Probably the most common question I have been asked over my many years here at NCFR is "what can I do with my family degree?" Most of those asking are interested in family life education specifically. I've honed my response to include the fact that, while family life education (FLE) is not yet a widely recognized or understood profession (emphasis on yet), there are myriad opportunities available to those with family-specific degrees. The secret to finding employment is to be able to articulate to a potential employer what FLE is, what a family life educator knows and can do, and the value that someone with a family background can provide to the employer and their agency or organization. Once an employer better understands what someone with a family degree brings to the table, they are often very receptive to hiring them.

Over the years, NCFR has developed a number of resources to help family professionals educate employers and the public about FLE. The FLE Employer Brochure was designed specifically as a tool to explain FLE and the CFLE credential to employers. The CFLE Advisory Board created a PowerPoint presentation using the analogy of FLE being about working upstream. The FLE Month Contest was created as a way to involve CFLEs, NCFR members, and students in a focused effort to bring visibility to the idea of taking a preventive and educational approach to family issues.

These have all been helpful efforts but they haven't been enough. There are still too few full-time employment opportunities for graduates with family degrees. Too many CFLEs are being told that a position requires a social work license. Too many resources are focused on intervention rather than prevention. In an effort to make tangible progress in helping family professionals find relevant employment, NCFR is stepping up our efforts to address this issue. We've identified a number of strategies aimed directly at increasing the visibility and the value of a family degree, identifying more job opportunities for family degree graduates, and emphasizing the important role that FLE can play in strengthening families and society. Here's a quick overview of some of our efforts:

Careers in Family Science booklet update

Jennifer Crosswhite, NCFR Director of Public Affairs, and I have been working with a task force consisting of Sharon Ballard, East Carolina University, Stephen Duncan, Brigham Young University, Raeann Hamon, Messiah College, and Alan Taylor, East Carolina University, to update the very popular Careers in Family Science booklet. You may recall receiving an email from me asking for volunteers to provide a career profile for inclusion in this publication. Along with a more detailed discussion of family science as a discipline and career opportunities for those with bachelor and graduate degrees, the profiles will provide real-life examples of the employment settings and responsibilities of a number of NCFR members and CFLEs.

Career resources on NCFR website

We've started what will be an ongoing update of the Career Resources section of the NCFR website. One of the first things that Jennifer Crosswhite did when joining the NCFR staff was to reorganize the Career Resources page into sections relevant to different NCFR audiences: Academia, Research, Practice, and Students.

Information relevant to each audience such as "Funding your research," "Publishing tips," "Working with the media" are included. In the Practice section, we are highlighting CFLEs who have appeared in CFLE in Context articles from past issues of the CFLE Network. We'll also add profiles similar to those included in the Careers in Family Science booklet to hopefully provide guidance and inspiration regarding the many career opportunities available.

Jobs Center

Jason Samuels, NCFR Director of Innovation and Technology, is exploring the feasibility of an upgrade to the NCFR Jobs Center that would pull in relevant job postings from a wider array of sources with the goal of increasing the number of jobs specific to family life education.

Department of Labor Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)

NCFR recently submitted an application to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Standards Occupational Classification (SOC) committee requesting that Family Life Educator be included as a new detailed occupation within the revised 2018 SOC. Jennifer Crosswhite, who was largely responsible for writing the report, will provide an update on the status of this effort in a future issue of the NCFR Report, and I will be sure to keep all CFLEs apprised as well.

Future of Family Science Task Force

NCFR Executive Director Diane Cushman spearheaded a task force of NCFR members to meet in Minneapolis in August (with a follow-up meeting planned for November at the NCFR Conference), to discuss the establishment of a consistent and clear identity for the family field. The lack of a consistent name for the field contributes to the struggle of family professionals to be recognized and understood which has implications for employment issues.

NCFR Conference Sessions

Career Option for Bachelor, Master, and Ph.Ds

There will be two special sessions at the NCFR Conference in November highlighting family career opportunities:

• Outside the Ivory Tower: The Non-academic Job Market for Social Science Ph.Ds., Friday, Nov. 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Job Search: Career Options for Bachelor and Master's Graduates, Friday, Nov. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Additional efforts include adding more resources to the Professional Resources Library and hosting webinars sharing employment tips. Please email me if you have any ideas to help NCFR increase employment opportunities for family graduates.