Where the Jobs After College Are
Interest rates rise and fall, the stock market goes up and down, employment rates vary. A check of the news headlines shows mergers, downsizing, outsourcing. Where are the jobs? What is next?
The U. S. Department of Labor predicts that the decade prior to 2014 will see the greatest increase in the number of jobs in the fields of education and health services. A close second will be professional and business services. By looking at long-term trends perhaps we can gain some perspective as to where the jobs will be not only in this decade but beyond and where we will be in the future.
While there is no crystal ball, we do know that technology is here to stay. We also know that medical science is allowing us to live longer, healthier lives. We also want to cram more into our daily lives. Everything from making our home our castle to pursuing leisure activities to seeking services that support our lifestyle and give us more personal time will be areas of growth. Along with basic services, this is where the jobs will continue to be found.
With nostalgia we may look back on a time when generations of one family worked the family farm, in the mines or in the auto industry. One car, one paycheck, one telephone, one day a small home with picket fence. But that was yesterday.
Because we are living longer, there will be a continuing and expanding need for healthcare employees. We will expect the best in healthcare and services that improve our health and appearance for the lifestyle we seek. This field is exploding and specializing. Everything from hospitals and health care professionals to assisted living and nursing homes will care for us from the cradle to the grave.
We will seek broad educational services starting with childcare and preschool and continuing through to our golden years as we continue to seek and grow and enrich our lives.
Not long ago, financial planners recommended starting social security payments as soon as you reached age 62 because the added monthly benefits gained at age 65 would not make up for the total dollars collected in your lifetime. Now some financial planners recommend that you wait until age 70 to start collecting social security because of the number of years you can expect to collect funds.
Technology and the field of information technology will continue to be king and so will jobs in those fields serving businesses or the home. Everything is on fast forward to manage, operate and make secure both our homes and the workplace. Today business leadership depends on being flexible, quick and nimble and the jobs will go to those that are just that.
There will be no turning back. These trends are here to stay.