Choosing the right career for you can be a
complicated and stressful process whether you are looking
for a first job, deciding if you want to go to college or
changing careers later in life. The right career for you
depends on your abilities, talents, aptitudes, interests,
values, goals in life, and your current situation.
How much time are you willing and able to spend preparing for
a career? Is there Training available that fits your schedule? Will it pay
enough money for you to live the way you want to live?
Would you like working with the kind people that work in this field or with the public? Are you physically
able to do the work? Could you work nights? Could you
travel? These are just a few of the questions you need to
consider.
Another consideration is the availablity of the kind
of jobs you want near where you live. Will the job still be in demand in years to come? Would you be willing to relocate to get a job? Before making a
decision on a Career or a Training Program, check out the
facts on jobs available in your area.
WorkOne Centers offer group workshops, assessment,
individual counseling, a career information library and videos to help you decide on both your short
term and long term career goals. Contact the WorkOne
office nearest you for assistance.
Hoosier Hot Jobs are the jobs expected to have the most
openings and the highest pay in Indiana. To be selected for the list,
a job had to have a high number of new jobs and a high
rate of expected growth of job openings from
2002-2012. The list was then limited to the jobs that had
higher average wages than the State’s median wage for
all jobs ($27,204 in 2003). Median wage means that half
of the workers make less than this wage and half make
more.
Hot Industries include advanced manufacturing. Overall manufacturing jobs may have declined, but there is an increased need for workers as many employees in this industry retire. The new manufacturing jobs require more technical skills, higher math aptitude and computer literacy.
Demand for healthcare workers such as nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy techs, nurses' aids, coding clerks and billing clerks continue to grow as the population ages. Also, with the increased use of computers, and advances in medical testing and monitoring equipment, these jobs now require a higher level of technical skill than they did in the past.
Transportation continues to grow with a high demand for over the road truck drivers, especially those with hazardous materials endorsements.
Other growth industries include banking, casino gaming, food service and retail. People with good customer service skills and good work ethic are always in demand in these fields. There is also a growing demand for customer service workers who are bilingual in English and Spanish.
Below is a list of the Hot Jobs for the Gary-Hammond
Metro Area which includes all of Lake County. This list
is based on job openings listed with the Indiana
Department of Workforce Development during the previous
year. Click on the title for more information about the job (which will open in a new window.) Note: These are not current job openings, but may
reflect trends for the next year.
Not-So-Hot Jobs
Below are jobs in rapid decline in Northwest Indiana. The reasons for the decline may be due to computerization, decrease in agricultural production, or overseas outsourcing or other reasons. Because more workers are using computers and complete their own documents, there are fewer jobs for individuals who only type or do word processing. Clerical workers need additional skills such as medical coding or accounting to be in demand.
Source -- US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indiana Department of Workforce
Development
