Career Counseling, African Americans

Early in the 21st century there continues to be economic disparities between racial ethnic groups. The latest census indicated that Asian American couples had the highest average annual earnings at about $57,500 per year, followed by Caucasian Americans at roughly $49,000, then Hispanics with $39,241, and finally African Americans at about $30,000 per year. There are three times as many African American males imprisoned as there are in college. In the state of Tennessee, 80% of the people living in poverty are women and children, and African American women are over represented in those numbers. While African American youths are closing the high school graduation rate between them and White American youths, African Americans still tend to be overrepresented in low-pay/low-skill jobs and underrepresented in high-skill and professional jobs, although African American youths have equivalent career aspirations as those of their White counterparts.

Given these continuing seemingly intractable facts one wonders how a career counselor can make a difference. Certainly many authors have maintained that traditional career counseling theories do not easily fit this population. Although social cognitive career counseling has shown some promise of being broad enough to include African Americans, some scholars maintain that perhaps the entire field of career counseling needs to be refocused for some populations away from career decision making and toward theories of work. A career implies a directional succession of jobs or work that is driven by choice and intentionality. Individuals who are dealing with poverty, the prison system, and other societal barriers are often working at any job that meets their survival and basic human needs versus working toward a career. It could be, however, that even in these situations an appropriate career development theory coupled with an effective assessment method and intervention could be useful.