Christi Barrera
CTE Counselor
San Felipe Del Rio CISD
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Although I was successful in high school, I was a little rebellious and bored so I got a GED during my senior year instead of graduating which resulted in no scholarship money.
I attended the local community college and became active in leadership activities. A professor encouraged me to study genetics at Texas A&M after obtaining an Associate's degree.
I transferred to Texas A&M to study Biomedical Science. I was successful academically but decided I really wanted to return to my original major-Education, and I was homesick.
I returned home and enrolled in a local college to major in Education and worked as a legal secretary at the US Attorney's Office while studying. I enjoyed it so much, I considered going to Law school
I went back to my original plan of Education and taught school for 11 years.
While teaching, I earned a Master's degree in School Counseling and have been the CTE Counselor for 6 years.
Education
High School
Graduate
Masters in Counseling
Sul Ross Rio Grande College
Masters in Counseling
Sul Ross Rio Grande College
Career
CTE Counselor
I provide guidance to students, parents, and staff regarding CTE courses, career pathways, and post-secondary planning.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Business
Helping People
Day to Day
Every day is different which keeps me from getting bored, but I spend quite a bit of time on the following tasks: helping students select courses, reviewing CTE course offerings and making decisions on whether or not to expand options, collaborating with the local community college on dual credit course offerings and submitting the students' requirements and rosters, reviewing and submitting data to the state regarding our programs and their effectiveness, offering tours of CTE, etc.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
There are always opening in Education, but it is helpful to have some experience in the classroom prior to interviewing. You can achieve this by substituting or working as a Teacher's Aide before completing your degree. Too be better prepared for Counseling, I would again recommend the Texas OnCourse Academy to help you become familiar with the many topics Counselors assist students with.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Graduate
Masters in Counseling
Masters in Counseling
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"I was told that I would get little pay, little respect, and should do something that would provide a better income."
