The Most In-Demand Jobs | Ideas for New Careers
The past year and a bit have been a rollercoaster for all but the most fortunate and it has left many people in the United States and across the globe without a job. Even though employment figures bounced back in the US from a historic high of over 15% to 6%, the 6% figure is still higher than at any point since 2015.
The huge jump in unemployment and the relatively sharp bounce-back suggests what many economists have feared: the relatively low unemployment rate in the USA as it recovered from the 2008 economic crisis was likely a result of low-security job creation, instead of Americans working towards a secure long-term career.
If you have found yourself in-between jobs during this time, it can be tempting to take the first job you are offered, regardless of its long-term prospects. During this difficult time, you should do all you can to recover to a position of stability in your life, but once you have that you should think about your long-term career. You deserve a career that can support you as you mature as a person, without the stress that comes with low-job security.
If you are looking for this sort of radical career change, it can be useful to take a look at the most in-demand jobs right now. If not all of them, the skills required by many are not exclusive to people in your situation. Thousands of people across America are currently taking part-time jobs and developing the skills they need for their next career after work. You can do the same!
1. Loan and Mortgage Expert
Loan and mortgage experts are very in-demand currently, as in times of financial insecurity, financial experts do well. The three biggest jobs in the loan and mortgage expert category are loan coordinators, mortgage consultants, and underwriters. If you have always had a way with numbers, or even if you do not, there is likely a place for you as a loan and mortgage expert. Customer service skills are in as high demand as those who monitor loan portfolios for underwriters.
Many loan and mortgage expert job positions require a bachelor’s degree, which you can do online in your spare time. There is an experience entry barrier for most jobs, so if you want to start your career in this field, be prepared to work your way up from the bottom and dedicate many hours to doing so. If you are in a later stage of life, the working hours and the relatively slow career progression may not be as suitable for you unless you have had demonstrable experience in a similar field.
2. Healthcare Support Staff
Nurses, health coaches, and pharmacy technicians are highly sought after, especially in a world dealing with the effects of COVID-19. Long Covid, especially, will cause health problems over the next decade, indicating that this spike in demand for healthcare support staff is not just a short-term response to the pandemic. Nursing is especially in demand and will continue to be, so as long Covid issues conflate with population factors (the baby-boomers are aging, and population numbers are increasing). The State with the highest demand for Nurses is in South Carolina, followed by Nevada, California, and Texas.
Healthcare Support is an especially suitable career option for those considering a career change; a non nursing degree to BSN online can be done in just 16 months. There is a clear opportunity for career progression in most healthcare support positions, with a healthy increase in salary as you climb the ranks.
3. Sales
Sales is a huge industry, even in our world of e-commerce. The three most in-demand jobs in sales are sales consultants, sales operations assistants, and strategic advisors. A lot of sales are just experience and skill; if you can prove that you are good at selling things, you can land a job and rise up the ladder. Sales can be a high-pressure job, especially as it is commission-based, but there are loads of great sales books that you can read as you prepare for your career change.
Highly recommended is SPIN selling, which came from many years of hard data research (though it’s written well) and revolutionized how people perceive selling to bigger clients, but Switch is a great book for anybody looking to change people’s minds in sales. It is important to practice as you read; maybe start by buying something low risk at wholesale and trying your hand at selling it in smaller quantities. Confidence is very important in sales, so if you build up your confidence with small sales, you will find you get better faster.
4. Workplace Diversity Experts
Workplace Diversity is hot on many employers’ minds at the moment, and that’s being reflected in the increase in demand for workplace diversity experts, which has grown by over 90% year-over-year, according to LinkedIn. They attribute Black Lives Matter protests for putting diversity more at the forefront of business minds, making them look for an expert who can help them make lasting change. If you want to become a workplace diversity expert, doing a social science degree with a dissertation exploring a problem related to workplace diversity is highly recommended.
5. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is still growing at a lightning-fast speed as more businesses than ever are trying to get online and get heard in an ocean of competition. If you want to land a job in digital marketing, it is recommended to specialize in a particular field of digital marketing. Whether that is social media management or search engine optimization, you will find a wealth of information online. It is recommended to read up and start practicing in your spare time. If you can demonstrate that you know your salt and have achieved results in your own time, you will be an attractive hire for a digital marketing agency trying to meet the demand of new businesses competing in the online sphere.
These five jobs are highly sought-after and can provide fulfilling careers that can hopefully last a lifetime.
