When investigating possible career options, be sure to keep the following factors in mind:

• Required skills or training – what is the time and the cost to complete?

• Job availability – is it within the area you live or where you would be willing to live or commute?

• Work environment and job duties – can you enjoy and succeed in that role?

 

There are a variety of ways you can research the training programs required for certain positions and the job availability in your market. Just be careful your research isn’t restricted to schools offering training in the job you’re interested in because the information could be biased based on their desire to drive enrollment. Government and city organizations often offer reports about job growth activity. In the U.S., check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics online at BLS.gov; in Canada, check with StatCan.gc.ca.

 

Industries seeing job growth include the medical field to care for the aging population, information technology as it continues to infiltrate every industry and job role, as well as the sciences and skilled labor fields. Much has been said about the skills gap, which is defined as the skills needed in the job market versus the skills held by job seekers. Your goal should be to find what role you can fill in that gap.