To expect an "easy life" as a professor of special education is to expect what never was nor never will be. But when the playing field is uneven for minorities, or even worse, when it is not even recognized that the playing field is uneven, there is cause for action. For example, Bonner (2004) stated that minority faculty face tremendous…

As change renders obsolete old methods of career choice and counseling, counselors should focus on helping people acquire skills to survive in a "risk society" and cope with uncertainty. (SK)

Seven key attitudes for career longevity are as follows: I am either growing or decaying; a chaotic organization is a great place to learn; I must be selective in what I learn; I can align what I, the organization, and the market want; I must push to the outer limits; I am a unique business; and there are many pathways to a professional vision.…

Typical reactions to job loss are Victim, Survivor, and Navigator responses. A training program can help participants acknowledge their feelings, identify positive ways to manage change, understand the phases of change, learn stress management techniques, visualize their desired futures, and plan for achieving their vision. (SK)

A model of reactions to career barriers explains how people differ in appraising situations and establishing coping strategies based on a mix of emotional and cognitive processes, appraisal styles, and predispositions. (SK)

Five articles address the realities of coping with downsizing: "Living with Layoffs" (Nocera); "How Safe Is Your Job?" (Lieber); "Career Makeover" (Robinson); "Ma Bell's Orphans" (O'Reilly); and "Where Are They Now?" (Martin). (SK)

The high activity and expectation levels of academic dentists provide both ideal conditions for producing burnout and good conditions for avoiding it. If dental faculty take advantage of opportunities for professional variety, sabbatical leaves, and refreshment of career and contacts, they can cope with or evade the results of pressure. (MSE)

The author's career path can best be described as "unconventional" or "non-traditional" for a senior student affairs administrator. Being a first-generation college graduate, the author's focus was on what he characterizes as a "clear cut career path" for a Myers Briggs Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging (ESTJ):…

Effects of stress on educators and efforts to understand and cope with stress are discussed. Sources of stress, common reactions to stress, the effects of stress on educator performance, and suggested preventive methods are examined. (JN)

The author started a conversation with friends that led to a conference program. They surveyed women faculty, department heads, and senior administrators and asked them how they would advise young professionals struggling with personal and professional balance. The author, along with Tony Cawthon, incorporated the work on balance into several…

This paper relates the personal and professional experiences of a female minority ethnic researcher in her transition from international graduate student to assistant professor in the United States. It examines coping strategies for such situations, including: (1) assuming that most problems have an external sociohistorical nature; (2) realizing…

A variety of strategies are suggested as useful to female faculty members in developing their careers and coping with nonoptimal working conditions. Issues addressed include getting information, networking and mentoring, negotiating, handling discrimination, personal presentation, sexual harassment and other sexual issues, interviews, working…

The evolving role of work in society and the factors driving emerging trends in work were examined to assist career development practitioners in helping individuals deal with life-role balance. Donald Super's life-space theory was presented as a framework for adult career development and used as a backdrop for discussing how adults can crystallize…