Weekly Insight 1

Week one of class gave me insight to how vital Career Development is for our youth. I knew that in the United States we have a high drop-out rate for students, but I did not realize it was strongly related to them being digitally inferior. In class, we discussed the importance of career development services and it’s relation to social justice issues. Although I knew that white middle class families made more money than most minority groups, I did not realize there was that much of a difference. Another minority group talked about was individuals with a criminal history and the importance of job placement after release.

 

             Educational opportunities for children of the working poor are less than desirable because they are not afforded the same amenities as children from middle class families.  Those children are likely to drop out of high school before graduation. “Our educational system fails nearly 30 percent of students who leave school before graduation and countless others who graduate (Alliance for Excellence in Education, 2009).  Because they do not have computers or cannot afford Internet service, they are ill-prepared to take advantage of the opportunities in countries other than their own.”  (Brown, 2012, p. 6) 

            Although the United States has come far in closing the income gap from different populations, we still have a long way to go.  It is known that white families make more money than all other minorities and there are statistics to prove it.  “In 2003, the median family income for white families was $43,318. The median for African American was $30,000, whereas for Hispanic Americans it was $33,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005).”  (Brown, 2012, p. 6)  The income gap is more than likely closer since 2003, but the issue of equality in minority groups still exists. 

One social justice issue my group talked about was the limited careers available to individuals with a criminal history.  Working with the homeless population over the last two and a half years, I saw how prevalent this is in Lancaster County.  Many individuals released from prison have difficulty finding jobs and because they have no job, they are homeless and living off the welfare system.  We also discussed that Lancaster County offers Career Counseling at Career Link, but there are only two workers who assist with finding jobs once counseling is completed.  Those two workers advocate on behalf of the client to local companies and try to get their foot in the door.  Lastly, our group decided as a whole that more services like this are needed to prevent homelessness and further use of welfare. 

           I thought the first week of class was insightful as well as disturbing in regards to the lack of educational opportunities afforded to all students, gap in equal income among different populations, and lack of career services offered to individuals with a criminal history.  I would like to learn more about these issues and see what differences we can make, as a society, to offer career service and change the gaps.   

Brown, D. (2012). Introduction to the Global Economy, Social Justice, and Career Development. Career Information, Career Counseling, and Career Development (10th ed., pp. 2-23). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.