Chapter 17 Blog Posting

Chapter 17 Blog Post

“Technology will continue to change the nature and type of work that people do, but today the impact of the global economy is reshaping the occupational structure as well” (Brown, 2012, p. 362). We can argue that there are many positive changes that have come out of the technological revolution (i.e. technology has changed the landscape of how we work and allowed us to stay competitive in the global economy), but there are also many negative things that have come out of the changing landscape of technology. Many jobs have been lost due to both outsourcing and the lack of need for “real people” to do the job that a computer can do twice as fast and much cheaper.  In addition, technology has forced our workforce to obtain advanced degrees to keep up with their job market. For example, in our grandparent’s time, one could be a tool and dye maker from high school until retirement. The job stayed pretty much the same and no education was needed beyond the on-the-job training provided by the employer. Today, such jobs are considered “gold collar careers” and to obtain one of these highly skilled, highly technical jobs one would most likely need a vocational or associate’s Degree and a high aptitude for math and mechanics. This is not necessarily a bad thing that these jobs have become more technical because it has allowed the U.S. to stay competitive with other countries, but there are many people who do not have the ability to obtain an advanced degree in a technical field and if there is no on-the-job training available, these people are stuck in minimum wage, unskilled factory jobs.

I found Brown’s projections through 2018 very interesting. “It is also important to note that many of the jobs with the greatest number of openings in the decade ahead require very little in the way of formal training” (Brown, 2012, p. 369). I do think the trend of the future is less of a focus on obtaining many advanced degrees and more of a focus on honing technical skills that will allow one to stay competitive with the changing world of technology. The world of health care also comes into play in this scenario. Health care is basically a “recession proof” field in that everyone needs health care; however health care is becoming more and more technical and is forcing people who may not have been technologically inclined in the past to now have to learn how to deal with the new computerized health care systems. I think it is hugely important for future counselors to consider that “at the point that they are making occupational decisions, students need to be aware of the long-term economic implications of their choices. Moreover, because of the relationship between education and the availability of high-paying jobs, great effort must be expended to ensure that there is equity in the educational arena as well” (Brown, 2012, 370).

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