Jobs for the New Millenium
People's first guess, and an accurate one, is computer jobs. The computer industry isn't the only fast-growing career field. Employment is expected to increase in fields as diverse as education, restaurant management and health care (all those aging baby boomers to look after...).
According to recently released Bureau of Labor Standards (BLS) projections for 1998 - 2008 professional specialty occupations are projected to increase the fastest and to add the most jobs - 5.3 million. On the opposite end of the education and compensation spectrum service workers are expected to add 3.9 million jobs. Computer and data processing services will add over 1.8 million jobs - a 117% increase. Health services, business services, social services, and engineering, management, and related services also will have significant jobs growth and are expected to account for almost one of every two nonfarm wage and salary jobs added to the economy during the 1998-2008 period. Other groups that are projected to grow faster than the average are executive, administrative, and managerial occupations; technicians and related support occupations; and marketing and sales occupations.
The JOBTRAK.COM Index, published by Jobtrak which the largest online job listing service for college students and alumni, shows a 25.6% increase in total job openings posted in October 1999 in comparison to October 1998, with an average starting salary of $37,808. Accounting and Finance, Sales and Marketing, and Computers and Information Science, had the overall largest increase.
Top Jobs for 2000 and Beyond
These are the jobs the BLS expects to have top growth in the coming years:
Computer engineers
Computer support specialists
Systems analysts
Database administrators
Desktop publishing specialists
Paralegals and legal assistants
Personal care and home health aides
Medical assistants
Social and human service assistants
Physician assistants
How to Prepare?
The BLS projects that employment in all education and training categories that generally require an associate degree or more education is projected to grow faster than the 14 percent average for all occupations. If you are interested in a career in one of these fields, consider supplementing your skills with additional education. Jump on the education bandwagon and you'll find that you can get your career on track for the new millennium - online and in record time. You won't be alone. According to Parade Magazine nearly half of Americans aged 35 - 54 are taking adult-education courses.
Where to Find the Jobs?
Start with the jobs sites targeted to your career field or industry. With the proliferation of internet career resources, you'll find web sites for just about every field imaginable.