by Elaine Piniat
Thousands of laid-off workers nationwide are reconsidering their career choices during this recession, leading many to go back to school. Returning to school enables workers to acquire new sets of skills while constructively waiting out the economic downturn.
According to Fortune magazine, nursing, network systems and data analysis, software and biomedical engineering, accounting, auditing and veterinary medicine are just a few fields that are expected to expand over the years. Some expanding job markets are:
Health Care In 2008, the health care industry continued to expand, rising by 23,000 employees and accounting for the majority of the job gains. During 2008, health care has added 363,000 jobs. Consider going back to school to become a nurse, as the number of registered nurses is expected to expand to 3.2 million by 2018, an increase from 2.6 million today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Veterinarian According to Fortune, pet care is one of the only sectors of the retail industry that grew during the recession. The American Pet Products Association estimates pet owners will spend almost $48 billion on their animals, half of which will be spend on medicine and veterinary care. The number of veterinarians is expected to expand by 36 percent between 2008 and 2018.
Energy and Environmental Employment in the natural resources and mining industry rose by 6,000 in 2007. With the increased popularity in “going green,” the green market has expanded. The Pew Charitable Trust reported in June 2009 that jobs within the U.S. green industry grew by 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, creating 777,000 jobs. According to the report, the increase was about two-and-a-half times faster than job growth in the economy as a whole.
Government According to CBS News, the U.S. government is on a hiring binge with executive branch employment, excluding the Postal Service and Defense Department, increasing drastically from 2009 to 2010. Over the next two years, the federal government is projected to hire nearly 193,000 new employees. According to a report from Partnership for Public Service, the new government jobs cover almost every occupational field. About 80 percent of the positions will be in security, protection, compliance, and enforcement; medical and public health; accounting, budget and business; engineering and sciences; and program management, analysis and administration.
These fields may be areas that will continue to expand in the future, but what if you do not want to become a nurse or government employee?
There are vocational, technical, and trade schools; certificate programs; seminars; workshops, and courses that are offered that will improve and introduce students to new skills, areas of interest and careers.
For example, Farmingdale State College offers 14 certificate programs including Accounting, Computer Systems Technology, Health Studies, International Business, Management, Marketing, Ornamental Horticulture and Practical Nursing. The length of certificate programs varies. They can be as short as 10 weeks and as long as two years.
The Star Career Academy is a trade school located in Syosset. Students can specialize in areas such as Baking and Pastry Arts, Cardiology Technician, Commercial or Professional Cooking, Dialysis Technician, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Insurance Health Information Technologies, Medical Assistant and Surgical Technology.
Other vocational and trade schools located on Long Island include Hunter Business School, DeVry Institute of Technology, the Culinary Academy of Long Island and the Katharine Gibbs School.
Online programs are also a good route to take when looking to make a career change as they are less expensive and more flexible.
But if none of these ideas work for you, consider returning to college to receive your masters or doctorate degree in the field you presently work in to advance your career further.