What's a good career to get into?

[smileysal]

My husband is between careers right now. The company he worked for closed down so now he is taking this oppurtunity to switch careers. He wants to go to school but not sure for what. One day its for managment, the next day computers and today some kind of trade school. He feels very overwhelmed by all the different types of careers to choose from. He wants to make sure what ever he goes to school for he will be able to get a job easily and that will pay enough to support us. Any suggestions? Nothing to do with blood because he will get sick :laugh:

[groovyguru]

Some pure programming jobs are being replaced by packaged software. So programming is in a little less demand. Project management, PC & network support, networking, telecommunications can all be good jobs if he is logical & hardworking. Many computer jobs are on-call and/or work long hours, so consider if you want that hassle.

I work in healthcare for alot of reasons. One is that healthcare is a necessity and rarely has layoffs compared to other parts of the economy. Govt jobs are usually stable too.

[respira]

Healthcare for sure!! There are some 2 year programs where you graduate with an associate degree. ie: Respiratory therapist, physical therapist assistant, dental hygienist etc.
I can tell you that there is always a shortage of healthcare workers, so you will never be without a job (unless you are in poor health and can't work like me, I just got fired because of long chronic illness where I just can't work)
But to give you an idea of pay, I am a Respiratory Therapist and I was paid $70 per one hour patient visit and $40 per half hour visit, plus .35 per mile traveled, plus $20 a day for paper work, plus if distance traveled to any location over 60 miles $25 bonus.
The down side is you have to work in a hospital for a couple of years, just to get some experience under your belt and they don't pay squat, plus the hours are horrible. But after that you can either work prn (as needed) for a hospital which pays a lot better or work outside of a hospital for a company like me.

[gcomstock]

My husband is between careers right now. The company he worked for closed down so now he is taking this oppurtunity to switch careers. He wants to go to school but not sure for what. One day its for managment, the next day computers and today some kind of trade school. He feels very overwhelmed by all the different types of careers to choose from. He wants to make sure what ever he goes to school for he will be able to get a job easily and that will pay enough to support us. Any suggestions? Nothing to do with blood because he will get sick :laugh:


I went through a great "Career Change Workshop" that was run by my university. In it we were exposed to many of the books on the subject...so the first step I'd recommend is a trip to the library. Librarians are a great resource...and simply sitting down with a reference librarian and asking for recommended books on the topic would be a good start.

This really *is* a big decision, and it behooves your husband to think through the process, and all the pros and cons...rather than just jumping towards "a career" that sounds interesting or promising. Of course there's some random luck involved...but it still makes sense to go about it in a thorough, deliberate and organized manner. The 12 week workshop I took broke it into several parts, the first of which was an overview (such as a list of all the books on the subject).

Inventory: you need to spend some time identifying your skills, whether they are job related or not. For instance, your husband may have worked as a machinist; in addition to simply knowing how to operate, say, many kinds of turret lathes and other NC machines...he might have picked up some skills in scheduling, and designing. He might have worked with a Quality Improvement team or his labor union (people skills). He might be the greatest Little League coach, or fisherman (or even a mediocre one, LOL) in your town. It is beneficial (and it feels good...empowering) to make a l-o-n-g list of all the skills your husband has, you just never know (at this point) how they may fit into the job.

The next inventory is his Preferences: this can get touchy-feely. In our workshop, we all took the MMPI (which is that long, famous personality inventory), plus we took a ton of other questionnaires and tests to help us get clear on what really rocked our boats, what we loved to do (again, whether it's work related *or Not). This is the concept in that book titled "Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow." Hey, I know to a family man, needing to put bread on the table, this concept might sound kinda weak. And ulitimately, face it, maybe it's too late for him to be an airline captain, or choregrapher, LOL. BUT...the process of drilling down and getting in touch with...his passions...can help energize the whole process. When he does start interviewing, he'll have a shine in his eye.

Then, using lists that are found in these books...you start matching the skills and preferences to get a list of applicable jobs. The practical next step will be to soberly look at the relative job prospects for those kind of jobs...in your area...and what the additional training or educational prospects might be. In other words, he might have been successful in the Navy, and loves the ocean...but if you live in Kansas you can just check "longshoreman" off the list if it's there, LOL.

Another great resource can be the local Employment Development offices (ie. unemployment). Sure there are some drones there, who are bored and just going through the motions. But there are also some very motivated and talented folks, with a lot of expertise in guiding people through these changes.

There are a ton of other topics...but I just wanted to toss out a few. It's kind of like you're asking..."what's a good fish to catch?" when the other questions are "how do I learn to fish" or "what do I need to go fishing, or where should I go to start?"

Good luck on this adventure...you guys are definitely NOT alone.

[Ravzie]

I agree, healthcare is the way to go.

consider MRI or CT technician - great specialty. Usually no blood nor other bodily fluids to contend with!! If something happens to the patient while in the procedure, you just call for his nurse.

[skpaw]

I have a friend who takes care of the ultrasound machines for a large hospital. He fixes them, programs them and sometimes delivers them from one place to another. Ultrasound is a big thing. He could look for information about what kinds of jobs there are and the training he would need.