Review: Careers in Focus - Nonprofit Organizations (2008)

Ferguson's Careers in Focus - Nonprofit Organizations (2008) is a comprehensive career resource book for people interested in pursuing careers in the nonprofit sector. Generally, people who work in the nonprofits help others and make the world a better place. They seek a rewarding career that is a good match for their interests, goals, beliefs and passion. Under 200 pages, this book is geared towards high school and undergraduate student populations.

The nonprofit sector employs over 13 million people, and about 1.4 million nonprofit organizations are registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). There are ten classifications of nonprofits in the United States: arts, culture and humanities; education; environment and animals; health; human services; international/foreign affairs; religious organizations; public/society benefit; mutual membership benefit organizations; and non-classifiable organizations.

Each career profile contains a brief overview of the duties and responsibilities involved in a specific career; the history of that field, educational and certification requirements; quick facts with recommended school subjects, personal skills, typical work environment, future employment outlook and salary range; and advancement opportunities. It also lists professional associations and government agencies that you may contact for more information. Under Social Work career profile, I would add that students should have a strong background in sociology and government if they are interested in macro practice. I definitely recommend this book for social work and social science majors who are considering a career in this vast and diverse sector.

Sample career profiles in this book include:
* Career and Employment Counselors and Technicians
* Director of Volunteers
* Fund-Raisers
* Grant Coordinators and Writers
* HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
* Interpreters and Translators
* Lobbyists
* Nonprofit Social Service Directors
* Psychologists
* Public Interest Lawyers
* Public Relations Specialists
* Social Workers

Former Corps Member Doesn't Recommend TFA

I found this commentary by Gary Rubenstein, a former alum and recruiter. It is very eye-opening and explains over twenty years why Teach for America (TFA) has become a flawed and destructive model on American public education.

Twenty years ago TFA was, to steal an expression from the late great Douglas Adams — ‘mostly harmless.’ Then about ten years ago they became ‘potentially harmful.’ Now, in my opinion, they have become ‘mostly harmful.’

Though the change happened so gradually, I hardly noticed it, TFA is now completely different than it was when I joined. I still believe in the original mission of TFA as much as anyone possibly can. The problem is, in my opinion, that TFA has become one of the biggest obstacles in achieving that mission.

WSJ: Earnings and Unemployment by College Majors

The Wall Street Journal analyzed what the median salaries are for 170 college majors. The source is the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Please pay close attention to the median salary AND unemployment rates. Although some traditional pink-collar majors earn much less (i.e., counseling, library science, and early childhood education) than STEM majors, not all STEM majors are doing well in the job market (i.e., military technologies, computer engineering, biomedical sciences).

Below, I list the most common college majors, median earnings ($) and unemployment (%) for those with a master's degree in higher education, social work, or related field.

Higher Education

• Education Administration: $65,000 (0.0%)
  
• Educational Psychology: $35,000 (10.9%)
  
• General Social Sciences: $50,000 (8.2%)
  
• Intercultural/International Studies: $50,000 (6.6%)
  
• Humanities: $45,000 (8.4%)
  

Social Work

• Clinical Psychology: $40,000 (19.5%)
  
• Community and Public Health: $46,000 (4.1%)
  
• Human Services/Community Organization: $38,000 (6.9%)
  
• Social Work: $39,000 (6.8%)
  
• Sociology: $45,000 (7.0%)