Favorite Parts of Working in Special Education as an Education Consultant
Anjanette's 25 years in special education, progressing from school psychologist to county-level director, provided rewarding work where the impact on students with disabilities was "direct," though demanding. Now, as a consultant, Anjanette enjoys focusing on "specific issues" and collaborating with teams actively engaged in the presented data and analysis, a contrast to the day-to-day operational challenges of public education.
Education, Consulting, Special Education, Data Analysis, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Anjanette Pelletier
Director
Special EducationConsulting
UC Berkeley
Cal State Hayward, Masters in Clincial Child School Psychology
Psychology
Coaching, Speaking & Writing, Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Anjanette's career path highlights the various roles available within special education, from school psychologist to director and consultant, showcasing career progression and diverse responsibilities.
2. Her work consistently focuses on improving outcomes for students with disabilities, emphasizing the positive impact of this field.
3. The transition to education consulting allowed Anjanette to concentrate on her preferred tasks—data analysis and targeted problem-solving—while collaborating with interested teams, highlighting a fulfilling and focused aspect of the career.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
I spent 25 years involved in special education in public schools. I started as a school psychologist and then became a special ed director. After that, I moved on to supporting special ed programs across an entire county.
That work was really rewarding because I knew I was impacting the lives of students with disabilities every day. Whether I was in a classroom, supporting teachers, or supporting other managers, I knew my work would result in better outcomes for students with disabilities. The work's never done, and there's always room for improvement, but I always felt I was having a direct impact on students' lives. I really enjoyed that.
Now that I'm an education consultant, I feel I'm doing the best parts of that work without having to be available for the day-to-day crises and struggles. Being a consultant means others contact you for your expertise, and you both get to choose which contracts to take. You are also focused on specific issues.
What I really enjoy is that when I have appointments, people have made time for the topic we're going to discuss. When we're doing a study, they are specifically looking at the set of activities we've agreed upon. The team is usually very interested in what the data analysis and observations have revealed.
This is different than being a public educator because sometimes nobody is really interested in talking about a certain thing; they are busy with their other tasks. Not to say they aren't amazing people, but now as a consultant, my work is focused on the aspects I really love. I don't have to focus on whether there are the right materials in a space or whether the bus came on time. Not having to pay attention to as many of those details makes it enjoyable.
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