I
enjoyed both presentations that were given during our last class period. I really liked the pilot outfit and
experiment that were included during the elementary presentation. I could imagine young kids asking to wear the
pilot helmet and being very excited about getting to participate in their
career day through the oobleck activity.
My favorite part of the higher education presentation was the inclusion
of the FOCUS 2 activities. Not only was
each engaging and interesting, but the discussion with group members led to a
broader view of occupational information than simply completing the activities alone.
The very first page of chapter
16 caught my attention. The fact that
many programs and services continue for weeks, years, and beyond when they are
not really benefiting those they are intending to serve, is both sad and
frustrating. Budget cuts have hit
schools and many other organizations hard over the past few years, yet it is
likely that unsuccessful programs are sucking up a lot of funds across this country
that could be spent more wisely in other ways.
Without reliable data, it is nearly impossible to prove which programs
should continue and which ones can (and should) be eliminated.
The tables on pages 240 and 241
in chapter 11 are good resources that quickly identify skills that job hunters
can assess and improve. Degree and grade
point average were two items on the employer consideration list that surprised
me. In my experience as both an employee
and employer, degree requirements have been on the top of the list for the
hiring parties. Grade point averages,
though present on resumes, have never seemed to be of that much
importance. It would be interesting to
classify these important issues into different careers to see how the rankings
shift or change. The resume section was
also interesting to me. I remember
looking up resumes many years ago, but not really knowing all the different
styles or types until I was on the hiring committee for a non-profit
organization I worked for in Philadelphia.
It was through the process of analyzing the resumes of others that I was
able to update my personal resume and make it into what I feel is the best
representation of me. One of my favorite
updates on my personal resume was changing the ‘objective’ portion to a ‘profile’. I think Brown could have highlighted additional
options for making a resume. In a
competitive job market like we have today, it is essential that potential
employers have a resume (and cover letter) that gets noticed in a stack of
many.
Brown, D. (2012). Career
information, career counseling, and career development
(10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
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