ISO Jobs That Work
Your recent cover story "The Best Job for You" [March 19] offers valuable advice to recent graduates and career switchers trying to navigate the ever shifting landscape of the 21st-century job market. But frankly, while management consultants might get paid a pretty penny, at the end of their very long days, their corporate work can't hold a candle to the socially important and world-changing careers of police officer, nonprofit manager, and teacher. Whatever drawbacks listed about teaching in "Time to Think Twice" cannot outweigh the joy that comes from teaching a child to read or helping a student to discover an intellectual passion. If it weren't for teachers, where would future optometrists, school psychologists, and medical scientists mentioned in the accompanying article "Where Do You Belong?" come from? Our education system, and teachers, are the hearts and brains of our society. We need more and better teachers in America, not fewer.
MELISSA L. GIBSON
Teach for America alumna
Madison, Wis.
I felt compelled to respond to information presented in the "librarian" career description. The only librarians who have a "placid" experience are those in an archive. School librarians are teachers, and there is nothing placid about that experience. Many special librarians work in the corporate environment under the same pressures as their ultraefficient coworkers. Public librarians deal with all types of people: the mentally ill, unsupervised, school-age children, and a public that thinks librarians work for them. So who were you talking about when you said that librarians' work environment is placid?
DONNA S. SWARR
Hartford, Conn.
I believe "Time to Think Twice" misinformed the public about psychology. Research shows that psychotherapy is an effective treatment for numerous mental health problems. In some cases, the best treatment is a combination of drug and psychotherapy treatment. The well-documented shortage of psychiatrists, particularly in many rural areas, makes access to psychologists' care more important and is the reason some states have approved or are considering prescription privileges for specially trained psychologists. It is also important to be aware of the difference between a "life coach" and a credentialed mental health professional. A psychologist, by definition, in most states has a doctoral degree and, if acting as a health service provider, has earned a state-regulated license to practice. By contrast, anyone can simply proclaim him or herself a life coach without having completed a specific credentialing process.
SHARON STEPHENS BREHM, PH.D.
President
American Psychological Association
Bloomington, Ind.
With 25 years' experience in human resources, I advise high school grads to pursue a college degree in the field they are most enthused about. It is very difficult to predict the professions that will be on the hot careers list when you will be graduating from college. The graduates who are the most successful and, even more important, the most satisfied with their jobs are the ones who feel passionate about the work they are performing.
ROBERT E. MILLER
Fairfax Station, Va.
The Doctor Is Out
I found Jerome Groopman's comments very interesting because, as a nurse practitioner and dean of a school of nursing, I know that the education of registered nurses and nurse practitioners starts with the basics of learning how to listen to patients ["The 18-Second Doctor," March 26-April 2]. Sometimes it isn't about the food, the people they don't like, or the symptoms that are usually exhibited with their diagnosis. Sometimes it's about depression, pain, anxiety, or a new diagnosis that might suggest we were inaccurate or subject to tunnel vision. Rushing to read about the symptoms in a textbook or ordering tests or medications before listening to the patient's story results in a diagnosis that requires one to work backward to find the supportive data.
PEGGE BELL, PH.D
Barry University
Miami Shores, Fla.
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