As an Admissions Representative for a small post-secondary school, I found Chapter 8 very interesting. Many of the events and information sources were things I am very familiar with in my work. Although I felt pretty aware of most of the things discussed, there were a few things that were especially interesting to me. For one, I found it crazy that the government sponsored career programs such as O*NET and OOH do not provide much information to individuals interested in the military (Brown, 2012, p. 184). It is not only surprising because these programs seem to be so comprehensive, but also because you would assume that the government would want to get students interested in the military. When I go in to high schools, I am confronted with dozens and dozens of military posters and representatives. It always appeared to me that these students were having the military jammed down their throats so it was unexpected for me to realize that these types of careers are not as much of a focus for these programs.
I also found it disappointing that O*NET is not equipped with the ability to do career interest assessment (Brown, 2012, p. 183). I realize that these assessments are not always the best way to determine a career choice, but I do think that for high school students and others not sure about a career path; they can provide an excellent jumping off point. I would think that it would not be too difficult to add this capability to the programs so I wonder why they have not done so yet? On October 3, Governor Tom Corbett updated the Pennsylvania state career website. Until last week, I was unaware of this program, but a student found the school I work with through this program and explained it to me. Careercoach.org is a very comprehensive website where individuals can search and find jobs, educational opportunities, and career information. This website has links to job applications and school websites. After reading this chapter in our book, I feel confident that Pennsylvania has a solid career tool to work with.
In this chapter it also discussed that schools are no longer collected print materials from post secondary schools for their students. Although I agree that students probably use the information on the internet much more frequently, as an Admissions Representative, I am still asked to leave print materials for the students in the guidance office. Typically schools will have a folder for each post secondary institution and we will leave catalogues and information there. Additionally when we come to drop off this information we set aside time to meet with any interested students. It amazes me that very few students utilize this time to come and ask questions from institutions they are interested in. As discussed in this chapter, speaking first hand with representatives and experts is a key source of information and it seems to me that it is very underutilized (Brown, 2012, p. 185).
Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
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