Hilary Blahey-Hasay Blog 8

         Chapter 8 focuses on school-to-work transitions, a topic that many of us have already experienced with our previous degrees or are beginning to think about now having only one more year of official schooling. Transitioning into the labor market is something that many graduates struggle with in order to find a job they desire or a business for which they wish to work. In this day and age, a lot of finding a job comes down to whom you know not what you know. This can be somewhat advantageous to those of us with strong connections and excellent networking or even social abilities, which can be related back to many aspects of socialization and the importance of social capital as a factor (p. 239), as discussed in previous chapters. A part of this chapter that I found interesting was the section on job-education mismatch and the case of over qualification (p. 242). I think in many cases over qualification occurs because the individual’s socialization skills or networking abilities are not where they should be, therefore the individual cannot land a job with their ideal employer. Thus, it is important to develop a wide range of skill-sets from an early age and practice them onwards. Another topic I found interesting was identity capital theory (p. 254), that being; a model which explains the changing social and economic conditions to which young people must adapt. This theory is based on very individualized experiences of the transition to adulthood, and is now accepted that individualization comes from “society being in a stage of reorganization”.

Discussion Question: When is it appropriate to start talking to children about school-to-work transitions? Should they be informed at a young age or should they be allowed to live care-free for a certain period of time?