It’s one of the most popular of the American dreams. Graduate from high school, spend four years in college pursuing a career you are passionate about, earn a bachelor’s degree and go on to work for a respected company while collecting a decent salary. However, since the country’s most recent recession took hold of the economy, and our pocketbooks, many students find it difficult to make this dream a reality – partially because of their parents’ inability to finance the growing costs of higher education and the decreasing likelihood they will find a job after graduation that will offer a paycheck large enough to help them repay a hefty student loan debt. So rather than carry a four-year financial burden, the trend in higher education has been an increase in enrollment in community colleges.

Community College – A Benefit to the Brain and Bank Account

Considering the average cost for a student to attend a private four-year college is $26,273 (up 4.4 percent from last year) and $7,020 annually to attend a public institution (up 6.5 percent from last year), it’s no wonder college trends show potential students and families are opting to take the two-year route to a degree. In fact, 31 percent of all full-time college students in the United States attend community colleges, and enrollment across the county has increased 24 percent for full-time participants and 17 percent in the part-time arena. With the average annual cost at about $2,544 (up 7.3%), the potential financial savings is astronomical, even when students opt to continue their education at a four-year university after completion of the two-year program.

Expanding Demographics

It’s not just the traditional recent high-school graduate signing up for courses. With the national unemployment rate hovering close to 10 percent, many out-of-work adults are contributing to college trends and heading to admission offices across the country to take advantage of opportunities at two-year community colleges. They are hoping to garner new skills or prepare to switch career paths and make themselves more marketable. Most cite affordability, a faster time to program completion versus the four-year approach, and minimal commuting time as reasons for their choice.

The White House Weighs In

President Obama has contributed to pushing college trends toward two-year programs even further. Last year he announced a $12 billion community college initiative to assist facilities in making physical plant improvements, expanding online curriculum offerings and developing programs to increase graduation rates and better prepare students to move into the workforce or to a four-year institution. The President also put a call out to community colleges to increase its number of graduates by an additional five million students by the year 2020 – an accomplishment that would help him achieve his goal of the United States being home to the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

Lisa Tortorello

Lisa Tortorello has been a Director of Public Relations and Marketing within a large East Coast health care system for more than 11 years. She has an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication.

Registered Nurses

The number of registered nurses in the United States is expected to increase by more than half a million over the next decade, making it the fastest-growing occupation in the country. Responsibilities include performing routine tests, educating patients about their ailments and providing them with treatment and medication.

Post-secondary education is a necessity for a position as a registered nurse. Most nursing programs are either two or four years and lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, respectively, although some hospitals offer diploma programs that usually take three years to complete. Entrance into nursing specialty fields often requires a master’s degree.

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts

Network analyst positions are expected to grow by 37% in the coming years, which is the largest percent increase among of all types of jobs studied. Network analysts design, implement and test communications equipment for computers, from small office networks to the internet.

The degree requirements vary with each specific network analyst position. Most employers are looking for those with a bachelor’s in computer science or a related field, while some positions require only an associate’s and some require an MBA.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Positions as veterinary technicians are expected to increase at a much faster than average rate as well. Veterinary technicians work alongside veterinarians, performing diagnostic tests and providing treatment to all types of animals.

Most veterinary technologists have an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in the field, and both involve extensive laboratory training with live animals. The associate’s programs are nationally accredited and usually take two years to complete, while the bachelor’s programs are offered at only a handful of colleges.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics–Registered Nurses
Bureau of Labor Statistics–Computer Scientists
Bureau of Labor Statistics–Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
Bureau of Labor Statistics–Charts from the ‘Tomorrow’s Jobs’ Section

With the job market being what it is, you might have serious doubts about your career prospects. Failing banks, closing plants, and dwindling budgets have a lot of people worried. But you can potentially increase your chances of finding that perfect job by relying on a number of useful resources and tips:

Career Services Can Be a Goldmine for Grads

Most schools have an office of career services. The people in this department can help you with resume crafting, letter writing, and job research. Although not used nearly as much as it should be, the office of career services is a veritable goldmine of information.

Stay in Touch with Classmates, Professors, and other Grads

In addition to career services, you should also connect with alums, students, and professors. They can help you with recommendations, networking opportunities, career advice, and even job placement. Your program probably publishes a directory of graduates, and this directory is sometimes broken up by year, location, and industry. Business connections are all about knowing the right people. Even if you never took any classes with a particular alum, he or she might be able to point you in the right direction.

Broaden Your Search Globally

Don’t limit your search to your home city, state, or even country. There exists global demand for a wide range of disciplines and careers. What’s more, international experience can be pretty impressive on a resume. After 2-3 years in Brazil or China, you might find that many more doors open up to you when you return to the US.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Career Journal

With the current financial crisis, you might need to reassess where you send future resumes and cover letters. Analyst firms on Wall Street and manufacturing plants in Michigan might not be the best options. There might be other places (industries and locations) where your current training might enjoy higher demand.

Industries to Launch a New Career in 2008

When it comes to the hottest industries of today and tomorrow, most of them seem to be in high-tech or health-related fields. Computer science, alternative medicine, nursing, programming, dentistry, and Web design are just some examples. They’re all service-oriented, and most of them are expected to enjoy faster-than-average growth over the next 8 years. Almost all of these areas, however, require specific training. So you usually need to become certified before you can begin practicing professionally. The flipside is that rising demand can potentially offer you greater job security and earning potential in the long run.

Locations to Launch a New Career in 2008

Despite our recent financial troubles, the US is still one of the leading forces in job creation and innovation. However, there are other countries that are doing as well, if not better. China, India, and Brazil are popular destinations for many globally oriented employees. But there are many other nations that desperately need to fill various sectors. For example, Australia actively recruits people form abroad due to its labor shortage. By sending your resume and cover letter out of the country, you can potentially tap into a much larger pool of opportunities.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
International Herald Tribune
Career Journal

Higher pay, better hours, boredom, office politics, and more flexibility are some of the main reasons why you might want to change careers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a relative novice; if your current job or industry doesn’t meet your needs, there’s no reason why you should stick around. However, making the transition takes some careful planning. Below are some tips that can guide in the process:

Look for Tangential Areas to Your Current Career

The easiest career changes are often to industries that are related to your current job. So social workers might become teachers. Restaurant managers might become caterers. Sometimes this transition can be smooth, while other times you might need additional training.

Become Certified for your Career Change

Additional education is one of the smartest ways to change careers. An associates degree or certificate is sometimes enough if you have sufficient professional experience. Other times you might need to go back for a full bachelors or master’s degree. If you can somehow relate this training to your current job, there is an outside chance that your employer might cover some or all of the cost. Although you might be expected to stick around at your current job for a few more years.

Expand Your Career Change Search Globally

Career requirements in the United States don’t always match those of other countries. To become an English teacher in the US, for example, you often need a specialized degree. To become an English teacher abroad, however, sometimes you only need to be a native speaker. This is just one example of course. The rigorous training and certification that might be required for a career change in the States can sometimes be bypassed if you go abroad.

Lastly, be prepared to take a small salary cut or demotion during your first year or two. Without extensive work experience and without specialized training, you might have to make some momentary sacrifices. But if it’s a job you enjoy, the money should eventually come.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Career Journal

The Best Careers for a Tough Economy

In these times of cutbacks and layoffs, you’ve likely put any possible career-changing plans on hold, for fear of not finding work. But if your current work isn’t satisfying, or if you’ve already found yourself downsized in your current field, you should know that some industries are not only surviving in this economy, they’re thriving.

When it comes to caring for our health and that of our loved ones, expanding our minds, or protecting our money and our information, professionals with the right career training will always be needed, regardless of the economy.

Health Care

A renewed government commitment to reforming the system; medical advances keeping people alive longer; baby boomers who are retiring, leaving their positions in the industry and increasingly facing the physical tolls of age – it all makes the health care industry particularly healthy right now. It’s expected to generate 3 million jobs from now through 2016 – more than any other industry. In particular, pharmacists, physical therapists, and nurses will be in especially high demand – many even project labor shortages in these fields, which may result in dramatic wage growth.

Pet Care

Many experts are calling the pet care industry recession-proof. Americans spent more than $43 billion on their pets in 2008; that’s 26 percent higher than 2004 figures. Market research suggests continued growth in pet care product sales of more than 13 percent by 2013. Employment of veterinary technicians – a career generally requiring at least two years of formal career training – is projected to grow by a whopping 41 percent through 2016.

Education

You’re reading this article for the same reason that education is particularly important now – the need to improve upon your skills only grows in a recession. Demand is high across the board for teachers and administrators – particularly in higher education, where many working professionals are turning. Postsecondary teaching jobs are expected to grow by 23 percent through 2016. Most full-time, tenured positions require Ph.D.s, but there is a growing trend among employers who are hiring those with master’s degrees or a combination of a bachelor’s degree and career experience, in order to fill the growing demand.

Accounting

If there’s one thing people need more of when the economy’s bad, it’s help managing their money. Individuals and businesses alike are turning more than ever to accountants for help navigating the increasingly complex tax and reporting laws. CFO.com reported earlier this year that accounting will not only experience tremendous employment growth, but salary growth as well; average salaries are projected to grow by more than 7 percent. Companies are increasingly finding a scarcity among professional accountants with CPA career training, making this one of today’s hottest jobs; employment growth of 18 percent or more expected is by 2016.

Information Technology and Computer Systems

As industries – particularly fast-growing ones like health care or education – increasingly make technology a priority, those who understand how to operate it and monitor its security will be in demand. Unemployment is at a record low among college-educated IT professionals, whose average starting salaries rose approximately 5 percent in 2008. Career training for such positions vary from on-the-job experience to two- or four-year college degrees. In particular, network and systems administrators – those who design, install, and manage computer systems – who will experience staggering employment growth of 27 percent through 2016.

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Accountants and Auditors”
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Computer Support Specialists and Systems Administrators”
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Health Care”
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Teachers – Postsecondary”
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians”
CFO.com, “Hot Jobs in ’08″
Datamation.com, “Hot Jobs in IT for 2008″ by Katherine Spencer Lee
The Earth Times, “2008 Hot Job List – The Top 10″ by IBISWorld, Inc.
The Seattle Times, “Pet-products industry growing despite bad economy” by Ashley M. Heher