Turn Jobs Into Careers: Degrees People Need For The Best Pay

In the midst of the recession, a sampling of US workers revealed that over one-half believed they were in stagnant careers and were exhibiting signs of work related stress. But with high unemployment rates, and little hiring going on, what could they do about it? Not much. It is no wonder that "a recent survey by job-placement firm Manpower indicates 84% of employees plan to look for a new position in the coming year. That's up from just 60% last year, as reported by CNNMoney.com."


This is a staggering number - that the vast majority of US workers are not satisfied with their jobs. How does this affect their productivity, collaboration with team members, going up and beyond job requirements, and general attitude? These cannot be positive for the companies that employ them.

Odds are 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 is a new career going to require a new degree? Some of the hottest new jobs reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are nurse practitioners, science teachers, search engine optimization strategists, commissioning agents (having to do with energy-efficiency of buildings - one of the new "green" jobs), and financial restructuring specialists. But the occupations with the largest increases in total number of new positions, which the BLS projects will be added between now and 2018, are registered nurses, home healthcare aides, customer service representatives, food preparation and serving workers, personal home care aides, retail sales persons, general office clerks, accountants and auditors, nursing aides, and postsecondary teachers.

A couple of things jump out of the latest BLS projections. First, that of the 20 fastest growth jobs, 10 are related to healthcare. Second, other than nurses, accountants, and teachers, the jobs projected to add the most workers are relatively low-skill, low-pay positions not necessarily requiring a college degree. There is a great divide occurring in the US job market. The highest growth rates are in specialty, technical, and professional fields and in the low-skill positions. Whereas, the middle jobs, such as real estate agents, production managers, travel agents, and insurance underwriters, are projected to show little growth - perhaps throughout the decade. While a 4-year college degree holder will earn 89% more over his or her lifetime (on average) than those without a degree, this does not ensure the "big money" earning potential of a specialist field. Many of those fields will require highly technical studies, masters, and even doctorate degrees, e.g. biomedical engineers, network systems analysts, medical scientists, biochemists, biophysicists, veterinarians, etc.

The key is to determine what you really want to be doing career-wise for your long-term (what are your strengths, where do you excel, and what do you really love to do), create a plan of how to get there, what additional education you will need, what intermediate steps will be required, and start down that path. Just to change jobs for the sake of change won't get you there. Develop a plan and keep the goal in sight.

Richard S. Pearson recently published his second book, 5 Necessary Skills to Keep Your Career on Track 2nd Edition, with an added focus on social media to find jobs, mentors, and networking -- available on Amazon. He has held vice-president positions with four multibillion dollar travel industry companies and three Internet early stage companies. He has a BA degree from Regis University in Organizational Development. His experience has given him a unique perspective on how to navigate the organizational structures of both large and small companies. He has hired and trained hundreds of employees from frontline salespeople to vice presidents, and coached many through their careers. He is currently working on facilitating the large increase of travel between the US and China, which is taking place. He is an avid bicyclist, fly fisherman, and skier residing in Colorado. [http://www.5necessaryskills.com]

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