Applied to Penn GSE!

It's official -- I applied to the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn GSE). I believe this is the next step in my career development. Penn GSE offers many programs and research centers in different educational practice areas (school counseling, educational psychology, literacy studies, urban education, higher education management, and much more). The school also emphasizes diversity and community engagement, especially in the city of Philadelphia. In summary, I like how Penn GSE emphasizes people and community. In my social work program, I focused my assignments around diversity in higher education. Therefore, the field of education makes perfect sense for my personal and career goals. I also believe we as a society must reduce barriers to educational equity (such as poverty!) among low-income and minority communities. I should receive a decision letter hopefully by February 2012. Look forward to an update next year!

Review: Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types (2009)

Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types (4th Edition) (2009) by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler, provides practical advice on careers for book aficionados and researchers. The authors list possible job titles in this domain, such as reference librarian for the federal government, associate editor for a travel magazine, book reviewer for a trade magazine, and story analyst for a major Hollywood studio. They quote, "Bookworms are entranced by great literature, captivated by mysteries, enthralled by biographies, fascinated by histories, attracted to nonfiction, and drawn to all books, from encyclopedia to bestsellers."

Job possibilities in this book cover careers in libraries, book publishing, magazines and newspapers, the Internet, entertainment and public relations, education, research, public sector and private sector. Of course, there's the ultimate career for a true bookworm: being an author and writing books. Each chapter contains a brief overview of the history of each field, types of work environment, job qualifications, educational requirements, description of sample job titles, future employment outlook, and list of professional associations and books for further reading.

NYTimes: The Working Poor in America

Since October 2011, the New York Times has been publishing an investigative series about the "Near Poor" (or Working Poor, in my opinion) in America. These are individuals and families who earn too much to qualify for welfare assistance but earn too little to improve their economic situation. Incomes varies by region (as low as $20,000s in the Midwest and South to as high as $50,000s on the East and West Coasts). They may live in neighborhoods or older suburbs undergoing decline, live paycheck to paycheck (just one disaster can ruin their finances), are drowning in debt, and/or may not have health insurance provided by their employer. The young and the elderly struggle to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads.

I congratulate the NYTImes and the U.S. Census Bureau for looking into this growing, but often overlooked, population because the standard federal poverty definition does not calculate the earnings of the working-poor. For instance, you may earn 200% above the poverty line, but the local cost-of-living may force you to cut back financially. In the past decade, many middle-class families are falling into the working-poor category. Unfortunately, many public officials (whose hands are tied to Wall Street) turn a blind eye to their growing pressing needs. This is why the Occupy Wall Street movement is expanding across the nation. It's time to wake up, America.

You may access all the articles below:

• Economix Blog: Voices of the Near Poor (November 19, 2011)

• Older, Suburban and Struggling, ‘Near Poor’ Startle the Census (November 18, 2011)
  

• Middle-Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows, New Report Finds (November 16, 2011)

• New Way to Tally Poor Recasts View of Poverty (November 8, 2011)

• Bleak Portrait of Poverty Is Off the Mark, Experts Say (November 4, 2011)

• Outside Cleveland, Snapshots of Poverty’s Surge in the Suburbs (October 25, 2011)