Chapter 17 / end of semester

     Chapter 17 looked at the future trends of the career development field. Not surprisingly, several jobs expected to drastically decline involve the post office. Technology is changing our world and it is safe to say that electronic communications are not a fad, but will continue to be the norm in business communication as well as personal correspondence. Interestingly though, retail jobs are expected to rise, however, I feel as if many people prefer to do their shopping online as opposed to in a store. Not only is online shopping more convenient, but the prices are often considerably better. Another job expected to grow is the registered nurse. I know a lot of people who were unable to find jobs in their field and subsequently returned to school for nursing because of the availability of the jobs. The book indicates that the level of training is an associate’s degree, however, my mom is a registered nurse and she indicated that hospitals today are really only interested in nurses who have a bachelor’s degree. Counselors should be aware of this trend so they can provide the proper guidance to clients interested in nursing. I found it interesting to read about the children of illegal workers and how they often do not go to college for fear of exposing their parents’ work status. Additionally, the question arises as to whether they will be charged in-state or out-of-state tuition if they decide to pursue a post-secondary education. Counselors should be aware of this issue so they can be prepared to handle it if it arises. The important thing for career counselors to know is that the job market is not static. It is constantly changing due to advances in technology, changing populations, and even certain world events (i.e. natural disasters, wars, etc.) that change the demand of certain jobs. Therefore, counselors themselves must be dynamic and continually keep up with the ever changing world.

     I quite enjoyed the presentation by Dr. Hill last Wednesday. I had not heard of him prior to last week, but I was impressed with his knowledge and wish I would have had the opportunity to be one of his students. I am looking forward to tonight’s presentations as we head towards the end of the semester. I think overall this has been an interesting and relevant course. I certainly learned a lot and feel like I have a much more sound understanding of career development now than I did sixteen weeks ago. Thanks for a good semester!

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