If you’ve ever seen the movie, The Graduate, you may recall a scene in which the lead character in the film (played by Dustin Hoffman) is offered well meaning career advice during his college graduation party.  Having no sense of his post graduation direction, a friend of the family offers him a tip on what he considered to be the hottest career field of that time.  Do you recall what it was? (Careful now, knowing the answer will date you!)  If you’re thinking ‘plastics’, you’re right.  Yes, at that time (1967), the plastics industry was indeed hot and ripe with career opportunities.  In my work as a career counselor and coach, the question of ‘what career fields are hot’ has been a common one over the years.  Some clients meet with me eager for my input on hot trends and looking to make career direction decisions based on that feedback along with an underlying hope of job security. 

Yet there is a problem with a ‘what’s hot’ approach to career decision making.  In any given career field, there is a pendulum swing of supply and demand.  If there is a shortage of workers in a particular occupation during a specific time period, subsequent pay increases and the increased availability of career opportunities leads to an increase in the supply of qualified workers over time.  The challenge lies in not knowing just how long the pendulum is and how fast it’s swinging.  Bottom line: what is hot today might not be hot tomorrow.  The field of nursing offers one example of the pendulum swing effect.  While nursing is a hot profession these days, I can recall a time when recent nursing graduates struggled to find work in their field.  In my former role as a college career center director, I worked with nursing graduates when hiring trends went from hot to cold and back to hot again over a number of years (OK, now I’m dating myself!).

You might be thinking, “Is she saying that hot career fields shouldn’t be considered by when exploring new career possibilities?”  Not at all.  I would, however, argue against choosing a career direction solely because it’s hot. A key consideration in career decision making relates to level of work satisfaction.  If someone selects a career direction based solely on its being ‘hot’, financial security may be in the bag (while it remains hot that is) but going to work could end up feeling like a prison sentence.  I’ve worked with enough clients in this situation to know just how possible this scenario is. 

So what are you to do if you’re in career transition with no sense of direction?  Well, the place to start is by looking for themes and patterns in your career interests, preferences, and personal priorities.  Familiarity with industry trends also makes up part of the career exploration process along with consideration of creative approaches when the job market is lean and mean.

Until next time…
Sue Posluszny
www.careeroptions4me.com

For more information about me and my qualifications, please click here .