Where are they now?

A College of Education degree is more versatile than some people may imagine. Many of our graduates go into fields that are directly related to their degrees. But many others use the knowledge gained during their time as students to succeed in other fields. This recurring feature profiles graduates who have used their College of Education degrees to succeed in their careers. Meet Val Barner and Jessica Steiger, both of whom earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of Education.

Val Barner

Education: B.S. in rehabilitation and human services (1990); M.Ed. in counselor education (2007)

Current position: I currently am CEO of Skills of Central Pennsylvania, a role I have held since Dec. 1, 2021. As the CEO, I am responsible for the entire operations of the Skills organization, which is a nonprofit organization that provides an array of services across 17 counties in central Pennsylvania. Skills is a $65 million a year organization that employs more than 1,000 people. I joined Skills in 2017 as the organization’s regional vice president for Centre, Lycoming, Clinton, Huntingdon, Mifflin and Juniata counties. In 2018 I was selected to serve as Chief Operating Officer, providing oversight of Skills’ daily operations to ensure that our programs meet the needs of the people we support and follow all regulatory requirements.

My undergraduate degree provided me with the knowledge and the foundation to be successful in my career. My internship experience proved to be very valuable. I completed my required internship at the Centre County Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Office and was hired as a case manager immediately after graduation. I didn’t know it at the time, but my internship really helped to launch my human services career. I worked there full-time as the assistant administrator for mental health services while I obtained my master’s degree. As a returning adult graduate student, I was able to apply my classes and coursework to actual work experience, which was so beneficial. My courses helped me look at real-world issues differently and allowed me to take a different approach to developing solutions. In 2010 I became regional director for Universal Community Behavioral Health/Meadows. In 2015 I became manager of outpatient services at Divine Providence Hospital, and worked there until I joined Skills in 2017.

Advice to current students: If you can, work or volunteer in the field to establish an understanding of the needs of individuals with disabilities and to look at all aspects of their life.

Jessica Steiger

Education: B.S. in education and public policy (2018); M.A. in educational theory and policy (2019)

Current position: I currently work for the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education as a policy analyst. My first job out of college was as a guidance officer at New Jersey SEEDS, a community-based organization focused on college access. I also worked part time as an advocate and instructor for Seton Hall University’s Upward Bound program. My background always has been focused on the transition from secondary to postsecondary institutions. My first two jobs out of college/graduate school helped me explore whether I wanted to take on a practitioner or more policy/ consultative role. I loved working with students and making lesson plans, but in these roles I really missed the technical writing, analysis and strategy aspect of writing policy so I began exploring other options and found a posting for NJ OSHE’s new position as an entry level policy analyst, which is my absolute dream job.

My degrees have been invaluable in both finding a job well-aligned with my goals and also being able to perform and meet the direct needs of my organization. The education theory and policy program trained me well in the research, analysis, technical writing and strategy components to feel successful in the field I’ve found. The professors have such specialized and unique backgrounds that I was able to explore all areas of education policy prior to entering in the field, and I felt more confident about what I wanted to study. Also, our internship component for graduation really helped me get exposure to different but related fields and that early exposure allowed me to build connections while also exploring future pathways.

Advice to current students: Always be open to opportunities that present themselves because you never know who you’ll meet or how the work may show up down the road. Also, reach out to your professors and get to know them. I think the earlier you can start directly working on projects/research outside of coursework the easier the job hunt will be – more specifically, finding a meaningful career.