Career Trends -

If you’re contemplating a career change, you may be wondering what options and opportunities exist in today’s job market. The world is changing rapidly – and so are the hot career fields. The good news is that, as needs arise, exciting new professions are emerging to meet them in virtually every industry.

Here are my predictions for the hot careers of the next decade:

Health care.

This is one field that will always provide long-term career opportunities and stability. Popular trends in health care include genomics, virology, public health, immunotherapy, medical research, “boutique” physician offices and minor emergency clinics, anti-aging centers, cosmetic surgery, and dermatology and medical spas.

Qualified people are also continually needed in these more traditional health care roles:

Pharmacists
Nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing assistants
Medical assistants
Physician assistants
CT, MRI, radiology and ultrasound technologists
Counseling and mental health professionals
Long-term care professionals
Career and life coaches

Because of rising health care costs around the world, many health care services are being delivered by alternative licensed providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Careers for these professionals abound in medical offices, urgent care clinics, emergency departments and especially in rural and outlying areas.

Food and Nutrition

More and more people are focusing on nutrition as preventive health care. Declining soil and water quality negatively impact the amount of nutrients found in foods (hence the word “fortified” on many grocery store packages). With the need for alternative, nutrient-rich foods, careers in research, agriculture, agribusiness, organic farming, home economics, holistic nutrition, dietetics, and nutritional supplements will be on the rise.

Alternative therapies, including herbal remedies and dietary supplements, are becoming more popular and widely used. The Council for Responsible Nutrition reports that 77% of Americans currently take dietary supplements.1 Dietary supplement sales in the US alone are topping $32 billion2 and the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) market is estimated at $82.27 billion in 2020.3 As these industries continue to grow, the demand for qualified workers and practitioners will also increase.

Technology

While jobs in technology are plentiful, the industry is becoming more competitive. Take Google, for example. The company is well-known for its comprehensive (and sometimes exhausting) hiring practices. First, the company asks candidates to engage in self-reflection to determine their passions. Then they’re asked to create original résumés for each job to which they’re applying. If selected for consideration, candidates will complete personal assessments, virtual chats, one-on-one interviews, and in-depth interviews, as well as an actual project assignment where candidates demonstrate their skills.4

Today’s technology industry requires more than expert “geek” status; it now requires refined skills in the areas of interpersonal communication, team work, leadership, coaching, mentoring, and innovation.

These technology areas are booming and in need of skilled professionals:

Social / digital media
E-commerce
5G technology
Cloud architecture
Technology project management
Artificial intelligence
Videoconferencing
Cybersecurity
Computer-based communications

Business

The world of business is, at long last, recognizing the enormous value of human resources and diversity within organizations. Thus, I believe we will see a significant demand for professionals in the fields of organizational development, corporate anthropology, diversity and inclusion, industrial/organizational psychology, mentoring, employee education, change management, leadership development, wellness, and workplace spirituality.

Lewis (1948) and McLuhan (1962) both refer to our planet as a “global village.”5 McLuhan, specifically, coined this term to describe how the mass media “collapse the barriers of space and time,”6 enabling people from around the globe to interact simultaneously. Continual advancements in telecommunication, videoconferencing, online education, and remote work underscore the importance of global and cultural understanding, linguistics, protocol, and human behavior.

Environment

Environmental concerns have created a wealth of new careers, from alternative energy to ecotourism. Global warming, pollution, wildlife extinction, flooding, wildfires, and human health concerns are igniting a massive, worldwide effort toward sustainability and the preservation of natural resources. This will require a plethora of professionals with “green” skills, e.g. conservation, sustainability, and land/water/air/vegetation management.

Government

Government careers are attractive to many because of their stability, employee benefits, vacation policies and other perks. In the government sector, I predict an increased demand for qualified professionals in the areas of health care and security.

Government-sponsored health care programs are almost always in need of health educators and medical providers, especially in outlying locales.

Careers in defense, international security, and counterterrorism are becoming more prolific, as evidenced by the many universities now offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in these once relatively obscure fields.

Design and Innovation

These brilliant, creative types improve and enhance the design of virtually everything, from furniture and coffee pots to automobiles, airplanes, computers, faucets, and telephones. We often don’t think about the ingenuity behind most of the products that we use, but the value of good design makes this a burgeoning and increasingly popular industry.

And, as the world population ages, there will be continued emphasis on designing products that are both ergonomic and senior-friendly.

Research

People and companies need information, and they need it fast. Data-minded individuals can find numerous opportunities as information brokers, consumer behavior researchers, futurists, trend analysts, forecasters, clinical research designers, bloggers, analysts, market research managers, and technical writers.

The world depends on the critical information obtained through ongoing research in every field. If you’re interested in conducting your own research, a PhD is a definite plus but, alternatively, you can align yourself with think tanks, independent researchers (as a research assistant), or universities.

Nonprofit

Guiding her team through a productive discussion

As we age and mature, we often seek work that provides fulfillment on a deeper level and many people find that their altruistic and/or spiritual needs are met very well within service and charitable organizations.

Popular careers in the nonprofit sector include:

Fundraising
Management
Leadership development
Technology
Event planning
Donor relations
Grant writing
Board of directors leadership
Volunteer recruitment and management

Entrepreneurship.

The topic of entrepreneurship has become so widespread and, dare I say, over-studied in the US, that the term itself has become passé. This, however, is hardly deterring people from launching businesses at warp speed. In my own career counseling practice, for example, 94% of my clients express a desire to leave their traditional careers to start their own companies. This statistic has grown from 78% in 1989 when I started my practice, and I forecast that the trend will continue.

Paradoxically, I also predict that more people will seek at least short-term security in the traditionally stable government, health care, and education sectors. As we know, Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on all of these sectors (and others), meaning that new opportunities – and brand new career fields – will continue to emerge as the world recovers.

When it comes to careers, most people value time freedom, independence, and financial security. In today’s proliferating career climate, it’s definitely possible to have it all.

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