Monthly Archives: November 2011

Ten Economic Trends That Can Drive Career Choice

Posted on by Bill Ryan

A prominent type of article or blog in the career development field, and indeed in popular culture, is of the “hottest careers of the year” variety. You know the kind, “Hottest Careers of 2012”, “Coolest Jobs for Today’s College Grads”, and “Present Day Must-Have Careers”.  

These make for interesting reading, but they do not represent a best practice approach for choosing careers to begin or to transition into. By the time someone gathers the training and education to move into a “hot career”, chances are that it could have gotten lukewarm in the meantime. 

I think a better approach in determining careers that may have some significant employment longevity comes from identifying longer-term economic trends. Although the pace of change is accelerating in the world of work, as it is around the globe in general, there are some directional swings that appear to be long lasting, if not fundamental, for the foreseeable future.  

Separating flavor-of-the month crazes from structural underlying movements can result in higher quality career decision making. If you are going to invest lots of time and money in preparing for a career, it is reasonable to expect some return for your efforts. 

Marrying individual talents with macro changes in the economy can lead to a higher degree of employment sustainability in an otherwise fluid and fickle world. But reader beware. I do not tell you how to convert these trends into careers for each of you individually. Without inventive and visionary thinking on your part, dovetailing your skill set and education into these sweeping changes will not magically happen on its own. 

Just as there are many jobs today that did not exist ten years ago, there will be many niches ten years from now that are not present today. Although not intended to be an exhaustive listing, what follows are ten economic and social trends I see as having great potential for driving career creation. 

  1. Aging population and care giving: The ubiquitous Baby Boomers are now retiring, or will be soon, at a rapid rate. Healthcare is obviously to be impacted, but so are industries that can take advantage of relatively high disposable income coinciding with their material downsizing.
  2. Growing Latinization: The language and cultural influences of Southern Europe are catching up with those of Northern and Central Europe in America. The melting pot is developing a distinctly Latin flavor that will affect industries across the board.
  3. Workplace cost controls and data driven decision making: Getting smarter with information was beginning before the recession and has now become a field in and of itself. Opportunities abound for those who can elevate efficiencies through sophisticated means of analyzing and drawing cost saving conclusions from data.
  4. Globalization: Economic interconnectedness already affects our daily lives and will become only further intertwined as sovereign economies morph into new and different multi-national configurations. Goods and services competing on a more global scale will require nimble, flexible, and intelligent business practices.
  5. Wireless, Mobile and Cloud Computing: There are no signs of technology reaching a plateau. On the contrary, the speed of innovation and the integration of new functional utilities appears limitless.
  6. War on Terrorism: Unfortunately, war in the 21st century may be endless. Terrorism will ebb and flow and violent conflict is now more at a citizen vs. citizen level rather than at a nation-state level. Security and international relations will continue to be in a heightened state.
  7. Organic Food Industry: Healthy eating at an affordable price from foods grown locally is likely to continue expanding. Sustainable and high-quality agriculture is becoming increasingly valuable to more and more consumers.
  8. Audiology: We are bombarded with sound continuously. And we have very effective means of shooting it into our ears. Tell me this is not going to affect the hearing of an aging noise-saturated population.
  9. Simulation Engineering and Robotics: Training, education, and gaming are just three activities that will benefit from more refined means of simulation. Resource, time, and cost savings will arise from greater use of fabricated experiences that leave end-users with an enhanced empiricism.
  10. Genetics in Healthcare: A revolution is in its infancy with molecule-specific treatment of disease and super-informed healthful advice. Ancillary industries resulting from knowledge of the human condition at a cellular or deeper level are boundless.

Long-term job seekers, start your engines! 

Holding On and Letting Go

Posted on by Bill Ryan

My thoughts are with the long-term unemployed. Those who for a year or more have desperately been trying to find work but who remain unsuccessful. For those of you who truly want work, but are continually not being recognized for your potential, the burden is heavy. Among the tragedies that can befall someone, such as the loss of a loved one or divorce, becoming chronically unemployed is a significant life challenge that only time, and persistence can heal. 

There comes a time when options seem few. Employers are learning how to cope with 1% – 2% GDP growth. Many of the jobs that existed for a few years are not coming back. And competition for the few jobs that are available is stiff. You need to be worried about your skills atrophying and your networks drying up. Politicians spend too much time in a debating society and do not seem to admit that the economy’s problems are largely beyond them. The world now seems like a hopeless place. 

But there is still you. Despite your inability to control external conditions no one has yet taken away your ability to perceive and respond to this situation. Whether you wanted it or not, this is a time to take stock. To reach deep down to see what you are made of and to get in touch with an inner strength you seldom have needed but do now. 

A big part of coping with the loss of employment is determining what to psychologically hang onto and what to let go of. What I mean by that is profoundly recognizing the value of what is most important in sustaining you as a self-reliant individual. Being able to rise above adversity and to not let it tear you down. This is your main goal. 

What and who in your life most helps you to do that? Perhaps it is family and close friends, people you serve who are less fortunate than yourself, or your community and its services. Fortifying actions that you take such as systematically following through with best job search practices despite the lack of immediate reward and keeping as current as possible with professions for which your skill set is a match are positive things to do. Be in touch with what still energizes you when it seems that most things around you are draining. These are worth holding onto. 

Equally important is observing what needs to be let go. It is possible that our egos are clinging to notions and long-held beliefs or perceptions that make this transitory time more difficult than it needs to be. For instance, linking your self-worth too tightly to your former job title and the status it brought you, still believing that you are entitled to the salary you received in 2007, seeing the world as one big competitive us-against-them environment, or keeping relationships with people who too often display self-defeating ideas can rob you of the positive energy you need most at this time. 

Do not be afraid to reach out. There are many who can be very constructive and are passionate about assisting you. Also, consider helping others in the same predicament as yourself. 

Self-reflection at the level that identifies what to hold onto and what to let go of may need to become part of your daily routine. This is best done while walking, running, or sitting quietly. Drinking and drugging tend to cloud the mind too much. Try to develop a greater degree of mastery over your mind that can come from purposeful contemplation. The benefits of doing so can last long after this very difficult time.