Chapter 8 Post

I was excited about the topic of this week's chapter because I have been searching for some online resources that would provide some concrete information about jobs. O*NET is a website that I had heard referenced a few times in discussion, but I had never visited it myself. The chapter provided a good introduction to the basic structure, but I also wanted to do some exploring on my own so that I could make use of the resource as needed. I was happy to find that jobs for educational, school, vocational, and guidance counselors are classified as a having a "bright outlook," which means it is projected to grow in the next few years, have a large number of job openings, or are emerging occupations. I also found the descriptions of the work styles and values especially useful because although I know that traits like leadership, integrity, and cooperation are essential to being a school counselor, it was useful to view how the resource translated these values into specific job activities that a counselor performs. The site also includes state-specific information for each occupation, so you can find projected growth and median salaries for that position in particular states and nationally. The site will connect you to the Occupational Outlook Handbook at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, but this site appears to contain similar information, such as job descriptions, salary information, and work environments for particular positions. Brown states that there is not an online interest profiler on the site, but there is one available now. It is a 60-question online assessment that asks you to answer whether you like or dislike certain activities (on a scale of 1 to 5 from strongly like to strongly dislike), such as building kitchen cabinets or playing a musical instrument. The survey uses your answers to classify your interests into a job zone and then identifies specific careers that might be relevant to your interests. Although focusing on online resources like O*Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook in this chapter, Brown also mentions other occupational resources. I think many of these strategies like simulations, games, interviews with experts, direct observation, job shadowing, career days and conferences, and career fairs would be especially relevant in a secondary school guidance curriculum. A particular strategy that I will plan to remember is asking recent graduates of the high school to conduct discussions with students when returning to the community during school breaks. These discussions have value because students may be familiar with these individuals and can relate to their concerns and problems because they may be experiencing them as well (Brown, 2012). Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development(10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.