Jobs of Tomorrow

Many people are heeding the advice to return to school and improve their odds of landing a job as well as their pay. However, what jobs will be available in the future? To answer that, you have to look at current trends and think about the momentum they have. Here are some ideas on how the future might look.

Service Industries

The trend has been an increase of service jobs, and that does not show any sign of abating. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the service industry is expected to grow by leaps and bounds while manufacturing is expected to decline.

Within this category, here are the expected high performers:

• Business services
• Professional services
• Financial services
• Health and education
• Leisure and hospitality
• Information services
• Trade and transporation
• Utilities

Production Industries

Although this sector is expected to decline slightly, some of the subcategories will see an increase. One of those is the construction field, which is expected to increase about 10%. Much of this increase is due to our aging infrastructure, which will need repairs and replacement and a faster rate then previously.

Manufacturing, although expected to decrease significantly, will likely have increases in medical manufacturing (which includes pharmaceutical). Other production fields will have significant decreases and very little in the way of improvement.

How to Prepare

The best way you can prepare for these new demands is through education. Although many are currently working and may not be able to take time off for classroom attendance, it has never been easier to get a degree no matter what the demands. If you want a college degree but work and/or have a family, try online education.

Online colleges and universities, as well as certificate programs, are expanding nationwide to take as many students as they can in order to help provide the next generation of the American workforce.

Worried about money? Don't. Online students can get the same grants and scholarships that traditional college students have access to. In fact, there are lots of grants available for those populations of students who often don't fit into traditional colleges, such as single mothers and older workers who have been edged out of their jobs.

Whether you are a Baby Boomer who wants to improve your position or a recent high school grad, look to online education for your answers on how you can fit into the jobs of tomorrow.