Preparing Students for the Future

P reparing Students for the Future:
Making Career Development a Priority
Kenneth R Hughey
Judith K. Hughey
Kansas State University

Introduction
Preparing students for their future roles in the world of work has become increasingly important for school counselors and educators generally. As a result of changes taking place in the workplace, the challenge is to prepare students to enter and be competitive in a world-class workforce (Feller, 1996a). In addition, given the level of competitiveness and the rate of change in the workplace, it is essential that students become as prepared as possible to enhance their chances of success. Further, hopefully, students will be prepared to be contributors to society and have the opportunity to live a satisfying, productive life. It follows that for students to be prepared to meet the challenges of the changing workplace, career development must be a priority. Parsons (1909), the father of vocational guidance, stated.
We guide our boys and girls to some extent through school, then drop them into this complex world to sink or swim as the case may be. Yet there is no part of life where the need for guidance is more emphatic than in the transition from school to work. . . The building of a career is quite as difficult a problem as the building of a house, yet few ever sit down with pencil and paper, with expert information and counsel, to plan a working career and deal with the life problem scientifically, as they would deal with the problem of building a house, taking the advice of an architect to help them. (p. 4)
Address correspondence to Kenneth F. Hughey, Kansas State University, 329 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506.
Journal of Career Development, Vol. 25(3), Spring 1999
© 1999 Human Sciences Press, Inc.

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Joumal of Career Development

Today, the development of a career continues to be a priority and one that must be addressed to effectively meet the career development

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