Look for opportunities in a special day class, a resource room, or any other setting where you get a lot of interaction and deal with responsibilities that require working with people with disabilities. Apply to be a para-educator (aka, a teacher's aide, paraprofessional, dedicated student aide, 1 on 1 aide, etc.), or volunteer. Unlike a teaching position, para-educators have a competitive and highly sought-after job, so be prepared to apply to many places and to work as a sub, or part-time.;
, Focus on the disability population you're most interested in working with. In California, there are five major areas you can become credentialed in: Early Childhood Special Education, Mild - Moderate disabilities, Moderate - Severe disabilities, visual impairment, and deaf or hard of hearing.
 The degree can be in any field of your choice, though the following list of majors will greatly inform your future teaching practice and prepare you for the type of graduate work you will be doing: psychology, sociology, child development, ethnic studies, and math/English education. If you have a degree in anything else, though, it will probably not affect your chances at having a successful career, just make sure you do at least some work study in the areas of education, psychology, sociology, or any related field.


In many California State Universities (San Jose State, CSU Monterey Bay, CSU Los Angeles, etc.) you'll be able to get a minor in Special Education while you obtain your bachelor's degree, and that can put a significant dent in the intimidating amount of work you'll have to do for your Level I credential. It's recommended that you do as much as you can to lessen the amount of courses you have to take in your graduate level of education.
 Only a handful of private schools and UCs, offer credentials in any area of special education. Every CSU offers a preliminary credential program in special education in at least one field (of the mild/moderate, moderate/severe, etc.). Some universities, like San Jose State, or San Francisco State, offer nearly every possible credential and have huge departments of Special Education. Some, like Humboldt State, have only one or two programs. Do your research and determine what you want to do before you decide which you would like to attend.
 Passing scores on both tests are required to apply to credential programs.
 Get everything in order in advance. Be prepared to apply as early as a full year prior to the start of the program you want, especially since the changes CSUs have had to make do to state budget cuts which means often admissions is limited to the fall term and some programs may have more limited ability to admit students.
 If you already have a credential for general education, either multiple or single subject, you'll be able to waive several of the classes and tests required for the Special Education credential. If you don't have a credential already, you can go straight into a special education program.


Keep in mind that a special education credential allows you teach special education in all grade levels K-12, with the exception of Early Childhood which restricts you to Birth - 5 and Moderate - Severe, which allows you to teach adult students up to age 22 in addition to the K-12 grade range.
 Don't be fooled into thinking this is "just" an internship. An internship in Special Education as a teacher is basically doing a full-time regular teaching job but also taking classes full time at your university at the same time. An internship is an excellent way to get into a district, get your first two years out of the way (known to be the most difficult time in a teaching career), and make an excellent salary while you're at it.


Be fully aware that an internship is a lot of hard work (and that's an understatement) but it can be extremely rewarding when you finally get your preliminary credential and realize you've already got two years of experience under your belt.
An intern credential is good for two years, and no longer. You must plan to have all of your classes finished before your internship credential expires.
 There are two credentials you'll get, Level I and Level II. After you finish your Level I credential, which will include the majority of your classes, you'll have 5 years in which to finish your Level II (a program which takes 2 years at a comfortable pace) and which includes more courses at a university and a minimum of two full years of teaching experience.


This is done through the university and the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment - BTSA process that general education teachers complete, but is a little more intense. It can be coupled with a Masters degree in Special Education, which is only one to three classes of extra work along with a masters project, thesis, or seminar. After three and a half years, it's really worth adding one extra semester of work, and most districts will give you a small stipend for having an MA.
You may apply to any university to get your Level II if you choose to move or just try a different college, you do not have to continue at the same university you started at. Your school district will arrange the BTSA portion of your Level II credential with you.
 Special education is a field with many more job openings than applicants, as there is a large growth in students receiving special education and quite a bit of teacher turnover. The field of special education offers many employment opportunities for those people who are interested! You'll almost definitely have a job in any place in California, and the job security is unbeatable. If you've ever thought you just might be interested in working with people with special needs, then you'll probably find yourself very happy in this field.
Start as soon as you can with getting experience.
Pick a disability population to focus on.
Get a bachelor's degree.
Research your credential program.
Take the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) and the CSET (California Subject Examination for Teachers) Multiple Subjects test (if you want to teach in high school you might take a CSET Single Subjects test).
Apply.
Meet with a counselor, and figure out your program plan.
Decide whether you want to do an internship or not.
Apply for your credential.
Apply for jobs!
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