How careers are influenced by community needs?

Hi, there! Thank you for reaching out to us here at BetterHelp. My name is Stacey Shine, and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I read over your question and am hopeful that I can provide some insight for you.

The question you asked about how community needs influence careers is a great one to think about. I think the answer is a bit complex. The needs of a community can change over time, and I think the community adapts to meet those needs. For example, I will use the counseling career. There are some communities where there are all types of counselors. You can find them in community clinics, doctors' offices, and private practices. The community drives the need. The more demand from the community, the more counselors and counseling jobs that you will typically see.  However, you have some communities with few counselors, and it can be difficult to find counseling services. That is not to say that counseling services are not needed, but it may not be a top need for that community.  It may prioritize things like shelters, food banks, and whatever else may be important to that particular community at the time. So I think when it comes to careers and communities, it is important to look at it from a holistic perspective. What are the top needs? What are the socioeconomic statistics for that community? What are the most prominent age rages that live in the community? What resources are available, and which ones are missing? If you consider those things, it may be easier to see which career path to take. Going back to the counseling career, it would not be wise to start a career in a place that only has a few hundred people that live there and one counselor already in the town. However, it would make more sense to move to a community that focuses on mental health, and there are jobs posted because the demand is there.

I hope this answer was helpful for you! Best of luck in your future career choices and figuring out how to best meet the needs in your own personal community.