If you were advising a young person about which field of work to get into, what would you say? I’d probably suggest a trade like electrician or contractor. You make your own hours and you are as successful as you want to be. Our nephew is almost half-way through his electrical apprenticeship and he recently wired (with supervision) a new electrical panel in our house. His future looks bright. Pun intended.
The website Investing Answers came up with the middle-class jobs they say will vanish in the next 6 years. At the top, they say, is farming. The high cost of land and equipment stops young people from getting into farming while bigger farms continue to gobble up more land and just get bigger. Most other jobs are in manufacturing which is seeing a steady decline overall anyway. With more and more production going to cheap overseas companies, anyone whose job depends on manufacturing goods is at risk. Other sectors they believe will be hit hard include mail sorters, clothing pattern-makers and supervisors on factory lines.
We radio broadcasters have been told for decades that we’re on the verge of obsolescence and yet here some of us are, still making work out of it. Would I advise anyone to choose radio as a career though? No, not when there are so many other options, unless they absolutely can’t be talked out of it because then and only then do they absolutely belong in it.
I agree, if I were to advise someone as to a potential future career, the trades would be high on my list: a mason, plumber, electrician, pipe fitter and others but with some caveats. Be sure to continuously upgrade your skills and become broadly certified within your career selection, such that no matter the job, your certified to do it and think outside the box. A electrician who is also certified as a welder will have more employment options.
Stay the hell away from computer programming and finance!
Good advice Allan. A narrow focus does reduce your career options. It’s a jungle out there.