Chapter 17 and Middle School Career Workshop

I was disappointed that we did not get through more of what Dr. Hill planned on presenting, it seemed like very interesting work.  I am appreciative for the questions that school counselors asked, because that helped me connect the materials he shared to school counseling in a relevant way. It reminds me of the foundation of a ideas Dr. Garner also promotes: we need to be teaching children about their brains!

I learned a lot from the middle school presentation. I appreciate how they applied the career development lessons to several different traditional subjects.  At the PSCA conference I attended a session by a school counseling coordinator who spoke of just that concept. One thing she advocated for was developing a school counseling curriculum that the school board could approve and adopt. This insures more job security because school counseling is in the curriculum. In her school, she aligned the career readiness standards with other standards to show the teachers and administration how her lessons overlap.

I was surprised by the list of projected job openings in regards to teachers and professors. What if the “supervisors” job growth? There are supervisors in every field and so it is hard to guide a student into a career as a “supervisor” if you don’t know the field of supervision that will occur it.  Technology, global economy, and population factors all play a role in the changing job market (Brown, 2012). It is interesting to see where things are going, but a little overwhelming at the same time. I think the overall point of Chapter 17 is ‘That all employees need to be flexible to keep on top of a changing economy’.  I think flexibility and creative thinking is not taught in our public schools very well. I think that we live in an American Culture which fears the unknown and the change. We want to know that we will have job security and a reliable future. I wonder if a school counselor can aid in creating a school environment where children are excited about the unknown of the future and the idea of a changing economy is  exciting because you could end up in something new and better? I guess that might seem a little idealistic, but it is all about the attitude you approach change with.

I think overall this class is very important for Clinical and School Counselors; however, it is easier for the school counselors to imagine relating the materials in their future employment whereas clinical counselors will need it in a more nuanced way depending on their clients need.

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