According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the current unemployment rate in the United States stands at around 9.1 percent, which is around 14.5 million actual people. Unfortunately, the official unemployment figure doesn’t tell the whole story about the labor market.
The official number only counts people who are receiving unemployment benefits. Many economists think that the real number should include people who no longer receive benefits, or have accepted part time jobs when they want full time work. When these people are factored in, the actual unemployment rate effectively doubles.
Because of fundamental changes in the labor market, primarily an exodus of manufacturing jobs, many of the currently unemployed will never work in their chosen fields again. Starting over in a new field is challenging situation for a worker at any age, but it’s especially challenging for older workers. Going back to school or training for an extended period is simply not possible for anyone who is having financial problems, or is supporting a family.
Finding a new line of work that doesn’t take a long time to learn, pays well is the Holy Grail for the unemployed. Many job seekers are drawn to high growth job categories like the health field, environmental services and technology hoping to revive their professional lives.
Of these fields, health care seems to offer the highest number of career options with the smallest amount of training. Dozens of Certified Nursing Assistant, pharmacy technician certification and medical coding programs, and other health care training courses have popped up to meet the demand workers desperate for a new start. Unfortunately, not all of these schools are created equally.
Anyone considering enrollment in one of these programs would be wise to ask a few questions before enrolling. What sort of certification does the school offer? Is the school accredited? And, most importantly, what is their job placement rate for graduates?
Prospective students should also take some time to talk with people who are actually working in their chosen field. Find out what they like, and don’t like, about that field. A person who actually works in medical transcription may have a very different take on the industry than a school recruiter does.
Today’s job market is a challenging terrain, but there are opportunities out there. If you’ve done your due diligence, you may find a new career that can make you both financially and emotionally happy.
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