What Career Opportunities are Available for ASL Graduates?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that interpreting careers in sign language is ballooning so fast that by 2028, it will be growing by 19%. Moreover, fluent American Sign Language (ASL) experts are in demand across various industries. For instance, graduates of American sign language lessons online can build their professions in education, health, recreation, and therapy.

This article explores some of the leading career opportunities that await you after graduating as an ASL expert. Keep on reading to discover where your luck could lie.

• The Government 

The government is a leading employer at all levels—local, state, and federal. You can land an employment opportunity in any of its departments at these three tiers. For example, state commissions assisting the deaf, vocational rehabilitation, courtrooms, and even law enforcement are just a few of the state organs that can employ you.

• Speech-Language Pathology

You can also land a successful career in speech-language pathology after completing your American Sign Language lessons online. As a specialist here, you will help people with swallowing problems. Your work will also involve helping patients who can’t speak or their speech is impaired. You can also advance your studies here up to the PhD level.

• Recreation 

The recreation and hospitality industry is another emerging platform that can offer you excellent career opportunities. Many tour guides and travel agents need ASL experts to handle their stakeholders with hearing disabilities. 

• Audiology 

Audiology is another area where you can ply your new trade after graduating from a sign language college. You will need to pursue your studies up to the doctoral level to start working in this field. Here, you will be diagnosing, assessing, and treating patients with lingering audial challenges. 

• Acting

Currently, actors don’t need ASL proficiency to excel in their careers. However, a trend is emerging where programs on TV, films, and theaters are aired in English and ASL simultaneously. So, you stand higher chances of exercising your new trade in the acting industry if you have acting “blood” in you. Don’t forget that television channels also need sign language interpreters to reach out to their dear and audio-challenged viewers. 

• Education

The education sector is another field where ASL students can exercise their skills after graduating from college. You can get a job in community colleges, private schools, and other public learning institutions. These institutions require experts who can interpret for classes, meetings, groups, and individuals. 

Further, ASL graduates are in demand as teachers in deaf schools, special education units, and other special programs for the deaf. There is also a need for sign language professionals who can work with blind and deaf students who use tactile sign language. 

Educational institutions also need special education teachers to teach students with different hearing challenges. These students could be deaf, have hearing difficulties, or have speech disorders. (tourismiceland.is) Here, you will need a minimum bachelor’s degree in special education. Understanding sign language gives you an advantage over other job applicants when hunting for a job.

• Social Work

Social work is another area where you can build a successful career after graduation. You can opt to become a social worker if you have a degree in ASL-related studies. Such a social worker can train parents of hearing-challenged children to learn ASL and make their homes more welcoming to kids with hearing challenges. 

Additionally, a social worker with ASL training can easily intermingle with vulnerable society members, enabling them to assist others more efficiently. They can do their work among these groups more patiently, compassionately, and resiliently. 

• Psychology 

You can choose to work as a psychologist after graduating from American Sign Language lessons online. Although you don’t need an ASL certificate to work as a psychologist, you can create for yourself a special clientele if you are ASL-fluent. You can create a more inclusive environment for the hearing and the deaf to interact at your clinic. 

• ASL Instruction 

Finally, you can still go back to your college and instruct students in ASL fluency. Colleges offering sign language still need tutors to instruct their students. Additionally, most colleges offering sign language have ASL as their primary language, limiting English use. Thus, you may use your sign language papers to train others to become ASL experts. 

Learning ASL has many career opportunities you can explore. You can get these opportunities in the form of jobs or self-employment, whichever suits you better. Additionally, these opportunities span all industries in the public and private sectors. Use the ones this post discussed as a guide to help you know