New Year...Job Resolutions...What are the best and worst jobs in the USA for 2010? Consider changing your carrer?

Dear students,

As the New Year starts, it's time to think our careers over. Have you been thinking of yours?

Let's start 2010 by reflecting on the job market. Well...

I invite you to watch a video (click on the link below), in which a CNN journalist brings The Best and Worst Jobs for 2010 in the USA. After that, you can read Bureau of Labor Statistics article, extracted from the LINKEDIN Community English Language Services Professionals.

Hope you enjoy this 1st 2010 Blog activity and hope to see your comments on either or both material proposed.

Have a great year, you all, and with English all the way!!

Flávia

1) CNN Video: Best and Worst Jobs for 2010 :

http://www.cnn.com/video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+Video%29#/video/business/2010/01/06/barnett.best.worst.jobs.cnn

2) Article of January 5th, 2010 by Tatiana Varenik (Resumark Blog):

Considering Changing Your Career? Be Aware Of 20 Occupations With The Fastest Growth And 20 Occupations With The Fastest Decline.

In today’s economy many companies are forced to lay off employees in order to maintain profitability. Whether you suddenly find yourself unemployed, or you are no longer satisfied with your current job, a change in your career path may be just what you need to make a fresh start. It is a difficult decision which takes time and money. That is why when thinking about making a career change, it is important to consider career skills, job satisfaction, salary and some other points. It is also important to make sure the career you choose will be in demand a few years from now.The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its 2008-18 employment projections where presented twenty occupations with the fastest growth and twenty occupations with the fastest decline.

Twenty occupations with the fastest growth:

Biomedical engineers
Network systems and data communications analysts
Home health aides
Personal and home care aides
Financial examiners
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
Physician assistants
Skin care specialists
Postsecondary vocational award
Biochemists and biophysicists
Athletic trainers
Physical therapist aides
Dental hygienists
Dental assistants
Computer software engineers, applications
Medical assistants
Physical therapist assistants
Veterinarians
Self-enrichment education teachers
Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation.

As you can see, half are related to healthcare. Healthcare is experiencing rapid growth, due in large part to the aging of the baby-boom generation, which will require more medical care.Network systems and data communications analysts are projected to be the second fastest growing occupation in the economy. Demand for these workers will increase as organizations continue to upgrade their information technology capacity and incorporate the newest technologies.

Twenty occupations with the fastest decline:

Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders
Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders
Shoe machine operators and tenders
Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers
Sewing machine operators
Semiconductor processors
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders
Postal Service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
Fabric menders, except garment
Wellhead pumpers
Fabric and apparel patternmakers
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Order clerks
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers
Photographic processing machine operators
File clerks
Derrick operators, oil and gas
Desktop publishers

Fifteen of the twenty occupations with the fastest decline are either production occupations or office and administrative support occupations, both of which are adversely affected by increasing plant and factory automation or the implementation of office technology, reducing the need for workers in those occupations. For example, the duties of administrative assistants involve a great deal of personal interaction that cannot be automated, whereas the duties of file clerks adding, locating, and removing business records can be automated or performed by other workers.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics