ARTICLE

Career Counselors Can Save the Nation

Envisioning A School Shooting, Crime Solution

No, this article is not about “Where they got their gun,”“Why they did it,” or “Whose lives got destroyed.” Instead, let’s view today’s reckless gun destruction at its core by asking, “What exactly do all the school shooters and street crime gang members have in common?” Isn’t it “They all lacked a passionate career vision?”  Without a dream, without hope, life itself has little value. Frustration, anger, and bias become rampant.

If You Can’t Create, You Destroy

Friedrich Nietzsche

School shootings and neighborhood crimes will diminish when more students believe they can accomplish the career of their dreams. As career counselors, we have the unique opportunity to provide students with all the resources needed to create a passionate career path vision. This was the gift a career counselor gave me when I was 16.

Our first challenge is to get students to understand the consequences of not investing in their future. Once this is accomplished, they need occupational-specific assessments and career facts to investigate each career’s possibilities. Then, as counselors, we need to motivate them to make a solid commitment on their own. In so doing, they become passionately motivated to direct and control their destiny.

The More They Want to Do a Career,
The More Successful They Will Be.

I was recently placed in “Lock Down,” unable to go home because of an active shooter in my neighborhood. Fear takes a toll. I needed to know I was safe before I made plans. In unsafe neighborhoods, just surviving makes it even harder to plan and invest in a future. Right now, we can’t change this crime reality. We can, however, create programs that allow them to see beyond their present situation and imagine a future that makes them smile. Then, support them with resources to make it happen.

Of course, we can’t do it all! We need an army of volunteers. Perhaps, it’s time to get the community involved. It’s loaded with retired professionals who are looking to give back. Why not harness their knowledge? Some schools have already started done this, built career community clubs to give support. They use specialized, retired volunteers to lead occupational groups, advise, and motivate students to believe in themselves.

As a Nation, We Need to Fight …
and Fund Youth Counseling.

The future is in our hands. Change is political, but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s make students our primary concern. Drop old ideas that no longer work. Maximize the way we approach each issue. Open the door to community volunteers that can embrace the student’s dreams and mentor them towards a more fulfilling life.Yes, I believe career counselors can save the United States of America. It’s a country where dreams still come true.

Dewey Sadka

For more than 25 years, Dewey Sadka owned and ran Temp Force, one of the nation’s largest and most successful staffing companies. He then sold his company to Randstad Staffing, where he served as the USA’s COO.

Running staffing companies for over 24 years, he came face-to-face with thousands of individuals working to survive, stumbling to find an enjoyable career. Regrettably, there wasn’t a career program that worked. After leaving, he invested millions and 20 years to build a career program that empowers others to control their destiny.