Hazel writes:
I have only just started thinking about my future, and my future as an income earner (as I now find myself single and without a penny saved!). My question is, what do you think are good industries (or careers) to be involved in for the future?’
I am currently employed as a personal assistant for a high profile CEO and am also working on the company’s Computer Based Training (CBT) courses as the technical consultant.
I have posed the question above because I’m fretting right now, about which direction I should be heading, whether the job I’m in already is a good one with good possibilities for earning in the future.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have a tough choice ahead of you. On one hand, you have the excitement and perks of working with a CEO — seeing the inner workings of the boardroom firsthand — and on the other, a more stable, but certainly less high-profile position in corporate training. If you are soon facing a choice, you should sit down and weigh the pros and cons of each career path.
For the personal assistant position, as long as the CEO appreciates your work — and as long as he/she stays a CEO — you should have good job security and perks. But if he/she is nearing retirement age, your future is a bit more hazy unless your boss is open to helping you find a similar position before he/she retires.
For the corporate training position, you have a more stable career path… and actually have more chances for advancement. Corporate training is a big industry — and only growing as more employers are spending the money on advancing the education and training of their workers. Whether its computer-based or Web-based, corporate training will continue to play a major role in the future.
But you need to conduct further research and self-reflection. You need to decide what path gives you the most of whatever you seek — money, stability, satisfaction, etc.
