As
usual, I definitely connected with the reading this week on work and
recreation. My career goals have
changed over the years, but all of them have seemed to fit into the social
types. In Kindergarten, I wanted
to be a babysitter. By Middle
School, I was certain that I was going to be a veterinarian. I entered college as a Nursing major,
graduated with a Sociology degree and then thought that I wanted to be a Social
Worker. I am not currently
pursuing any of those careers, but they all involve working with people, which
I know makes me happy and gives meaning to my life.
I
thoroughly enjoyed reading the section about the disadvantages of choosing an
occupation too soon. My decision
to go to college was not even one that I thought about. There was never an option for me not to
go to college. After graduating
from college, my dad kept stressing the importance of grad school. He asked me regularly if I had been
applying to colleges. It did not
help that my younger brother went to grad school straight from his undergrad
while I was still working at a call center. I received other pressure from his side of the family to
advance in whatever career I chose as well. One evening my aunt (my dad’s sister) asked me what job I
had. When I replied that I was
working at a call center, she replied condescendingly “Do you at least have
benefits?” While I received a
decent amount of flack for waiting to continue my education, I am so glad that
I did. Waiting to explore my
options allowed me to get a job as a TSS, which eventually solidified my
decision to become a school counselor.
I
also think it is very important, as Corey and Corey (2008) mentioned, to have
alternate solutions and to have information about how to obtain those “Plan B”
options. Obviously, as I am in the
School Counseling program, I want to be a school counselor. I realize, however, that education
positions are currently very competitive.
Many of my friends with teaching degrees have still not found teaching
jobs. My first plan is to not be
picky about what schools or school districts I choose to apply to work. If that still does not produce fruitful
results, I can choose to take a promotion in my current company. Throughout grad school, I have decided
to work as a TSS for two reasons. The
first is because I enjoy the type of work that I do and the kids that I
have. The second reason is much
more practical. If I do not get
hired as a school counselor, my company will hire me as a master’s level
clinician.
Work
and recreation are two very important topics to discuss with our future
students. We are going to be one
of the main resources for our students and we need to be able to appropriately
guide them.
Corey, G., & Corey, M.S. (2008). I
never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal
growth (9th
ed.). Belmont, California: Thompson Brooks/Cole. ISBN: 9780495602293.
As usual Madelyn, we seem to agree completely :)
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