In the midst of the recession, a sample of American workers revealed that more than half believed their careers were stagnant and showed signs of job-related stress. But with high unemployment rates and low hiring, what could they do about it? Little bit. It’s no wonder that “a recent survey by job placement firm Manpower indicates that 84% of employees plan to look for a new position in the coming year. That’s only 60% more than last year, as reported by CNNMoney.” .com. “
This is a staggering number: that the vast majority of American workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. How does this affect your productivity, collaboration with team members, going above and beyond the job requirements, and general attitude? These cannot be positive for the companies that employ them.
Most likely, you are part of this (vast) majority. What are you doing to turn your job into a long-term career? What is the next hot job related to your current field or will a new career require a new degree? Some of the most popular new jobs reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are nurse practitioners, science teachers, search engine optimization strategists, commissioning agents (related to building energy efficiency , one of the new “green” jobs). and specialists in financial restructuring. But the occupations with the largest increases in the total number of new positions, which the BLS projects will add between now and 2018, are registered nurses, home health aides, customer service representatives, prep and service workers. clerks, home personal care aides, retail salespeople, general clerks, accountants and auditors, nursing assistants, and postsecondary teachers.
A couple of things jump out from the latest BLS screenings. First, that of the 20 fastest growing jobs, 10 are related to health. Second, aside from nurses, accountants, and teachers, the jobs that are projected to add the most workers are relatively low-skilled, low-paid positions that don’t necessarily require a college degree. A great divide is taking place in the US labor market. The highest growth rates are found in specialized, technical and professional fields and in low-skilled positions. Meanwhile, jobs in the middle, such as real estate agents, production managers, travel agents and insurance underwriters, are projected to show little growth, perhaps over the course of the decade. While a 4-year college degree holder will earn 89% more over their lifetime (on average) than those without a degree, this does not guarantee the “big money” earning potential of a specialized field. Many of those fields will require highly technical studies, master’s degrees and even doctorates, for example, biomedical engineers, network systems analysts, medical scientists, biochemists, biophysicists, veterinarians, etc.
The key is to figure out what you really want to do in your long-term career (what are your strengths, where do you excel, and what do you really enjoy doing), create a plan for how to get there, what additional education you’ll need, what intermediate steps will be required and start down that path. Simply changing jobs for the sake of change will not get you there. Develop a plan and keep the goal in sight.