Ashley Grove- Chapter 1

I found that the interview activity on Wednesday was very helpful and is a crucial part of the counseling world. Creating questions to ask my partner took careful planning because as an undergraduate student, I learned the importance of using correct wording in order to receive the information that I was seeking. I also thought that thinking about what may have influenced us to pursue our current career choice was interesting. This activity put me in the shoes of a possible client and I was able to think of some questions that lead me to some of why I chose the career path I did.

            Chapter one provided insight about obstacles that may prevent people from being able to obtain or pursue their desired career. Brown (2012) mentioned the typical reasons, such as race and gender, but he also wrote about the importance of the systemic issues that individuals face. The government plays a large role in maintaining and creating jobs for people (Brown, 2012). When the government cuts the money supply of companies, the companies are forced to fire or lay off their employees. A person’s environment also effects their career development; with limited money and knowledge of what else is out there, it is very hard to break the systemic issues that some people face.

            I thought Brown (2012) had a great idea when he talked about adding culture to Sear’s career development model. After taking Multicultural Issues as an undergrad, I learned that sometimes it is not the client that does not want to improve, but instead it is the client’s culture that prevents any change from occurring due to the culture’s belief system. Knowing the client’s background is crucial to building a rapport with the client. A strong rapport allows the client to know that, as a counselor, you are cultural sensitive and they can trust that you will not judge or make assumptions about them.

            The section about “Why People Work” was interesting to me because I have never thought about the different reasons that someone might want to work. Typically, I think that people work so that they can make money and provide for their family, or so that they are not bored. After reading this section, I realized that many people do meet their friends through their jobs, and that many people tend to rate their status based on their current job (Brown, 2012). The point I liked the best about this section was that work could develop a person’s self-esteem (Brown, 2012).  It never crossed my mind that people felt good about producing something valuable for another individual’s use (Brown, 2012). I think that as a society, we have become so accustomed to going to work because it provides a paycheck and a living, that often we forget the benefits and importance of what we do, especially for those who work outside of “the helping profession”.  This section brought a light and new meaning to the word “work”. 



References:

Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education Inc.