Whether we individually identify ourselves as a student, new professional, professional, researcher, professor, practitioner, etc., we are all connected to one another around our love and passion for families. We also are similar in that we need continued education, that is, professional development and resources to help us succeed in our careers. NCFR is here to provide career and professional development resources across the professional lifespan to our members. A number of resources already exist, with many more in the development stage.

Career Resources on the NCFR website

Newly reorganized during 2014, NCFR's Career Resources webpage offers general resources relevant to all, such as preparing for your profession; information to include on CVs; how to explain family life education (FLE) and the Certified Family Life Educator credential to employers; and information on how to differentiate the roles of family life educators, family case managers, and family therapists.

Additional resources available in Career Resources are categorized according to Academia, Research, Practice, and Students. Resources under Academia are meant to help academicians navigate the academic world and include a wide range of topics, such as working with the media and retirement. Resources under Research are meant to help strengthen professional research skills, including funding and publishing tips, reading and producing qualitative research, writing effective reviews, and more. Resources under Practice are geared toward practitioners working with families including career profiles that highlight the many different areas a family professional may work. Under Students, undergraduate and graduate students will find resources on exploration and transitioning into one's career, including strategies and tips for getting a job, exploring FLE and Marriage and Family Therapy, finding a good mentor, and more. Even if you have visited the Career Resources page recently, come back again; new resources are continuously being added.

Leadership development

As part of professional development, we are exploring additional leadership resources for our members. Dawn Cassidy and I will work with Dr. Stephen Gavazzi, a longtime member of NCFR and Dean and Director of The Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus, in these efforts. Updates on this effort will be provided in future NCFR communications.

Webinars and webcasts

Over the past couple of years, Dawn Cassidy, Director of Education, and Jason Samuels, Director of Innovation and Technology, have developed a number of webinars and webcasts. Archived webinars and webcasts are located under Professional Resources on the NCFR webpage. Webinars are available for individual use to view when convenient and to purchase for one-year unlimited classroom use. Topics include information relevant to (1) family life educators, such as understanding how facilitators affect program effectiveness; (2) policy, such as being involved in public policy; and (3) research, such as conducting a systematic literature review and meta-analysis and a four-part webinar series on working with missing values, SEM, and growth curves. Future webinars on research and statistics, teaching, and practice are in the development stage.

Free webcasts are available for individuals' professional development. Many are centered on the annual NCFR conference, including tips on submitting and reviewing conference proposals and understanding the various conference presentation formats. Additional information on ethics and how to apply for Certified Family Life Educator program approval is available.

Jobs Center

As mentioned in Dawn Cassidy's fall 2014 Directions column in Report, Jason Samuels was assessing the feasibility of upgrading the NCFR Jobs Center to allow for more FLE jobs to be posted in our Job Center. Not only was the feasibility explored, but the NCFR Jobs Center has been updated! Visit our Job Center whether you are seeking employment in and outside of academia, including the family life education field.

Careers in Family Science booklet

Also mentioned in Dawn's fall 2014 column, the Careers in Family Science booklet was being updated. That update is now complete. You'll find updated information on the family science discipline and profession, capitalizing on undergraduate and graduate education, family science career opportunities, and career profiles showcasing various employment settings and responsibilities for those working in family science. Thank you Drs. Sharon Ballard, Stephan Duncan, Raeann Hamon, and Alan Taylor for your contributions to this important update. This booklet continues to be a great tool for recruiting and teaching family science students. A hard copy of the booklet continues to be available for purchase through the NCFR store, https://www.ncfr.org/store. The updated booklet also is now available on our website for individual use through the Professional Resource Library.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classification

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, under the U.S. Department of Labor, requested public comments in mid-2014 to update the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. The SOC system is used to provide occupational data to federal statistical agencies on occupations listed in the system. The purpose of the update is to include new occupations not previously identified in the SOC. The occupation of Family Life Educator is not listed. In an effort to help raise awareness of family life education as a profession, NCFR submitted a public comment providing a description of FLE and data regarding the number of jobs available in the occupation. If Family Life Educator becomes listed as a distinct occupation in the SOC, statistical data on Family Life Educators would be collected and identified in the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a book provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that details job outlook, required training, median pay, and more on the occupation. Perhaps with easier reporting for employers, more employees will be hired with the specific title of Family Life Educator. Another benefit of being listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook is that individuals searching for possible careers would find, learn about, and become aware of family life education. As of October 2014, confirmation from the SOC policy committee was provided that they received our public comment. We'll know whether the occupation Family Life Educator will be included when the proposed revisions are released in spring 2015 for additional public comments.

Additional resources

Beyond the specific career resources noted above, additional professional resources are located on our website, including the Professional Resource Library; Degree Programs in Family Science; Resource Collections; Video Lexicon; On the Bookshelf: Members' Books; Family Content Area Pages; and links to other organizations that may be of interest.

Remember, we all need continued education because education is the key to success. If you have any ideas for career or professional development resources, or would like to develop one of the resources yourself, please email me. I would love to work with you... My door is always open.