Prepare for The Future

If you are anything like me, as soon as an article appears about the "10 Best Jobs" or "10 Jobs That Pay $50+ per Hour," you read them.  What do you find out?  That the jobs require training and certifications.  That the jobs might not be that plentiful.  That the jobs are highly technical.  And, mostly you find out that you don't qualify for any of them.

You are trying to survive unemployment and, from reading the lists, you find 10 more jobs for which you can't apply.  Not good news.

But, there really is some good news hidden in some statistics published by the federal government.  No, I am not referring to the unemployment figures.  I am referring to some numbers put forth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Commerce.  The numbers tell the story of where jobs are going to be and what kind of jobs will be the fastest growing.

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

In 2005, 8.3% of the labor force was employed as skilled contractors in management, science and technical fields.  The need for these same people will increase by 87.9% by 2016.  These folks are the consultants - the people who come in and work on a single project and then leave.  There will be a huge need for them, and the need can already be seen growing.

The Dept. of Commerce tells us that the top 1,000 companies in America will have 35% fewer full-time people by 2020.  The work will still need to be done.  Who is going to do it?  The consultants - the skilled contract labor will come in on a project by project basis, which means maximum flexibility for companies.

Now is the time to get the training you will need to find your new life.  The old economy was based on full-time employees working for a company.  We have seen that effects of that model when the economy goes south.  The new economy will be based on consultants working for a company on a temporary basis providing a skill.  So, get the skills companies will require which are going to be in IT, Project Managers and in the Health fields.

Don't know what you want to do?  There are a number of books available starting with a classic in the field: What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

The world has changed and will continue to change. Look forward to the change - be a part of the change.  Be ready to capitalize on the change.

You can do it.  Your life is going to be better than ever! Check into local schools for training, if you need it. Look for sources of money to pay for the training; states and the federal government have programs that will pay for the training and pay you.

Your future is going to be so very bright.