Community Comment : Career Advice for ‘90s: Be What Market Wants
The tough job scene is heightening anxiety in workers young and old alike. Consider: Last summer, 50% of San Fernando Valley families were reported to have had one or more members either unemployed or re-employed at lower wages. A recent job fair at the closed GM plant drew 6,000, reminding state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys) of the soup lines during the Depression.
What many people don’t understand is that the work world has permanently changed. Networking, sending resumes and job fairs are basically ineffectual, as computers and other innovations have eliminated layers of jobs for good. The key is to reposition into an emerging field.
Don’t think job, think career. Often many think of a job as a parking place to sell their time to pay for what they enjoy doing after work. A career is an opportunity to enjoy work while being paid--a way to grow, fulfill talents and potentials, do something meaningful that gives satisfaction. A talented, top-quality worker can always find a good job even in tough times.
My research has identified more than 3,500 career opportunities that are well positioned for the coming decade in terms of demand, job security and earnings over $40,000. Some of today’s growing industries include telecommunications, multimedia, electronics, biotechnology, health care, infrastructure repair, financial services and medical support services.
The trick is to take your talents and interests and put them in sync with what the marketplace wants. Points to consider in career positioning include:
* Read about industry trends in such periodicals as Investor’s Business Daily, Fortune, Standard & Poor’s Outlook, and the Valueline Investment Survey. Companies that are good stock picks with solid sales and profits are good places to work. The greatest glass ceiling to your career advancement is not age or race but working at a struggling company that can’t afford raises or promotions.
* Assess your talents and strengths from the practical perspective of an employer seeking to hire a person to solve a problem and make or save the company money, thereby justifying the salary. If you see yourself as “being good with people,” translate this general quality into a specific job target such as customer service, management, sales, market research or administrative support.
* Talk to personnel directors to learn what companies are seeking. What job skills will they need five years from now? Are you employable as is? If not, what training or degree should you get? What local schools do they prefer in hiring grads? This will help you decide if you should get more training and where.
* Get more education and training to advance yourself and qualify for the better jobs. Don’t wait for government programs or employers to train you. Investing in yourself to increase your earnings base is the best investment you will ever make.
* Do not be a victim of the myth that you are too trapped by family and financial obligations to go back to school full time. Federal education loans are available; for information, call (800) 831-5626. You may also qualify for private loans through the ExtraCredit Board, which can be reached at (800) 874-9390.
* If full-time training is impossible, check out business-related certification programs at local colleges, which can be done at night. Focus on such high-demand programs as accounting, taxation, marketing, telecommunications, computer networks, technical writing and desk-top publishing.
Some see the latest economic news as demoralizing; others see it as a wake-up call and golden chance to move their lives and careers ahead. The choice is yours.
