Birth Order

As a future human services professional, I'm aware that the changing demographics in the U.S. will affect human services professionals and other helping professionals tremendously. I believe that it would affect helping professionals financially, professionally, and personally.

Primarily, it will affect me because I am unfortunately not a culturally competent individual. Thus, this could perhaps affect my income as well as others after me who may also not be culturally competent. I feel as though as the changing demographics in the U.S. continues, helping professionals like myself will either be force to become culturally competent or lose out because those who are culturally competent will take over our jobs. Even if I were to be able to obtain a job my income would still be affected because more than likely I would not make as much money as those professionals who are culturally competent. Therefore, it's important to be culturally aware because to a great extent it can very much cost a professional financially.

As a result of the changing demographics affecting professionals financially, this could also lead to a shortage of professionals in the helping profession in which in my case the human services profession. My opinion is that there are not a lot of people who are culturally competent. So for that matter only this could really affect the helping profession alone because it causes a shortage in professionals out there willing to help others. Also, not only does it create a shortage but it also could create stress on the select few of professionals that could virtually help everyone. For instance, a human services professional who is the only one in the community to help a diverse of people may be burden with many patients by his or her self.

More importantly, the changing demographics will affect my personal expectations and goals for even becoming a human services professional which is to help others. For instance, it would be more challenging with the changing demographics in the U.S. to get messages across effectively and to really help the minority achieve their goals. Consequently, I strongly feel that every professional who may come after me would share this same problem due to the simple fact that the one main goal all helping professionals share in common is to help others. I feel that everyone in the helping profession has a soft spot to help others and with the changes in the demographics this would