The work of the professional counsellors does not end there. They follow up the work of the student when placed to see that the proper progress is made and if any possible errors in placement have been made. Not less important, perhaps, is their obligation to study the actual surroundings into which the young workers are called upon to go. If they are found to be bad, the counsellor works in co operation with the employer for improvement A further part of the co-operation is to try to guide to the employer the kind of worker that is needed and to keep such worker in the con tinuation classes in school or college, which will improve his knowledge and skill.
The colleges have been less quick to take up with vocational guidance than the schools and outside agencies. There hits been a tend ency on their part to let the student 4find him self') by himself, but this has not been true of all of our higher institutions.
The difficulties encountered in vocational guidance in America have arisen from the ambition of the student, and of his parent, some times one and sometimes both, to prepare for a trade or profession for which he is obviously unfitted. Even the foreigners, who come to this country and are accustomed to the idea of careful guidance, feel a resentment against any restriction on perfect freedom of choice, re gardless of what may be said of their aptitudes and capacities. A truth often expressed is that
they came to America to get free from the very restrictions which the advocates of vo cauonal guidance would place upon them. They would rather have a chance at the highest and fail than never have had any chance at all. They do not care for the wreckage of too am bitously chosen careers and even less for the effect of such on our industrial community. The hope springs eternal in their breasts that they will succeed where others failed.
In addition to the above the most serious problems before the counsellor in vocational guidance to-day are: (1) to devise the most accurate system possible for estimating the apti tudes and capacities of those to be guided; (2) to avoid that kind of vocational guidance, which, because of the financial and social position of the youth, would place him in a horizontal stra tification, such as is common in European coun tries, and deny to him the opportunity which democracy offers of rising to the top.
Bibliography.— Brewer, (The Vocational Guidance Movement) (1918); Sullivan, (A Bib liography Concerning Vocations) (1916). In the above two practically all of the important books on the subject will be found listed.
JAmas SULLIVAN, Director of the Division of Archives and His tory of the Utsiversity of State of New York.