Should You Change Your Career Field?

It is no secret that the field of manufacturing in the United States has been losing jobs for the last several years. According to the United States Bureau of Statistics, 1978 was the peak year for manufacturing jobs in the United States. From that point forward we have steadily lost them. If you are looking for a job in manufacturing, recognize the decline in this country will probably continue.

There are several theories why we have lost and will continue to lose jobs to overseas competition. An article in the Global Economic Intersection states that, “With all the Japanese efforts to keep the Yen from getting stronger, the dollar has lost 60% of its value against the Yen since 1978. And they still export excellent cars to the US at competitive prices. At some point, Americans have to understand that people in other countries are willing to work harder for less. And if that continues, Americans’ real incomes will fall further. It is called global competition.”

In the past, manufacturing employed many people in this country. However, here it is 2011, and it is not even expected to return to the 2006 levels. On one hand, it might be time to consider changing fields. However, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development resource I referred to earlier in a previous blog, “Most careers in manufacturing are better paid than similar careers in other industries. Some have very easy-to-meet entry requirements, and others require a college degree or more. While manufacturing was hit hard by the 2009 economic recession, this industry still represents 11 percent of all jobs in the state, or more than 300,000 positions. The highest numbers of manufacturing jobs in the state were in, computer and electronic products, fabricated metal products, food manufacturing and machinery manufacturing.”

This source goes on to say that there are still several opportunities in engineering and technology, production logistics, maintenance, installation and repair, business management and distribution. However to be able to take advantage of any opportunities, you must ask yourself a few questions. First, are you qualified to seek employment in one of these areas in your geographic area? If not, are you willing to receive training to upgrade your skill sets? Finally, to improve your job opportunities, would you be willing to relocate to a geographic area where you could find employment in manufacturing?

Whether you stay in manufacturing, or seek a new career in another field, you must answer the question, Are you willing to learn new skills? If you would like to change careers you can do it. It does not matter how old or young you are. You have plenty of options. If you can read and write, training and education is available to help you make this transition. It is up to you to decide.

Tom Borg is a consultant in leadership management, team building and customer service. Please see more of his blogs at www.businessworkforceblog.com and http://www.manufacturingworkersblog.com/ You can view additional job postings at https://www.nexxt.com/