Question by Cutie P: Is Health Professions and Human Services High School A Good School?
I’m an 8th grader, and I got accepted to HPHS and I want to know if you think this is a good school or not. I like it a lot, however I still would like your opinions.

P.S. > If you are not going to say anything helpful, plz do not reply to this question.

Best answer:

Answer by chuck
A really good answer for you depends on some things that most of us won’t know. We don’t know where this school is. Is it the one in NYC?

If you do well in high school, it is my opinion that you can’t really do wrong, no matter what school you go to. And by “doing well,” I mean, you need to have a combination of community service and/or extracurriculars, and good grades in a variety of subjects (nobody expects you to be perfect though, so don’t stress out too much).

I have worked in human services, and I have a graduate degree from a good U.S. university (Wash U in St Louis). The school was concerned about my grades and activities, as they related to what I wanted to study (I studied social work).

I would like to talk to you about “human services” work a bit. That term encompasses many fields, and it depends on whom you’re talking to. It can mean counseling, psychology, medicine, protective services work, gerontology and even probation. You don’t say what you want to study or do when you’re older.

Many of these fields (particularly traditional social work, case management, and protective services and services working with children) have been very underfunded for many years now. If you choose a career in one of these fields, you must be ready to endure very low wages, and very poor, even dangerous working conditions. Turnover is extremely high in child protective services work: In several U.S. cities, about 80% of all employees quit their jobs before they’ve stayed a year.

Besides the bad working conditions, they leave because they realize that they don’t have the means and support to truly help their clients. This leads to demoralization and burnout. I don’t expect this situation to improve for many years. Social work is experiencing another peculiar problem, which is, the licensing requirements for social workers get added to almost every year. It has become expensive and time-consuming to become a licensed social worker, compared to how much money you can make, and the number and variety of opportunities that exist.

There are exceptions to what I’ve told you. For instance, working in a school setting might provide a better work experience and more opportunities to help people. If you have a particular employer in mind and can focus very carefully on it, you may be able to arrange your entire education and training and career upon that particular employer. Fields that are strictly medical, such as nursing, medicine and occupational therapy, are fields that are expected to continue adding workers for many years, and people in these fields enjoy good salaries, working conditions, and social status. Policing and allied professions (such as probation) will also probably continue to add workers for the indefinite future.

One more bit of advice for you: Many times, well-meaning counselors and adults will gloss over the negative aspects of a particular career field, because they don’t want to discourage you. I wish people were more realistic, and explained things as they are.

The most important thing for you right now, is to show that you are able to work hard and to do well academically and socially in a variety of subjects. As you get older, you are likely to change your mind about what you want to do. There are literally thousands of potential fields, so it’s important to do your homework thoroughly, and don’t be afraid to change your mind once in awhile.

Best wishes with your future studies and career.

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My Practice of Bodytalk® and Counseling: www.EugeneCounselingBodytalk.com – http://www.bodytalkcounselingeugene.com/ Here’s a short video that explains my practice and how to reach me to schedule an appointment. My name is Deborah Ch…