Whether you’re just setting sail on your career or considering a new industry in a down economy, it doesn’t hurt to look into the job market crystal ball. Despite the current economic slouch we find ourselves in, many industries are showing growth or potential for growth. While following your passions is a good guideline when it comes to professions, it’s nice to know whether you’ll be able to find a career once you’ve accrued the necessary training. These industries will have jobs to fill in the foreseeable future. Take the first step toward job stability and consider one of these growing jobs.
Mental Health Counselors
Psychologists have carved a niche lending their expertise to individuals, couples and families seeking to better understand their behaviors, but the scope of mental health professionals is expanding as more industries seek a cognitive perspective. One example is in courtrooms, where justice officials are turning more and more to forensic psychologists to conduct psycho-legal evaluations as part of a trial. A growing number of schools and colleges are tailoring specific psychology and advanced placement programs, including forensic psychology, to meet growing demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), mental health counseling will be one of the fastest-growing occupations in the next 10 years. Officials expect available positions to increase by 36.3 percent.
Here’s what you can expect in the job as a Mental Health Counselor:
Personal Care Aids
The baby boomers are getting older, and modern medicine is keeping them alive longer. This combination means we’re on the cusp of what will be a huge boom in the need for personal care aids. There’s no set track to becoming a personal care aid, although experience in the medical field will open doors. BLS.gov projects personal care aid positions will jump 70.5 percent by 2020 (from 2010), and while the median annual wage isn’t much ($19,640 as of 2010), there are sure to be plenty of positions available.
Personal Care Aide Careers Overview:
Stonemasons
Not all job growth will take place within cutting-edge industries. Officials expect stonemason positions to grow as population growth necessitates more schools, hospitals, housing and other buildings. These positions require little formal education, but apprenticeships sometimes qualify masons for more lucrative work. These rigorous jobs aren’t for the weak, however. Constant activity takes a toll on the body. BLS.gov reports that stonemason positions to increase by 36.5 percent in the current decade. Job seekers looking to stay active with have options available in the stonemason industry.
Market Research Analysts
In the information age, someone has to sift through the endless stream of data to find discernable results. For many businesses, that task falls on market research analysts. This fairly ambiguous title takes on many shapes and usually requires at least a bachelor’s degree.
The United States Department of Labor expects these analytical positions to increase 41.2 percent by 2020.
Interpreters and Translators
The melting pot is getting even messier, and this increasing rise in diversity brings demand for those that can facilitate communication: interpreters and translators. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States. Bilingual Americans will have a significantly greater chance to find jobs in the foreseeable future in these two positions.
According to BLS.gov, interpreting and translating positions will increase by 42.2 percent during the current decade.