There are three things to consider before making a career decision and plunging into the job market. The first one is to understand the current workplace. The second is to know what skills companies seek in the employees they hire, and the third is to know what kinds of jobs offer the best opportunities in this decade.
Make it your business to know what is going on in the work world. This will make it easier for you to plan for your future and select an appropriate career path in terms of the work you'll do, job satisfaction, and compensation.
Business Week magazine has underscored the desperate demand for skilled labor in the United States and the need for "Human Capital" (Sept. 19, 1988, p. 100-108). As you step into the job market, concentrate on the unique skills, experience, and human capital you offer a would-be employer. Companies are changing their attitudes and becoming more realistic in terms of hiring employees. For example, many companies offer valued professional female employees the opportunity to work two or three days a week or to create their own hours. This permits them to pursue their careers and still have time to care for their families. Flextime, where employees choose the hours they want to work, is another option offered by a growing number of companies. Many employers use temporary help services during seasonal periods when work loads are unusually heavy.
Goods-Producing Industries
This group includes the areas of construction, manufacturing, mining, and agriculture. Employment in agricultural jobs will continue to decline, except for strong growth in the agricultural services industry. Mining will remain the same and construction will increase, depending on economic conditions. Although manufacturing employment will decline because of productivity gains resulting from new technology, the number of managerial, professional, and technical positions in this industry will increase.
There will be a strong demand by many companies for executive, administrative, and managerial expertise. In addition to technicians, marketing, sales, and financial professionals will be needed to operate and program technical equipment and assist engineers and scientists.
These are only a few of the many jobs available to the 50-plus professional. If you are a retiree who has been itching to rejoin the work force, you are not alone. A recent survey conducted by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) revealed that one-third of retirees would prefer to work. Other polls report 51 percent of all workers surveyed would like to work past age 65. In addition, many workers who retire early by choice or termination soon discover that they are unhappy about not having a place of work to go to every morning. They miss the day-to-day contact with people and the feeling of accomplishment.
Keep in mind that companies seek people with common sense, who are capable of planning for both the short and long term, who can make critical decisions, and can adapt to change.
Alan Pifer, chairman of the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit organization that conducts analytical studies of federal social policies and population aging, advocates continual education and retraining throughout one's life. "It would be nice if a lot of people could be repotted," he says.
Here is your chance to start anew. The chart that follows was compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the job outlook between now and the years to come. It shows the employment opportunities available in your field, or it can help you choose a new career path. Many employers in the various industries have part-time jobs in your field, if you don't want to work full-time. It is important to note that in most occupations, openings resulting from replacement needs are more numerous than those stemming from increased demand.
Thus even occupations that are not expected to grow, or those in decline, provide opportunities for employment.
