Hot Jobs – Cool Professions

This month I’m returning to a topic I’ve discussed in earlier blogs, and that is “Hot Jobs.” In the past, I’ve shared information about career areas where women can quickly join (or rejoin) the workforce and earn a decent income.There are, however, career opportunities that take a bit more preparation as well as some strategic thinking. Pragmatism mixed with passion can balance your career dreams with reality. Start with what you know you want and need from work and then take the time to research the practicality of those ideas.

Suppose your goal is a college degree. You have to ask yourself if there’s a market for the degree you want, and is the demand projected to continue over the next decade or more. Also, research how well jobs requiring that degree pay, and will you be able to live on what you can earn. It’s a thinking and planning process that can be well worth the effort if you’re looking for a rewarding professional career and the lifestyle that goes with it. But be creative. If you are struggling to come up with “out of the box” ideas, think “inside the box” instead.  What skills or experience do you already have?  Is there an area where you have expertise?  Perhaps your current qualifications can be used in a new way or transferred to a new field.  Also, think about the jobs that are traditionally held by men. Do any of them appeal to you?  Understanding your existing strengths and interests, and how they apply in the workforce can be one of your greatest assets in career management.

By tackling your job situation creatively and with an open mind, you may find that there are lots of opportunities in areas you might not have otherwise considered.

Here’s a sampling of interesting and worthwhile careers on our “Hot Jobs” list right now:

Biomedical Engineering, according to the University of Connecticut, is extremely attractive to women as a degree program and career. They earn a greater percentage of college degrees in Biomedical Engineering than in any other engineering discipline.

The field is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - BLS). Population aging and the focus on health issues will increase the demand for better medical devices and equipment, and rehabilitation and orthopedic engineering specialties are growing quickly.

Landscape architects make outdoor places more beautiful and useful. They decide where to put flowers, trees, walkways, and other landscape details. They work with architects, surveyors, and engineers to find the best place to put roads and buildings. They work with environmental scientists to find the best way to conserve or restore natural resources. According to the BLS, jobs for landscape architects are expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018.

Systems analysts figure out how to use computers to get things done. They tell businesses and other organizations which computers and software to buy, and they decide how to get those tools to work together. According the BLS, the number of computer systems analysts is expected to grow much faster than average through 2018.

I recommend that you visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics once you’ve selected a career area. Its Career Information  page is a great place to start your search for a career path or an occupation that responds to your inner needs and that fits your lifestyle.

Times Have Changed … but There Is More To Do!

Women are more educated now than 40 years ago and many are holding positions of influence in the workplace. As you can see in the diagram below, the percentages of women in 1970 that had less than a high school diploma and those in 2010 that completed a college degree  are practically flip flopped.  More women than men now earn college degrees.

Unfortunately, these changes have had little effect on gender pay disparity. Women still make about 73-77 cents for ever dollar a man makes (depending on geographic location). Over a life time, this gender pay disparity creates a wage gap that, measured over a 40-year period, adds up to major losses for women.  In Ohio, it means a wage gap of $449,000 between men and women with high school diplomas, a $502,000 gap for those with some college, and a $657,000 gap between men and women with Bachelor’s degrees.

What happens because of this wage gap is that women face different challenges in their lives than men – serious challenges that affect their quality of life. They are often not able to retire.  According to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, women in Ohio are “more likely to live in poverty, be enrolled in Medicaid, and not to be working.” The study also revealed that women are more likely to get cancer.

 

In 2010, we had 31 women between the ages of 55 and 83 who participated in our New Directions program.  Three of the women were in their 80s!  Those numbers are astounding.  Women are being forced to work, or return to work, at much older ages. This is a trend that will continue if more efforts are not made to improve the disparity.

 

New Directions Career Center is a resource for women in careers and the workplace.  We take a holistic approach to developing women as healthy persons and thus more valuable employees. We inform people about women in today’s workplace; specifically the barriers, disparities, trends, needs and how things are changing.  We are proud to be part of the solution to decrease the wage gap, level out gender pay disparity. We empower women to achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency. What better way to promote change in the work place and the world?

Transformations from Inside Out - NDCC Helps Victims of Domestic Violence

A woman you and I personally know experiences domestic violence within her most significant relationship.  According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center, one in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.  Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year. Nearly three out of four (74%) Americans personally know someone who is, or has been, a victim of domestic violence, and 30% of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year. Every year, domestic violence results in almost 100,000 days of hospitalizations, almost 30,000 emergency department visits, and almost 40,000 visits to a physician

But this insidious epidemic is about more than sterile, impersonal numbers.  In fact, this issue is exceptionally personal.  It’s about our sisters, our neighbors, and our best friends.  Domestic violence is about what we tell ourselves and teach our daughters about self-worth - as well as appropriate boundaries.  The one who loves you does not hurt you.

That’s why New Directions Career Center (NDCC) actively seeks, through our relationships with domestic violence shelters, as well as other valued referral sources, to address the career development needs of battered women.  Often women stay in situations of domestic violence longer than they should, because they are afraid they cannot support themselves and their children.  When they take that first, courageous step to leave an unhealthy situation, experts here know it is imperative for them to receive career and job-related guidance designed to empower and lead them into fulfilling and economically self-sustaining careers.

Women who have been domestic violence victims comprise a large percentage of the women we serve.  In fact, more than 50% of the participants in our 105-hour New Directions program, report that they have been victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives. The rate is most likely a little higher than that because some people are embarrassed or don't feel comfortable telling others about the violence they’ve experienced. Occasionally, we have a client who is still being victimized.  In that case, we work with shelters and other agencies to help her secure the assistance she needs.

However, NDCC does more than just empower women to attain and maintain economic self-sufficiency. The Center is a safe harbor, where women are guided by a team of career professionals and licensed counselors to develop a career plan, to learn financial management skills, to learn how to take care of themselves, to believe in themselves, to develop confidence, to identify barriers, and to learn the importance of setting boundaries. We transform women from the inside out, focusing on helping them improve their attitude, demeanor, and appearance in addition to securing job readiness skills, training, coaching, and placement services.  It’s through this holistic approach, that New Directions Career Center empowers women to create the lives they envision and attain a livable wage.

Lives get changed here. 

If you or someone you know might be the victim of domestic violence, get help now. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.

Gender pay disparity persists, even with new laws

“Women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.”

You might think the above statement was written 20 or 30 years ago, but it was spoken by Barack Obama in June 2008 during an address made to working women while on the campaign trail in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In Ohio, the disparity is even worse: women earn, on average, 73 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Women work as hard as men; women carry the same titles as men. However, in many cases, a woman will earn less than a man in the same job – even in 2010. Gender pay disparity continues to exist for two main reasons. First, women working the same job as their male counterparts are consistently paid less for their work by the companies who employ them. Second, and more insidious, the types of jobs traditionally held by women are lower paying than the types of jobs traditionally held by men.

In January 2009, the President signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. While the bill extends the statute of limitations for women seeking recourse, it does not address the underlying social and political context that keeps women making nearly 25% less in the work force while doing the same work.

There are a number of arguments about why the gap continues to exist; many blame it on women taking extra time off to have and rear children. However, in a study by Catalyst (a “nonprofit membership organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive workplaces and expand opportunities for women and business”) women were no more likely to leave or change jobs because of family than men. In fact, even when a woman had no children, her pay still lagged significantly.

Many say that the pay disparity exists because women don’t have the education and training of their male counterparts. However, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Digest of Education Statistics, in 2005 - 2006, women earned nearly two-thirds of all associates, bachelors, and master’s degrees and almost half of all doctorates. The digest further predicts that by 2016 - 2017, women will be earning nearly two-thirds of doctorate degrees as well.

There are no more excuses. Women are as capable as men, as educated as men, and as well-trained as men. New Directions Career Center has been fighting gender pay disparity by offering comprehensive training, counseling, and support for women to empower them to become self-sufficient and successful wage earners and was recently names as one of three partners to deliver a program called E3 (Educate, Empower, Elevate). This program supports post secondary education for women to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. Women must focus their post secondary education on a "hot job" that is projected to be around for a while and to pay a livable wage. The program is being funded by the Women's Leadership Council (WLC) through United Way of Central Ohio. For more information on the E3 program, call NDCC at 614-849-0028, and ask to speak to either Cindy Kazalia or Amanda Fox.