Tomorrow’s Careers

What Career Will You Choose?

The top 10 careers as rated on CNNMoney.com are:

1) Software Engineer

2) College Professor

3) Financial Advisor

4) Human Resource Manager

5) Physician’s Assistant

6) Market Research Analyst

7) Computer/Information Technology Analyst

8) Real Estate Appraiser

9) Pharmacist

10) Psychologist

Given the emphasis on career re-training following plant closings or downsizing, what career from the list above do you suppose a person who lost their job in manufacturing could achieve? With few exceptions, none of the above careers can be achieved without going to college for at least 4 years and an investment of more than $40K.

This is the growing issue in the US with respect to jobs. Even if displaced workers were motivated and capable of attending college to study for one of the above careers, where would the money come from to pay the bills while they are at school? How do you raise a family without working?

And, what about if you are a junior or senior in high school and see one of these careers as something worth pursuing? Who guides you to understanding what it will take to be successful as a student in those fields? Are there appropriate resources and courses at the high school to prepare you for gaining acceptance into colleges that offer these programs? Will

What other choices might there be if you don’t have the interest in one of the above fields or you need to work to support your family? The top three jobs readily available that require little training are:

1) Retail Sales

2) Food Preparation

3) Customer Service Representative

As many under-employed people now realize, for the past 10 years the US has moved from a producer to a consumer society. Jobs (over 90 percent) are now in the service industry as compared to 25 years ago when over 80 percent of the jobs were in manufacturing. It is no longer possible for a high school graduate, or even a dropout, to get a high paying job that will see them though a lifetime. Most service industry related jobs will pay around $18K per year and have minimal, if any benefits.

On a related note, the world’s largest employer is Wal-Mart with 1.8 million employees (ranked second in total revenue). Other world employer leaders include the US Postal Service (4^th) with 803,000 employees (61^st in revenue) and McDonald’s at 447,000 employees (ranked 318^th in revenue).

Terms In The News

1) Jihad: defined as the utmost struggle (sometimes used to mean a religious war)

2) fatwa: a legal pronouncement that can include a declaration of war

An Insightful Quote

The Stone Age didn’t end because the world ran out of stones.

Visit www.3MinuteLearning.com

GROWTH <> LEADERSHIP <> EXCELLENCE

© 2006 3 Minute Learning LLC