Chronicles of the Job Market

Authors

  • Susan Boafo-Arthur Goodwin College
  • Dzifa Attah University of Ghana
  • Ama Boafo-Arthur University of Ghana
  • Linda Tsevi University of Ghana

Abstract

Studying abroad is seen as a very beneficial aspect of any study experience. And in some countries or cultures, it is expected to be a part of the path carved by any serious potential academician. With studying abroad, and the expectations of being highly employable post one's graduation, it can be quite a disappointment should one's expectations of employability, and the job market not match the reality of employment within the country of origin, or the country of sojourn. This chapter intends to examine the expectations individuals have prior to graduation, the discrepancy between that and the reality of the job market, and tentative solutions to the challenges faced. Narratives from current and former international students/study "abroaders" will be included to depict the actual experiences of   these individuals and how their experiences connect to the broader issue under discussion.

Author Biographies

  • Susan Boafo-Arthur, Goodwin College

    Susan Boafo-Arthur graduated with a PhD from the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Mississippi State University in 2014. Dr. Boafo-Arthur is originally from Ghana and moved to the United States in 2009 to pursue her PhD after graduating with an MPhil in human development from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in June 2009. Currently, she is an assistant professor in the Human Services Department of the School of Applied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Goodwin University in East Hartford, Connecticut. Dr. Boafo-Arthur is also licensed to provide professional counseling services in the states of Pennsylvania and Vermont and is the sole proprietor of Fern Counseling and Consulting. Her research interests are in acculturation and transition issues with particular emphasis on the experiences of Black African nationals in the diaspora. 

  • Dzifa Attah, University of Ghana

    Dzifa Attah works as a lecturer/licensed Clinical Psychologist at the Department of

    Psychiatry, University of Ghana Medical School, Legon.  Dr. Attah holds a PhD in Psychology

    (Public Mental Health) from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She also has a B.Sc.

    in Psychology and an MPhil in Clinical Psychology, both from University of Ghana,

    Legon. She has clinical expertise in working with young adults as they make various

    major life transitions, including the experience of studying abroad. She has research

    interest in studying abroad experiences and has co-authored several peer-

    reviewed articles tied to her own account of furthering her studies in a foreign context.

  • Ama Boafo-Arthur, University of Ghana

    Ama Boafo-Arthur, (PhD) is a lecturer at the Department of Distance Education

    of the University of Ghana. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the

    University of Ghana, an MPhil in Development Studies, and an MPhil in Sociology

    from Cambridge University (UK) and the University of Ghana (Ghana) respectively.

    Her research interests include Study Abroad experiences, Adolescence and Youth

    Studies, and Sexual Abuse.

  • Linda Tsevi, University of Ghana

    Linda Tsevi, PhD is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Learning Centres and

    Coordinator of the Accra Learning Centre, College of Education, University of Ghana. Linda

    received her PhD in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the State University

    of New York at Albany. Her research interests include quality assurance in private higher

    education, partnerships among higher education institutions, faculty issues, student

    engagement, online learning and international student issues. Email: ltsevi@ug.edu.gh

Published

2022-08-27