Expert: Torski Dobson-Arnold - 8/14/2010

Question
Hello,
After being laid off as an elementary teacher, I have decided to return to school for my masters degree. I want to choose a career that I will be able to find a job in when I am done with school. Do you think more jobs will be in counseling or speech pathology in the future? I really do not know which direction to go in. All I want is a secure job in the future. Please help :)

Answer
Lauren,

Based on my research, both areas have a very positive outlook for job growth.  The one thing to keep in mind however, is that there is no such thing as job search in the labor market we live in today; there is only professional "employability".  What I mean by this is that as workers, we are constantly positioning ourselves and evolving as professionals to be highly marketable and skilled to manage our careers with confidence.  We do this by consistently marketing and networking within our career fields and by becoming life-long learners.

Specifically addressing your question, according to the Bureau of labor Statistics (BLS), the following information was available on counseling.

Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. Projected job growth varies by specialty, but job opportunities should be favorable because job openings are expected to exceed the number of graduates from counseling programs, especially in rural areas.

Furthermore, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the "growth for audiology is expected to continue for the next eight years."  More information can be found at

http://www.asha.org/careers/professions/trends.htm

I hope this helps!

Claiming nothing but success in all of your career endeavors,

Torski Dobson-Arnold
The Career Confidence Coach