[Driller1]

Originally Posted by frazzledmom

whatever you do, stay away from anything automotive, we are having job cuts just announced yesterday. I think you should apply for everything, try whatever you can find and then once you have a position, look seriously into the field you are interested in. I would suggest you look at the skilled trades, try plumbing or electrical fields, these folks are always needed. Good luck, don't let fear rule your decisions.

Yes!!!! I have been trying to find a electrician all morning.

[mostie]

I've mostly worked in the area of courts/law, and although I did find a job here, I had to quit after 6 months due to the fact that I was having major childcare issues (such as....NONE, lol)- I never really gravitated toward the area of law, but that seemed to be where I landed, so....however, I needed to find something that I could do from home, and legal transcription was a thought, but not a whole lot of jobs out there- I decided that healthcare of some sort was the wave of the future, so to speak- even though I have no interest in it whatsoever, so I'm in the middle of a course for medical transcription- we'll see where that goes, and hope for the best- never know until you try!

[mostie]

On a side note...if I'm going to be typing up a storm on the computer in forums and such anyway, may as well type for medical and get PAID for it- hahaha~

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by lavendersunrise

Are there any high demand areas that can't hire fast enough?

Probably not and if there are, expect folks who are asking similar questions to rush into them.

So, what should I go back to school for?

Nursing seems promising for now, but it's essentially blue collar labor and folks are rushing into the field. It can also be very miserable work with long hours and yucky management, which is one reason why people left the nursing field years ago, creating some of the shortage that we have today. Also, it's possible that American nurses could come under attack (economically) from foreign nurses on work visas (such as Philipino nurses).

I guess I'd say, consider nursing. Perhaps there are some other fields with better or good job markets, but I'm unaware of them (other than becoming a physician, but that's a completely different endeavor).

Perhaps jobs are also available in fields that deal with foreclosure?

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by magellan

If you're in a desperate situation lavendersunrise, you need to open your mind a little bit and not shoot down every idea thrown your way. There are many positions in health-care where you never see patients, ever. What about sales? People I know in the recruitment industry say that companies are having a hard time keeping good salespeople. They provide full training as well, in addition to expense accounts, sometimes cars, salary+commission. If you are personable and like to solve problems, that might be a career to try.

If you get in the right industry in sales and enjoy it, you can make triple a teacher's salary ($100K+ a year), and usually have a very flexible schedule. I know from experience.

The problem with sales is that it's a very competitive, performance-based job that requires heavy-duty people skills. It's similar to a horse race where only one or two horses can win the race and the rest must fail. Sure, that small percentage of sales people who are good can earn $100,000/year, with benefits. It's a great field for people with excellent people skills and salesmanship skills, but for many people it would be awful. Is it possible that the bad salespeople try but just "don't have it"?

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by jaynarie

Yesterday, my boss interviewed a man with an MBA for a cashiering position. That pays minimum wage. This is a very pathetic place to be where you are trying to get a minimum wage job when you have a MASTER'S DEGREE.

Welcome to the new American economy. Contrary to popular belief, many advanced degrees really aren't so worthwhile. MBAs and lawyers, for example, are a penny-a-dozen, which means that a great many of them will end up involuntarily-underemployed-out-of-field.

In the meantime, our nation's media and politicians continue to try to sell us on education as a solution to our nation's economic problems. In some cases, it's a ticket to wasted time, student loan payments, and indescribable humiliation.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by Lola Granola

Get a master's in accounting or (especially) tax. Tax accountants are in VERY high demand, and in a few years you could be making six figures. Go to Tax Jobs, Careers : Property, Analyst, Accounting, Preparation to get an idea of what types of jobs are avaible and the salary level (overall, very high). If tax doesn't appeal to you, accountants in general are in great demand.

Lola Granola...aren't you...Steve Dallas's galpal?

I've wondered about the accounting field myself and about the real story of the accounting job market. Note that getting an undergrad accounting degree (figure about 4 semesters of classes tacked on to a previous bachelor's degree) plus an MBA in accounting would entail a risk of about four or five year's worth of time plus a large amount of money. You need to feel certain...very certain...that you would be able to find a job at the end of the tunnel.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by DawnW

That is what my husband does and I can't tell you how high in demand they are! We can pretty much write our ticket to go to almost any major city in the USA.

Is he in demand because he already has experience in the field and a track record--because he's already passed over a barrier to entry (that stopped much of the would-be competition) or is the entire field itself just booming and hiring anyone with a heartbeat? Is his degree from one of the top schools and/or did he work for one of the top firms? Is it that way for everyone with an accounting degree and/or an MBA in accounting?

That's the $64,000 question because at issue is the entry-level job market, and in the case of people who are retraining and reeducating for another field, at issue is the entry-level job market for older applicants who have had previous careers with questionable amounts of success. Assuming that you can get to the interview, the interviewer will be wondering, "If you are so smart, hard-working, and productive, then why did you fail in your previous field?"

Take the field of patent law, for example. Biotech patent lawyers with two or three years of experience are in demand. However, there's a large oversupply of freshly-scrubbed, newly-minded law school graduates with other degrees in chemistry and the life sciences who are trying to find entry-level jobs. Just because the job market might be very good for the guy who already passed over the initial barrier to entry (leaving much of the competition butting up against that barrier) and who has attained marketable experience doesn't mean that someone else who wants to enter the field will ever be able to get past the initial barrier to entry and into the position of being in demand. (On another forum, I once saw the entry-level job market in that field described as, "The gravy train has left the station.")

[tuebor]

Education IS a solution to our nation's economic problems, not only because of what it does for the student, but because of the impact that education as an industry has. If current trends continue, education and related areas like research will soon employ more people than manufacturing. That's why Ann Arbor, Houghton, and other college towns are so much better off than cities that rely on manufacturing for their economic base. But--getting back to the main topic of this thread--when it comes to advanced degrees, those who choose a field based on expected income rather than interest and aptitude will be disappointed.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Bhaalspawn

Welcome to the new American economy. Contrary to popular belief, many advanced degrees really aren't so worthwhile. MBAs and lawyers, for example, are a penny-a-dozen, which means that a great many of them will end up involuntarily-underemployed-out-of-field.

In the meantime, our nation's media and politicians continue to try to sell us on education as a solution to our nation's economic problems. In some cases, it's a ticket to wasted time, student loan payments, and indescribable humiliation.

True. Look how many parent's will take a second mortgage on a home just for the status symbol of having their children go to college, children who don't value it enough to work for it themselves and have never obtained job skills or a work ethic.

In the economy we're facing -- and it's not just in Michigan, learning to work is what's going to be important.