When I
hear most people talk about Career Development, they do not talk about it in a
very positive light. A lot of counselors
will stay away from the high school level since they know there will be some
career development that will need to be done.
When I was reading Chapter 1 this week, I thought one of the more
helpful sections was “Goals of This Book.” It made me understand why a lot of
counselors are very excited to work with personal counseling and
psychotherapy. On my end, I actually
look forward to Career Development because I think I can make it my goal to help
students decide where they want to go to school after high school as well as
help them pick a field of study that they enjoy. Brown (2016) stated that “Psychotherapy puts people back on the road of life. Career development interventions advance
them down the road toward self-fulfillment, dignity, social equity, and
self-esteem” (p. 23).
When you
take a deeper look at this quote, this really is in essence the goal of a
school counselor. You want to help
students socially and emotionally to keep them on the right track for sure. You also want them to grow and lead a
fulfilling life once they leave the doors of the school they attend. Being an active and important part of society
is what most people are look towards becoming.
As a counselor, you want those students to gain meaningful employment
where they will be able to support themselves and their families.
The
hardest part about knowing what a student wants to become is knowing what
options are available to them. Brown
(2016) found that “the effort to help these workers today often must begin with
the educational process” (p. 23). I
couldn’t agree with this statement more.
Until students know about the different jobs in the workforce, their
idea on what they can become will be minimal.
As counselors, we need to open their eyes and help them see the options
that lie before them. One of the main
reasons that I became a teacher was because I was familiar with the
profession. A student will go to school
their entire life and are continuously surrounded by teachers. In some instances, students will become what
their family has a rich history of becoming.
Helping students learn more about the world is what can open their eyes
to other options.
Brown,
D. (2016). Career information, career counseling, and career development (11th
ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-13-391777-2.
Hi Bryan,
ReplyDeleteI too agree with you. I am very excited to begin this class. High schools students are who I want to work with. I had to go on the journey of career searching, in high school, by myself and I just want to be the support the young adults need while making such a big decision and milestone. You made a great point that I wanted to bring up in my blog post; you talked about how Brown (2016) stated " the effort to help these workers today often must begin with the educational process" (p.23). That was highlighted big in my reading. I immediately thought of those in high school and then thought about those who are unemployed. Many of those who are unemployed do not have the education about different jobs available. It is important for all ages to understand that there is a job for just about anything you could imagine. It is an interesting thought because those who are unemployed could stay unemployed with the lack of education of careers. I am thankful that we have technology today to look up potential jobs. Even think back to the other population where they are not educated as much on the computers as us. That is something they lack and a career counselor could definitely benefit them.