Post 7

            I found Chapter 8 both interesting and helpful.  Right from the beginning, it provided an intriguing statistic stating that 22% of jobs in our country currently require a bachelor’s degree (Brown, 2012).  This figure seems like it should be higher as the push for education continues to lean toward a bachelor’s degree or even more.  I suppose, however, that this statistic includes occupations such as working at McDonalds, Wendy’s, or being a sales associate which, once you think about it, could mean that a lot more jobs are available with a high school diploma than you originally think.  This statistic gave me something to think about right at the beginning of Chapter 8 which made me realize that this chapter would provide a different kind of information than previous chapters.

            Additionally, I found it interesting that the first database for jobs was established in 1939 (Brown, 2012).  Once I thought about this, that time seemed late considering how many occupations were already present around in the world at that time.  We fought through World World I and suffered through the Great Depression before the database was even created.  I think the job database would have been helpful for citizens during these difficult times; however, it was not yet available.  Even when it became available, I am not sure how publicized it was.  The database is great in theory, but if one never knows it exists, it won’t be very helpful.  I never heard of the first database, called the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), and I didn’t know of the second database called The Occupational Information Network (O*NET).  Both of these have been around for several years.  Either I am living under a rock, or this information was not shared openly in the educational system.

            After learning a little more about the databases, I believe they would have been very helpful to me throughout different stages of my life.  When I was in high school and was undecided on my career path, it would have been nice to consult O*NET and match my interests and skills with different occupations.  I also did not know what education was needed for certain jobs, and I also did not know the pay scale or rate for various occupations.  These pieces of information are important when selecting a career and would have been beneficial to me.  I didn’t realize how limited a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology was until I was mid-way through college.  I didn’t realize how terrible the pay scale was until my junior year in which I swore I would be the anomaly who found something outside that pay scale.  Now, here I am in graduate school because I couldn’t obtain the job I desired with the degree I had.  I wish I had access to DOT or O*NET, and I feel that they would be beneficial to many people at different stages in their life.  I am glad I learned about this information because it may be useful sometime in the future.

References

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