Question: Career Counseling and Early Adult Development

The purpose of this discussion is to think through how aspects of human development impact the effectiveness of counseling programs, focusing on how those programs might be adapted for people at particular stages in their lives.

Chapter 11 of your Development Through Life text includes a focus on how work and career development issues impact early adulthood.

Consider this aspect of the human development trajectory and specific ways in which it impacts career development and career choices.

The articles in this unit address theories in career counseling.

Consider individuals in the early adult phase of development (ages 24-34). In what ways might career planning programs be particularly helpful for this population of adults who find themselves at crossroads in their career decisions?

For your initial post in this discussion, imagine that you are in a position to develop a career planning program for young adults (ages 24-34) in your specialization. Create an outline of how you might go about each of the following steps in developing this program, pointing out how your approach would specifically address the needs of those considering a new career or career change:

• Planning the program.

• Organizing the program at the beginning

• Determining the initial requirements to implement the program (people, funds, space, approvals, et cetera).

• Projecting the resources required to administer the program on a daily and weekly basis.

• Evaluating the success of the program, including the kinds of results you would look for to measure its effectiveness.

Response Guidelines: Read the initial posts of your peers and respond substantively to at least one learner whose post resonates with you. Focus on the ways in which this learner has attempted to address the needs of young adults who are considering their career directions. Point out those aspects that you believe are likely to be most successful with this audience, and explain why you think they would succeed. Then, make one additional suggestion that you believe would enhance some aspect of the program steps outlined by the learner.