Before our first day of class, I had never heard of
the term “career development” before. As a result, when we were asked in class
what we thought it meant, it was difficult for me to come up with a quick
response. My initial thought was of my own career, and that this would be a
class about developing my career as a counselor. I know every class we take in
this program will assist in that, but in this particular case, the focus of
career development will be on the students we will be working with in the
future. Students could benefit
tremendously from career guidance, and it is something I wish I had more of
when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do. I am excited to learn how to
help my students get to where they want to be and know that this class will be essential
in doing that.
It is interesting that I had
not heard of career counseling before because it is something that has been
around for many years in some form or another. The earliest trace can be dated
back to 1883 when Salmon Richards published an article that called for
vocational assistance to be available in every town (Brown, 2016, p. 3). In fact,
Brown (2016) provides a complete timeline of historical events over the years
in the United States relating to Vocational Guidance, Career Development, and
Career Counseling. In the span of approximately 130 years, the United States
has grown in its attempt to provide these resources for its citizens. Even though
great strides have been made, there is still a call for the adoption of a new model
for the theory and practice of career counseling and development services. This
new model should focus on not only the individuals, but also the social
contexts in which they function (Brown, 2016, p. 2).
As stated above, the need
for career development services is not something that just came about. However,
Brown (2016) believes that, today, the need for services is “at its highest
point since the Great Depression of the 1930s” (p.7). I agree with Brown in
saying that the need is very high. On the news, we are constantly hearing about
the high unemployment rates and the need to create jobs across our country. In
2013 alone, there were 11.7 million unemployed people searching for work, and
an additional 11 million who were considered underemployed (Brown, 2016, p. 7)
Chapter one of Brown (2016) defines underemployment as, “working part time but
wanting to work full time” (p.7). Providing career development services for these
individuals could help them determine their passion and strengths and help them
channel that into their careers. There are many forms of possible career
interventions and services, such as career guidance, counseling, and coaching,
that could enhance a person’s career development and their success down the
road (Brown, 2016, p. 9).
Brown, D. (2016). Career information,
career counseling, and career development (11th ed.). New York:
Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-13-391777-2.
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