| By Matt Lowney With an estimated 1.5 million new jobs being created in 2007, what industries will be creating the most new positions? Looking at your local newspaper’s job classified section will help point you in the right direction for your area, however for most areas healthcare, transportation, customer services and sales positions will be a solid choice. Below is an overview of the pros and cons of each of these careers. Healthcare. As far as long and short-term career opportunities, healthcare is likely the best career path to choose. However, odd hours and physical work can make this career difficult. Opportunities for advancement should be plenty for someone that is interested in a career in management. In addition, most employers will pay for you to advance your education. For example, many hospitals will pay for their nurse aides and LPN’s to go back to school to become RN’s. Transportation. The transportation field is booming. With the need to transport products nationwide this field should continue with a solid field of opportunities for a long while. The time to attain your CDL is minimal and many long haul companies will even pay for you to attain your licensure. In addition, pay rates are solid, especially when compared against training time. Many first year drivers make $45,000 plus per year with excellent benefits. However, the work can be monotonous and may involve extended periods of time away from home. Sales. The positive side of a career in sales is that it does not involve attaining any specific licensure and the financial rewards can be solid. Companies are always in need of people with excellent sales skills, so opportunities in this field will always be abundant. However, this career can be stressful since so much of your compensation is performance related. Sales is definitely an 80/20 proposition, where 20% of the people make 80% of the money, but if you work hard and find a great mentor there is no better career financially. Customer Service. All companies need employees with the ability to handle customer inquiries and complaints. If you are someone that deals well with a variety of different personalities on a daily basis, then a career in customer service might work well. While the financial rewards may not be great, working in customer service can be a great way to get your foot in the door for advancement opportunities. In addition, customer service can take many forms. Almost every department within a company requires someone that can handle front line inquiries from fellow employees as well as external customers, so moving within an organization is fairly easy in this career. Matt Lowney is a corporate recruiter, radio host, and career consultant specializing in the areas of healthcare and information technology. He can be reached at mlowney1977@yahoo.com for additional information about his services. |