week 8

            Last week’s class activity was interesting and I found that I quickly became more knowledgeable with the time we spent searching for job options for our character.  At first, I was overwhelmed and confused by all the options and different resources.  After working through the sites and exploring each link a little, I was able to gain a better understanding of how to maneuver each site.  I feel being exposed to material like this at a younger age would have been extremely beneficial in my own career development.  One great positive was the ability to easily been informed and access the similar occupations when selecting a specific field.  I can only imagine how helpful this would have been for me and could be for others.  It was helpful to be able to see what each number meant in the categorization processes and how we may or may not like certain fields.  I also found it extremely helpful that the class activity exposed us to the “job zones” for each occupation.  This explains the degree of education or skills for the specific occupation being explored.  The SVP explained the amount of time it would take to be well prepared for the chosen occupation.  Learning this information and how to access it will be very informative and important to share with our future clients.

            I liked reading section about working with people with disabilities.  It me think of the clients I work with everyday.  We often have to jump through hoops to find the training and resources available to have any make any progress made with career counseling.  Given some of the resources we recently have acquired, I may be able to offer some additional information to my coworkers.  Unfortunately, not every client we work with meet the requirements to work with those who specialize in vocational training (such as Office of Vocational Training) with the funding that the client may have.  These services can be costly and often people are denied the services.

            Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, can help counselors in all aspects of our careers.   The article discusses the importance of understanding our own biases.  We are often easy to pass judgment, assume one thing or another depending upon the situation or whom we are working with.  We so often have deep-seated feelings or experiences that impact our thoughts which ultimately influence the people we work with.   We may easily sway the client into one thing or another.  As cultures vary greatly, we may be unaware of the values one culture may have verse another culture.  We also are have become so used to our own culture that we tend to forget to be sensitive to the differences others may have.  Not everyone needs the extra personal space we like, not everyone likes eye contacts and talks loudly, and not everyone values the past, present, and future the same way that we do. 

References

Brown, D. (2007).  Career information, career counseling, and career        development  (9^h ed.).  New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Byars-Winston, A. M., & Fouad, N. A. (2006). Metacognition and multicultural       competence: Expanding the culturally appropriate career counseling             model. Career Development Quarterly, 54(3), 187-201.