When it comes to deciding on a career path, sometimes it's hard to know which direction to take. Starting with a personal interest or passion can help you begin to focus your career journey. If working with youth is something you've thought about, studying human development and family sciences can pave the way to a satisfying career path.

The University of Arkansas Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences prepares students to work with youth of all ages and backgrounds.

 

What Can Someone Interested in Working With Youth Do With a Bachelor's Degree in Family Sciences?

The No. 1 question students ask about a bachelor's degree in human development and family sciences is what they can do with that degree. They want assurance that when they graduate, they'll be able to find fulfilling work.

"What's really nice about this degree is it's very broad," says Jennifer Becnel, assistant professor of human development and family sciences. "Students can do any number of things, and they can tailor their electives to where they're wanting to go."

Whether they want to work with youth or adults, students can choose which age group they'd prefer.

"The degree covers the entire lifespan," Becnel explains. "Students are getting a general education in human development from conception to death, and they can choose what age group they'd like to work with. Most of our students are interested in youth — 18 and under. And they often choose to focus specifically on one age level. Many are interested in early childhood, but because I teach adolescent development, I also see a good number who are interested only in working with teenagers."

Students who choose to focus on working with youth have a lot of career options, from the medical field to government jobs and leadership roles in business.

"We often have students who go into medical settings where they work as child life specialists," Becnel explains. "Someone in that role advocates for youth with chronic conditions or terminal illnesses. They help children understand what's happening to them and act as a liaison between the family and the medical staff.

"We've also had students who join nonprofits that are working with youth," Becnel adds. "They work with organizations like Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) or Boys & Girls Clubs. I just helped a student negotiate a salary to work with Boys & Girls Clubs."

Medical settings and nonprofits are just the start of many opportunities available for those interested in working with youth.

"We have students who go into government and other fields, too," Becnel explains. "A lot end up working in occupational therapy, and many end up in classrooms as teachers or teachers' aides."

The broad range of possibilities for students in family sciences includes business as well.

"Students interested in going into business take leadership courses and business courses to go down that avenue," says Becnel.

Other options can include working with social services organizations and in youth corrections.

"This is a degree you can tailor to whatever you'd really like to do, but the vast majority of the students we see want to work with youth," Becnel says. "Working with youth is so important because it helps foster good development in the next generation. There are all sorts of positive outcomes for youth interacting with adults — whether it's the kind of activities they choose to engage in or other positive results. Those interactions really help kids to choose well."

 

What Are Specific Challenges and Rewards of Working With Youth?

For someone who's excited about the possibility of working with youth, it's important to recognize that being a youth specialist is not without difficulties. But with time and experience, obstacles can be overcome.

"Finding ways to connect with young people is one of the biggest challenges," says Becnel. "Each child is different, and it's important to learn how to approach each unique situation. Initially, that can be challenging, but over time, it does become easier the more someone works with kids."

When advocates for youth are willing to put in the time, they can foster strong, rewarding relationships and witness positive outcomes in the making.

"A lot of the reward is in watching youth develop in a positive manner," says Becnel. "I was thinking about it in my volunteer work as a court-appointed special advocate for foster youth, for example. Most of the reward is watching these cases come to a solution that makes sense and is in the best interest of the child. That's also what a lot of students take away — they enjoy watching the good outcomes that come from working with youth."

And there are many good outcomes.

"Some of the positive results from working with youth include finding a permanent placement for foster youth," Becnel adds. "Or reunification with the parents. Someone working with Boys & Girls Clubs protects children from engaging in delinquent behaviors by providing after-school activities that give them something to do."

Although advocacy careers in family sciences can bring challenges, most professionals working in the field will tell you that the rewards of seeing young people grow and mature are worth their efforts.

 

What Special Skills Should You Have if You Want To Work With Youth?

It takes special skills to spend a lifetime advocating for the next generation, and flexibility is one of the most important.

"You have to be able to pivot and think about different ways to connect with people," Becnel explains. "Being flexible, being able to make human connections, being understanding — particularly in terms of diversity — are all important. A lot of students are going to encounter very diverse populations when working with youth, so being open-minded and understanding truly matter."

 

How Can the U of A ONLINE Program Prepare Students To Work With Youth?

Students who aspire to advocacy careers that revolve around youth can prepare through the University of Arkansas ONLINE program in human development and family sciences.

"Students can take a variety of classes," Becnel explains. "They start by taking lifespan development and that does what it says — it covers the entire lifespan. Following that, they take more concentrated courses when they'll focus specifically on early childhood development, adult development or adolescent development."

"We also have courses that come from social work, so those cover child welfare, death and dying," adds Becnel. "There are specialized courses like brain development, and we cover research methods and statistics because it's important for our students to also be good consumers of research. Research is how we stay up to date on best practices for working with youth and families.

"Finally, our capstone course is public policy, and it's great for our students because they can understand how policy impacts what we do on a day-to-day basis," says Becnel.

 

How Do Internships and Service-Learning Opportunities Prepare Students for Their Careers?

As part of the degree program, students also have plenty of opportunities to put book and classroom learning into practice.

"Every student is required to do at least three hours of internship, and they can do up to six hours if they like," explains Becnel. "The internships are great because they're excellent stepping stones, and they allow students to take the content knowledge they get in the classes and apply it to a real setting. So, they're able to take the theoretical skills we talk about — communication, for example — and then put it to work in a job. The students select the internship they want, and they spend 150 hours in that agency. For a lot of students, this helps them find jobs and figure out what they like."

In addition to doing an internship, students also have shorter real-life experiences through service-learning projects.

"Service learning is a less intensive experience than an internship. Service-learning classes are regular classes that have a service-learning component," Becnel says. "For example, students will take a class like parenting that has an additional service-learning component. They'll go into the field and work with parents, doing an extra 18 or 20 hours over the course of the semester."

Often, real-life experience helps students get started on their career path.

"I have a student that just accepted a job with the Boys & Girls Club, and she got interested in that through her internship," Becnel adds. "I have another student who's being hired on from her internship and is working with victims of human trafficking. She kind of ‘fell' into that. I hadn't thought about it for her, but she's been really successful with it, including asking questions about how to apply for grants to get more funding for the organization to help these victims. Other students have decided they didn't want to pursue the path they thought they did because of their internships. Then they were able to change and do something different. Internships are a good opportunity for students to figure out what they like and don't like."

Do Students Need Certifications or Advanced Degrees To Get a Job Working With Youth?

With a family sciences bachelor's degree, students can go right to work in entry-level positions, but for higher-paying positions or roles with greater responsibilities, they may want to pursue additional or specialized training. Advanced degrees are also important for clinical and therapeutic counseling positions.

Certifications matter in specialized roles.

"If students want to work in a classroom setting, for example, they probably need some sort of certification to do that," says Becnel. "And we do offer those kinds of programs on campus. Being a child life specialist also requires certification, which we don't offer on campus, but students have been very successful moving on and getting those practicums and internships and then ultimately getting the certification. Others are finding success going into master's or doctoral programs for occupational therapy, which also requires an advanced degree to practice. Outside of these roles, for most entry-level jobs in human development and family sciences, students will not need any special certification or an advanced degree to begin working."

That's not to say a graduate degree isn't useful.

"A master's degree puts you a little bit above others in terms of education, and it helps you make more money," Becnel explains. "One of the pitfalls of jobs in public service is that they don't necessarily pay that well, so having a master's degree helps with that."

 

What Does a Career in Family Sciences Look Like?

As an assistant professor of human development and family sciences, Becnel understands the winding journey that a career in family sciences can take.

"I started studying psychology as an undergrad, and initially I thought I'd want to be a clinician," she says. "But I realized that was not the right path for me, so I started studying puberty and the effects of puberty on human development and behavioral outcomes. Then I simply followed that path. I don't study puberty anymore, but all my work is with teenagers, and it's because I just kept going."

Her career path developed over time.

"I've had a couple of other positions," she adds. "Once I finished my Ph.D., I took a job that was primarily a teaching role at Oregon Institute of Technology. In time, I realized I didn't want to only teach, so I stepped out of that job and went back and did a postdoctoral program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. While there, I looked at high-risk behavior in obese youth who are seeking bariatric surgery. I did a lot of work with that. Then, I applied for the job here and came to the University of Arkansas."

Now, she combines her love of research and teaching while also working with youth as a volunteer. She remains an advocate for youth on campus and off.

"I do research at the university and teach," says Becnel. "Outside of that, I work with a lot of foster youth — usually teenagers. I do sometimes have cases that are focused on the mom or things like that, but I volunteer a lot of my time for those kinds of activities."

Her best advice to students is to explore their interests early.

"Take advantage of the courses and the knowledge and go out and figure out what you really like," says Becnel. "Internships generally come at the end of the degree. They're such an important way for people to learn about what it is they like and don't like about working with people. But if students started doing some volunteer work or things like that earlier in their careers, it would really help them to focus on what they need to be successful and where it is they want to go."

To learn more about the career options you have for working with youth when you've earned a bachelor's degree in human development and family sciences, visit our program page at University of Arkansas ONLINE. The human development and family sciences program is part of the U of A's School of Human Environmental Sciences in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

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