College Courses.com Education & Career Blog

Generally, I try to start my BLS report summaries off in a light-hearted manner, maybe with an anecdote, a clever analogy, a self-depreciating comment thrown in here and there. But I’m tired, and there are only so many ways to diffuse the attention off of the situation at hand: our country is losing jobs. Has been for awhile.

As you might have already guessed, our employment situation’s downward spiral continued through the month of September. The U.S. dropped another 159,000 positions. That’s the largest monthly decline in five years.

Luckily, the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent (after that painful spike in August), but economists estimate it’s only because many people stopped actively looking for work in light of the nation’s economic problems — so they’re no longer categorized as unemployed for the purposes of the BLS survey. Additionally, the ratio of people who work part-time for non-economic reasons (they do it just for fun!) to people who do it for financial reasons has slipped from 5:1 to 3:1 in the last twelve months. In other words, more people are working part-time because they have to, not because they want to. The amount of people who work part-time because that’s the only work they can find has also doubled over the past year.

This most recent decrease in U.S. jobs brings our casualty count for the year to 760,000. We all know that hurts. In an effort not to belabor this bad news too much, I’ll resort to a list to illustrate which industries contributed most to our latest deficit in positions. Ahh yes, I give you the stars of September…

- Construction (-35,000)
- Manufacturing (-51,000)
- Retail trade (-40,000)
- Transportation and warehousing (-16,000)
- Financial activities (-17,000)
- Professional and business services (-27,000)
- Leisure and hospitality (-17,000)*

The only sectors able to add positions were, predictably, health care services (+17,000), government (+9,000), and mining (+8,000). But those increases were minor compared to the industries’ typical gains, specifically health care’s. Which may have a lot (or at least something) to do with the precarious situation that September’s left us in. I’d like to say it couldn’t get much worse, but in all reality, who’s feeling confident after looking at 2008’s track record?

Maybe it’s not such a bad time to be heading back to school…or your computer…to weather this economic storm…

*Used to be one of the good guys. But plummeting economy = no disposable income = no leisure, no hospitality, no fun, maybe even no sunshine and puppies.

I think I may have overstepped my bounds a bit in recent posts. Based on the latest employment situation reports, as well as my best judgment, I more or less dismissed the idea of manufacturing as a viable career. For explicit proof, see the following excerpt taken from my post on the payroll numbers from January:

So, what advice is there to gain from January’s BLS report? First, steer clear of jobs in the goods-producing sector in the upcoming year — or at least anything related to non-essential goods. Service is a stronger alternative, as health care continues to prove its resiliency.

While my advice regarding the health care industry was well-founded, I’ll admit that I was quick to discount the opportunities available in various goods-producing sectors. In my overview of February’s employment situation report, I stated that the strength of the economy lies in the service industries right now. This is a better way of phrasing our current situation. Because even though the goods-producing industries as whole lost nearly 90,000 jobs last month, that’s only a small fraction of the entire employment picture (think 0.006 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force). And a loss like that impacts the perception of our country’s economy a whole lot more than the fate of individual workers.

That being said, the manufacturing industry is in a recession. The sector has dropped close to three million jobs since 2001, and more than 80,000 manufacturing positions have been lost in the first two months of 2008 alone. But a detail that’s easily overlooked, or at least one that was missed by yours truly, is that not all manufacturing professions are suffering. In actuality, manufacturing jobs requiring a mix of advanced skills in areas such as math, science, and technology have grown by 37 percent; and 80 percent of U.S. manufacturers report a lack of qualified job applicants to choose from. In a way, it’s like a job shortage hidden within a recession. And you wonder why some people have given up on trying to analyze the country’s job market…

Because of the scarcity of skilled professionals pursuing careers in manufacturing, and the negative, outdated stereotypes surrounding the industry, The National Association of Manufacturers recently teamed up with several national partners to launch the Dream It. Do It. campaign. The campaign was initially introduced in Kansas City, and the purpose behind it is to educate young adults about the unconventional, lesser known careers in manufacturing worth pursuing. Following the success of Dream It. Do It. in Kansas City, the movement has since spread to several other regions within the U.S. The advertising campaign has also begun circulating around YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace.

A few of the dream jobs featured on the Dream It. Do It. website include bioprocess supervisors, electronics engineering technicians, food science technicians, mechanical engineers, and robotics technicians. Food science technicians are responsible for testing consumer food products and creating nutrition labels, and they make close to $50,000 a year with a bachelor’s degree. Bioprocess supervisors oversee the creation of products like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, while robotics technicians design everything from remote-controlled bulldozers to robotic appendages. You can view all of the profiled manufacturing careers here. The education required for each profession ranges from a high school diploma with an apprenticeship to a Ph.D., and the salaries fluctuate in about the same way. Be sure to browse through all the career profiles to gain a better sense of contemporary manufacturing, and to rid yourself of the visions of assembly line workers dancing through your head.

In all honesty, I was shocked and excited to begin my morning with information that is so contradictory to everything that we’re reading today about the U.S. economy and its weaker industries. If you are willing to get the necessary training and education, and research your preferred industry extensively, you can most likely find worthwhile employment opportunities in any sector. And I know that makes me (and hopefully you) feel a little more at ease about a few pitiful BLS reports.

After reading over what I had to say about the BLS report last month, I realize now that I sounded a bit pessimistic. Telling you to stay in bed on the first Friday of every month from now on because the payroll numbers wouldn’t be worth looking at, that was melodramatic of me. That’s not to say that I wasn’t right. (Because, for the record, I was.) It’s just that there are worse things to wake up to in the morning than a few lost jobs. Allow me to set up an analogy here while you ponder inappropriate responses to my last comment.

For argument’s sake, we’ll say that the current state of the U.S. economy is like a large bruise. And the employment situation report from February is the equivalent of someone kicking that bruise…really hard. The action doesn’t leave a fresh mark, but it still hurts like hell. And the entire experience convinces you of the fact that the person who kicked you is cruel, and may have no soul. The kicker in this metaphor will remain unnamed. And that, my friends, is me being positive. I know what you’re thinking, I put a whole new spin on optimism.

Anyways, let’s get on with the ugly details, because I’ve got happier things to fill my Friday afternoon with…like sunshine, rainbows, maybe even some ice cream. The U.S. lost 63,000 jobs in February, which means that I’m going to need a cone piled high with Cookie Dough Delight directly after writing this post.

All joking aside, the payroll numbers from last month were pretty miserable, with only a few economic bright spots to fall back on. December and January’s numbers were also revised, and not in a good way. December shifted from +82,000 jobs to +41,000, making the month’s overall progression go a little something like this: +18,000 to +82,000 to +41,000. Even if you don’t enjoy the news they’ve been releasing lately, you’ve got to love the Bureau of Labor Statistics for making everyone else look a little less indecisive. January’s employment situation, on the other hand, suffered a minor drop from -17,000 positions to -22,000.

The country’s unemployment rate now comes in at 4.8 percent, with the employment-population ratio holding steady at 62.7 percent. The average workweek in February remained unchanged at 33.7 hours, and our average hourly earnings rose by another five cents. That puts the average weekly earnings of Americans at just under $600. Over the last year, the nation’s hourly and weekly earnings have increased by 3.7 percent.

If you want to better understand the job losses that occurred in February, you should look at the breakdown of the industries first. The manufacturing sector lost a whopping 52,000 jobs last month, with significant losses in areas such as motor vehicles and parts (-13,000), furniture (-6,000), and wood products (-5,000). Retail trade felt a hit as well, dropping 34,000 positions in February. Construction employment continued to trend downwards, with 39,000 jobs lost last month. Since September of 2006, the construction industry has dropped over 330,000 positions. Residential specialty trades and residential building are two sectors that have suffered considerably during the industry’s downturn.

The health care industry was able to add 36,000 jobs over the course of February, and its biggest gains came in ambulatory health care services (+14,800 jobs) and hospitals (+16,500 jobs). Food services and drinking places gained close to 20,000 positions as well. Similar to what I gathered after browsing through January’s BLS report, February’s numbers leave me with only one conclusion: the strength of our economy lies in the service sectors right now. The service-producing industry as a whole added 26,000 jobs in February. Conversely, the players in the goods-producing industry generated a deficit of 89,000 positions last month. This is the primary reason why our payroll numbers suffered so much in February.

At this point, you may be wondering what I, with all my unofficial expert wisdom, think of this whole situation. Well, if the service industry picks up a bit in March, and the manufacturing and retail sectors recover somewhat over the next few weeks, the country’s employment picture could get a whole lot prettier by the time April hits. Oh, and if you’re the type of person who prefers stability, get a degree in health care. There, that was rather hopeful, now wasn’t it?

I’m sure that over the past week or so, you’ve come across more “best of” and “year end” lists than you can stomach. So allow me to force a few more upon you:

Here you can read about 31 careers expected to have bright futures, particularly in 2008.

And here are a dozen more ahead-of-the-curve careers that are poised for future growth.

This final list outlines 13 overrated careers, or popular professions whose downsides are often overlooked.

I know that you are probably sick of lists and summaries and articles regarding everything about this year and the potential for next, but these U.S. News & World Report overviews are worth a look, especially if you are in the market for a new degree, a new career, or a long-anticipated job change. (New Year’s resolutions anyone?) Veteran career coach and author Marty Nemko compiled the career guides for anyone and everyone, and I enjoyed his fresh take on what can often times be a stale concept.

The first list highlights the best careers overall for the upcoming year, with some obvious inclusions such as registered nurses, pharmacists, engineers, investment bankers, and management consultants. The list was determined using both quantitative and qualitative information; the careers were ranked according to job satisfaction among workers, training difficulty, prestige, pay, and job market outlook according to data from professional organizations (like the U.S. Department of Labor).

The research for this primary list uncovered several emerging trends, all of which influenced the outcome of this year’s rankings. For instance, some blue-collar jobs (e.g., firefighters, cosmetologists and hairstylists, and locksmiths) are gaining momentum within a job market that traditionally venerates white-collar careers. These professions necessitate basic training, although degree programs are emerging in many of these fields for workers who want to secure higher-paying positions.

Government jobs are an optimal choice in 2008, based on their benefit packages, retirement options, and stable wages. You should consider a position’s resistance to offshoring as well. Careers that ranked well in this area, and that therefore made the list, include training specialists, ghostwriters, mediators, and user experience specialists.

The second list features a group of cutting-edge professions that are on their way towards becoming the best careers available. These jobs are expected to perform well in the above-mentioned criteria areas, mainly because of the following trends: growth in health care demand, globalization, digitization, terrorism prevention, and environmentalism. I’d like to point out that two of the careers–green collar consulting and emergency planning management–and the industries they’re focused in were discussed in previous CollegeCourses.com blog posts. That’s right, we can spot a promising career trend from a mile away.

The final list labels a handful of popular careers as overrated, which I can respect, because it encourages job seekers to challenge the conventional notion of a good job and look a little bit deeper. A few of these overrated jobs include working as an architect, an attorney, a chiropractor, a medical scientist, a chef, and a real estate agent. Nemko isn’t attempting to say that these are bad careers; they simply have drawbacks that are overlooked because of the prestige or the salary that the positions offer.

In the end, it’s all about doing something that makes you feel accomplished and happy. If you’re feeling confused, read the descriptions of the featured careers first. A bunch of these overviews come with recommended books and websites that can give you a better grasp of each profession. If you find yourself interested in a specific career after this additional research, Nemko suggests talking with a professionals who work in that field and shadowing one of them at his or her job for a week or so.

As always, CollegeCourses.com is here to help you, with various links and information regarding schools and training programs in your area, online, or in your intended profession.

So I was searching for a relevant topic to post about today, preferably one that related to college and the new year that is fast approaching, and I stumbled upon this press release from Sallie Mae. There is some obvious promotion and product suggestions laced throughout it, but overall, I found the piece to be surprisingly informative and, well, appropriate for the CollegeCourses.com Education & Career Blog.

It’s all about nontraditional students, or rather, the group of people gradually becoming the majority within the college student population. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 2.4 million men and women aged 25 and older were enrolled in degree-granting institutions throughout the U.S. in 1970. In 2000, these “nontraditional” students were 6 million strong in the country’s schools. By 2012, the number of enrolled college students over the age of 25 is expected to approach 7 million. This means that within four years, nontraditional learners could actually outnumber “traditional” students under the age of 25. Who’s nontraditional now?

In order to appeal to this growing demographic segment (with regard to higher education), colleges and universities are creating programs that cater to the needs and the responsibilities of students over the age of 25. For instance, most schools are expanding their online, night, and weekend class offerings; while others are providing on-site child care, introducing life experience credit offerings, and organizing study groups and carpooling services for their adult students.

The press release goes on to discuss how to finance your higher education, courtesy of Sallie Mae. This obviously isn’t a site devoted to college scholarships and loans, but the strategy that the press release suggests is sensible (or obvious, depending upon your knowledge of finance). First seek out financial aid that doesn’t need to be repaid (e.g., scholarships and grants), followed by federal student loans with forgiving interest rates, and lastly, use private student loans as a final payment option. Another suggestion for working professionals, which is a personal favorite of mine, is to speak with your employer about any reimbursement that you can receive to help with your education costs. Companies want qualified employees, and earning an advanced degree is certainly one way gain that status. Some employers will finance an entire degree program.

You may already be aware of the things I’ve mentioned above. But I figure that it’s never a bad idea to remind everyone of this simple fact: a postsecondary education is waiting for you whenever you are ready and willing to take advantage of it. New Year’s resolutions will be made in two weeks, and broken in about three or four, but if you are ready to make a serious change in your professional life, it’s never too early to start doing some research.

Here is an excerpt that I found particularly fitting from the press release:

“There are a myriad of reasons for the rise in nontraditional students. Some are first timers, attending college at a later-than-average stage in life; others are returning to the classroom to improve their skills set and thereby their earnings potential in the workplace. Still others are retirees, using their newfound free time to prepare for a new business venture or simply to take advantage of lifelong learning.”

What are your reasons for wanting to continue your education?

It’s the first Friday of the month, which means that I get to spoil you all with a recap of November’s employment situation report. I know, I know, I’m excited too, but try to contain your enthusiasm for a bit, because I’ve got some work to do right now.

Last month, I promised that my post for November would be extra long and insightful if the initial payroll numbers for October made it through the month unrevised; so this is the part where I eat my words, sort of. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its payroll numbers for November right on time this morning, and overall, the report was solid. U.S. employment continued to rise last month, with the country adding another 94,000 jobs overall.

As some of you may already know, the BLS can be a little revision-happy at times, so I assumed that the numbers for October (released on Nov. 2) would have changed by the time that the November report was drafted. And I was right. It was initially reported that the country gained 166,000 jobs in October, but the latest employment situation report reveals that we added 170,000 positions. This, of course, is a good thing, because I assumed that the numbers would go down. Lucky for us, we actually gained 4,000 more jobs than the BLS initially estimated.

Score for U.S. payroll employment: 1, Score for Suzy: 0

The real estate and credit markets have been taking a toll on the economy, and we haven’t had employment increases topping 100,000 jobs very often over the past few months, so October is hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Although the numbers for October held strong over the month, it appears that payroll employment for September has been revised again. The employment situation report for October placed September’s payroll growth at 96,000 new positions, but November’s report cut this number in half, with revised numbers indicating that the country only gained 44,000 jobs in September. Confused yet? It’s okay.

Basically all you need to know is that job growth trended up slightly in September, a whole lot in October, and a solid amount in November. If we keep this pace up, we’ll gain an average of 100,000 jobs a month, which isn’t as strong as what we were averaging toward the beginning of the year (147,000 positions a month), but it’s acceptable given the circumstances.

Aside from the monthly gains and revisions, some interesting things happened within the industries themselves in November. As I mentioned above, the nation added 94,000 jobs overall this past month. Health care and food services both contributed to this increase, but not as much as you would think. The health care industry has been adding an average of 34,000 jobs each month over the past year, but positions in this sector only increased by 15,000 in November. Food services and drinking places have been posting similar numbers to health care since the summer, but the industry only gained 17,000 jobs this past month.

Social assistance increased by 10,000 positions in November, jobs in accommodations were up 11,000, and employment in professional and technical services (e.g., computer systems design, management and consulting services) grew by 24,000 positions. The retail trade industry also brightened the overall employment picture for the nation, adding 24,000 jobs in clothing stores, health and personal care stores, and electronics and home furnishing stores.

The losses that occurred over the course of November were related mostly to home building and financing. Construction employment suffered a loss of 24,000 positions, the manufacturing industry cut 11,000 jobs, and credit intermediation lost another 13,000. Real estate employment declined by 8,000 positions last month as well.

In terms of wages and hours, the workweek remained unchanged in November (at 33.8 hours) and earnings increased by an average of eight cents an hour (or 0.5 percent). The latter number is a noticeable increase over previous months and leaves the average weekly earnings of American workers at $595.89.

That’s about all that I found to be of interest when I scanned the BLS report this morning. I think I lived up to my end of the bargain, because I know this post was long and, hopefully for you, insightful. Until next time, I’m sure we’ll be dreaming about the employment situation reports together. (Okay, maybe not you, but I very well could be.)

For those of you who are reluctant to admit that online degrees are maybe, just maybe, as useful and as valuable as the degrees that students earn in actual classrooms, humor me and read this. It seems as though a lot of people are loving distance learning these days, and honestly, what’s not to love? It’s accommodating, it’s convenient, and it’s a necessary alternative for busy, budget-conscious adults who want a professional degree.

The article I linked to above is from the online edition of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, so it includes specific references to colleges and universities based in the New York area. Aside from that, this article is relevant to all potential online learners.

Some of the primary statistics cited in the article are from the Sloan Consortium, which is an online education advocacy group. According to a report from the organization, 3.5 million students in the U.S. were enrolled in at least one online course in the fall of 2006. Based on these numbers, the country’s participation in distance learning has more than doubled since 2002. The Sloan Consortium’s CIO, Jeff Seaman, explains that whereas online education was still being proven as a valid learning method a few years back, it is now just another reliable tool that colleges and universities use to educate and assist their students.

The Sloan Consortium also found that two-year schools have the highest growth rate among online institutions, already accounting for more than half of all online enrollments in the nation. For the most part, distance learners are undergraduate students, while schools with more than 7,500 students account for 63 percent of all online enrollments. Despite these majority numbers, smaller schools continue to gain strength in this industry, and online master’s and doctorate degrees are offered in hundreds of fields.

The availability of degrees over the internet and the number of students who opt to learn this way are both expected to trend up in the future. With more and more children being exposed to online resources and virtual learning at an earlier age, experts predict that the newer generations of students are going to expect to be taught in non-traditional ways.

What’s more is the fact that employers are reacting differently towards online degrees than they were a few years back. According to the Boston-based education consulting firm Eduventures, 62 percent of the 500 employers it recently surveyed considered online learning to be equal to or better than face-to-face instruction. With the quality of online education improving dramatically over the past decade, companies are now encouraging their workers to earn a degree over the internet. Many employers view distance learning as a way for employees to work a normal schedule and better their skills at the same time, and some organizations are even collaborating with local schools to create online programs specifically geared towards their employees.

Overall, the Democrat and Chronicle’s article says only good things about online learning. We all know that there are some cons to bypassing the campus experience, but for those students pressed for time, an online degree is the easiest (and probably the smartest) solution to their dilemma. It is beneficial to do a little research in your field before you commit to a specific program, as some online institutions are better for certain professions than others. Collegecourses.com links to a variety of online schools with hundreds of degree programs, so if you want to learn about what’s out there in terms of online education, be sure to request more information from a few of these colleges.

Over the past few weeks, The Seattle Times has published two articles discussing our country’s aging workforce. According to these articles, baby boomers have the potential to change the face of retirement forever. Earlier this month, I wrote a post encouraging members of the baby boomer generation to extend their careers (if interested) and fight age bias by retraining for new jobs. Looks like someone is on top of things.

In the first installment of her two-part column, Liz Taylor describes how a “demographic tsunami” is about to hit the U.S. This cultural phenomenon will transform our current workforce and the way that citizens usually retire. 78 million baby boomers are now 43 to 61 years old, and the latter group is only a few years away from the traditional retirement age of 65. But with only 40 million members of Generation X ready to take the boomers’ positions, it is looking as though traditions may have to change.

With longer life expectancies and fewer savings, many baby boomers will have the ability (and the need) to work well into their 70s, and maybe even their 80s. Age bias is an issue now, but experts predict that this trend will die down, and employers will soon be looking to retain their older employees. Some organizations will have to adapt their standard 9-to-5 workdays and incorporate more part-time jobs, seasonal workers, phased retirement plans, and job-sharing.

Taylor’s second article, which was published today, offers a few tips for the revolutionary boomers. Even though the elimination of age bias sounds promising, the transition over the next few decades won’t be easy. Boomers will have to be open to change, as well as taking direction and management from younger co-workers. This generation of workers may also gravitate towards more meaningful work later in life. Instead of retiring, baby boomers are becoming social entrepreneurs by confronting cultural issues and working for non-profit organizations.

Toward the end of her second article, Taylor reiterates the fact that the road ahead for baby boomers will be difficult, explaining that “over the next decade or two, millions of us will transition to new chapters in our lives by recycling or changing what we’ve always done, or actually starting new careers.”

If you are a part of the baby boomer generation, and you want to prepare for the changes that are swiftly approaching, start researching the labor market now. No matter what field you are interested in, CollegeCourses.com features a variety of online and campus-based schools where you can supplement, enhance, and improve your current education.

If you are interested in a career in information technology, by now you’ve probably heard both sides of the ongoing debate.

The country’s IT employers are scrambling for more temporary work visas for foreign IT graduates, claiming that there’s a shortage of skilled domestic workers. U.S. tech workers are arguing the exact opposite — that there are plenty of available employees, just not enough good jobs. The nation’s IT workers believe that conglomerates are fabricating (or at least exaggerating) a worker shortage to keep wages for IT professionals down. The simple fact is that foreign employees will work for less.

It is difficult to confirm whether or not claims of an IT worker shortage are merely a political ploy to avoid hiring U.S. workers who’ll demand more money. But experts on both sides of the debate agree that something needs to change. The current system that’s in place allows IT companies to hire multiple foreign workers on a temporary basis with H-1B visas.

Earlier this year, several U.S. senators argued that some organizations were abusing this system to keep their own expenses down (and not to make the U.S. more competitive in the IT industry). Domestic workers are convinced that they are being turned down for jobs they’re qualified for because companies are looking to hire workers who’ll make less of a dent in their payrolls.

What’s more is that the pay for IT workers hasn’t increased since 2000. When adjusted for inflation, tech workers are actually making an average of $850 less per year than they were seven years ago. (Although the mean annual salary for computer workers still stands at $69,240.)

So while there’s proof that wages have stagnated in recent years, employers argue that the current unemployment rate among IT professionals in the U.S. (a low 1.8%) confirms that domestic workers are finding positions. Large organizations like Microsoft are also pointing to the 3,000 core technology jobs that they have to fill in the U.S. as evidence that the country needs to award more foreign work visas.

Aside from the relevant arguments that each side makes, there is one issue that make this IT debate even more confusing, and that’s the treatment of all IT specializations as one field. Some areas, such as software development, are generating multiple positions, while industries like computer programming are in a steep decline. (Programming jobs have dwindled 25% since 2000.)

So while you may not be able to resolve the debate between IT employers and the agitated tech workforce, you can increase your owns chances of securing a job in information technology. The IT areas with the most open positions in the U.S., as well as the most potential for growth, are as follows: software engineering, IT management (jobs up 50% since 2001), and network systems analysis.

Earn your degree in one the IT fields mentioned above, and you should be in a great position to find work upon graduation. Westwood College Online offers degrees in software engineering and computer network management, AIU focuses in network administration and computer systems, and University of Phoenix offers an MBA program in technology management.

The thought of baby boomers retiring has had economic analysts worried for years. Born between 1946 and 1964, the generation represents a good portion of the country’s population and an even larger portion of the American workforce. With the oldest baby boomers reaching retirement age in 2011, the U.S. has been gearing up for a major labor shortage for some time now. But is all this worrying premature? And has anyone ever thought to ask baby boomers whether they plan to retire once they hit 65?

AARP did, and a surprising 79 percent of those surveyed said that they planned to pursue some kind of work after the traditional retirement age of 65. The baby boomer generation wants the benefits and the income that working provides, and they also want to find interesting and fulfilling jobs where they can still learn something.

Some institutions, community colleges especially, are stepping in to prepare baby boomers for this transition. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recently received a $3.2 million grant to develop a nationwide program to retrain adults 50 and over. Community colleges will initially compete to run their own programs, and 15 will be chosen to receive funding. Five of these schools will serve as mentor institutions for the rest of the country.

Enrolling in a program at a nearby community college is a convenient and affordable way to refresh your skills or gain expertise in a new profession. If you are part of the baby boomer generation and you need or want to work through your 50s and well into your 60s, you are not alone. Refresher courses are a great way to land part-time and volunteer positions as well.

If you don’t want to wait for community colleges to develop and debut their retiree training programs, online education is another alternative that you can look into. Many online schools cater to adult learners who want to transition into new professions mid-career. If an online degree appeals to you, University of Phoenix, AIU, and Florida Metropolitan University operate some of the most well-known distance learning programs in the nation. Earning a diploma, a certificate, or an associate’s degree is another step that you can take before re-entering the workforce.

No matter what you decide, community, technical, and online schools are your best resource for current and concise training programs. There is a lot of talk about age bias in the hiring process, but in the face of an employment crisis, companies won’t ignore qualified candidates with strong work records and relevant training.