emotional issues including but not limited to depression, anxiety, development delay, phobias, aggression, gender dysphoria, consequences of child abuse, self-harm, learning difficulties and disabilities, eating disorders or psychosomatic disorders.
A child psychotherapist would use a combination approach to develop a plan for a child's life, combining, for example, home and school.
A child psychotherapist may see a child separately, with other children or with parents depending on the case. He/she may also see the parents or carer without the presence of the child.
Psychotherapists may also train other child officials like teachers or social workers to ensure that a child's emotional needs are being met.
3. Children's nurse
Children's nurses, also called pediatric nurses have a sensitive, demanding and rewarding job. They need empathy and very good communication skills, particularly with children.
Children's nurses can work in schools, hospitals or even personal visits at home.
