If you expect to find a high-paying job in this economy, as well as in the coming decade, you’ll need a college degree. So says a recent report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
The report notes that jobs requiring only a high school diploma will not be able to meet the demand of job seekers flooding into the employment market. Researchers examined 16 career clusters, which revealed that just one-third of all high school-level jobs will pay $35,000 or more.
The report, entitled Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School Through College Jobs, 2008-2018, indicated that men will be able to find more high-paying high school-level jobs. The report cites that these careers are mostly in four male-dominated career clusters—hospitality, manufacturing, construction and transportation. It adds that only jobs in manufacturing and construction are expected to pay relatively descent wages, and that on-the-job-training can boost wages as individuals move into more skilled and supervisory roles.
The nation’s fastest growing job clusters will be in Information Technology (23%), Health Sciences (21%) and Human Services (20%). States experiencing the fastest job growth in the IT sector will be Nevada (41%), Virginia (38%), Utah (37%), Washington (32%) and Arkansas (31%).
If you’re looking for work in the hospitality industry, especially a career in management, you’ll need a degree and some IT training. Hotels and resorts are quickly adopting sophisticated IT systems to streamline operations, and tech-savvy grads will be needed to operate these systems.
For an added perspective, check out this video:
Got any tips on the value of a college degree in this economy? Share your comments in the section below.
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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