Hot Industry or Career Wasteland?
by Peter Vogt
Today's red-hot, "I'm sure to get a job in it" industry can easily be tomorrow's deserted career wasteland. Ask any of the thousands of Americans who switched to the information technology field in the 1990s solely because it was the booming industry of the moment. "Have we learned nothing from the dot-com hallucination?" asks Bill Treasurer, author of Right Risk: 10 Powerful Principles for Taking Giant Leaps with Your Life and president of Giant Leap Consulting, an organizational development company in Decatur, Georgia. "Workers continue to hop on the bandwagon and head to the gold rush--only to find that the gold is done gone." When your primary reason for switching careers is to go where the money and opportunity seem to be at the time, "the dangers are high," he warns. Several of today's hot fields happen to be in health care--nursing, pharmacy, medical laboratory technology and radiology, for example. Maybe you're tempted to pursue one of those fields simply because it looks like a sure thing. But be careful: There's more than the job market to think about. Ask yourself these critical questions as well:Why is it hot? Will it stay hot?
It's possible a field is hot because there's an employee shortage stemming from high turnover, poor working conditions, or other ongoing, unresolved issues, says former career counselor Kenneth McGhee, a financial aid specialist at Northern Illinois University and author of Eleven Leadership Tips for Supervisors. You've got to think critically about how long the field will remain hot and why, says McGhee. "An example would be the trend toward training certified nursing assistants to do basic LPN, RN, respiratory therapist, physical therapist assistant, and occupational therapist assistant duties," says McGhee. "Short-term courses, usually at a local community college, are used for this purpose. If this continues, and with CNAs making less money per hour, how long will other health professions stay hot?"
What's necessary to succeed?
"If you're a technical writer and you decide to go into nursing, do you have the skills and desire to deal with doctors, patients, families, and a myriad of other health-care people on a daily basis?" asks William Schaffer, a career counselor in Silicon Valley and author of High-Tech Careers for Low-Tech People. "What if you're a highly skilled software engineer and your new job will require you to report to someone you consider to be your educational inferior? These problems can be licked, but you've got to be aware they exist up-front, especially before you spend time and money reeducating yourself."
What's the inside scoop?
It's one thing to simply read about a hot career, but you can't stop there if you want an accurate picture of it. You need inside information from people actually working in the industry. Who do you know who has succeeded in the field? What appeals to you about the work they do each day? "Have you booked a time to work with or shadow this person who is doing what you say you want to do?" asks John O'Connor, president of Career Pro, a career transition firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. "If this is a career/life decision, wouldn't it be worth taking one day out of your life before you invest your time into going for this career and making this big change?"
Be brutally honest
"If you enjoy working with people and don't mind a job that can be very stressful at times, well, then nursing is great," says Valerie Sejko, director of career services for the Hamden and Shelton campuses of New England Technical Institute in Connecticut, which offers a perioperative nursing training program. "But what if you dislike working with people? No matter how hot nursing is, you'll never be happy in it. And you'll probably be a really bad nurse, too." According to Barbara Moses, president of Toronto-based BBM Human Resource Consultants and author of What Next? The Complete Guide to Taking Control of Your Working Life, people trying to second-guess the job market are playing a futile game. "They'll never beat it, and they'll become unhappy in the process," she says.
Respectful from the website "Hot Indurstry or Career Wasteland?"
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Ya know, I do follow my heart my first goal was Marine Biologist. It's funny. My mom kept trying to pursude me to chase "What's hot in the Indurstry?" Several years ago, What was hot is "Computer Science" and now I notice that it wasn't there anymore. My mom did try to convince me to take Computer Science. It's funny, I did took one course just to satified my curiousity. And believe me, I don't understand one bit. Nothing, Zip, NaDA, Zero. Yes, I don't. I managed to do my homework that's what keep my grades good because when it comes to exam, I failed. I do mean I flucked down to 17%. Yes, I do not understand. I just follow the notes and teacher's presentation and type down the computer code words and VOLIA, I'm done. I asked the teacher what am I suppose to study. He said if you understand your homework then you'll be fine. I really am totally clueless.
I was very lucky to take a course back in University of North Carolina for Mairne Sciences Problems. I didn't really enjoy much. I do enjoy learning but it is too much physical work for me to can handle. I was truly exhausted. As worst than I'm working at my work. It just that where I work is most BORING! I really want something mental challenge than physical and boring job that do the same thing over and over. I realize, I needed more mental challenge than anything else in the world.
Question is what kind of mental challenge job out there? Other than Computer Sciences... I've tried to find thru search engine but ended up mention about mental jobs not good for aging people. Whoopie... Of course not... but not giving me the lists that I'm searching for. Maybe I'll talk to Career Counslor in college. They may give me the lists for that.
I even thought about maybe research scientist or something relate to science field. What's strike me is... ***copy and paste*** The research comes from the government-owned Training and Development Agency for Schools, which claims that science research and media jobs are also more boring than teaching. Respectfully from the website "IT is one of the 'most boring' jobs for graduates." ****end copy and paste***
Ya know what I was thinking? I remember I saw on tv once. There's a policeman who handle the traffic. He seems really enjoy doing that. He kept saying "hi" and giving the best acts and acting silling as he control the traffic. I bet there are someone out there said that it is most boring jobs. What really matters is that... He enjoy doing that. He have been doing that for few years. I think it is depend on people's personality and what's fits their career best for them. What's important is you know you enjoy doing this whatever job it is because it is who you are. It is important that to focus on something you know you would enjoy no matter if the money are good paid or not.
I wonder. What would I enjoy most?
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