According to Adecco’s senior VP, Amy Glaser, the U.S. job market is highly resilient. She notes that there are more job openings than people seeking employment. Adecco, a staffing firm, expects this trend to continue. For someone looking for a job in the U.S. right now, there’s never been a better time to go job-hunting. However, looking for a job isn’t easy; you’ve got to know where to start. Here are some job ideas, especially if you’re just starting your career and being part of the growing economy.
1. A Plumber
As many as three out of ten Americans are likely to call in a plumber than fix a faulty system for themselves. A survey by Mr. Rooter found that seven out of ten respondents can’t fix a plumbing issue in their homes without help from a plumber.
More homeowners prefer to pay a professional technician, better if certified, to handle specialized tasks such as fixing the faucets, leaking pipe parts, unclogging blocked pipes, stopping a running toilet, replacing worn-out parts, and other complex plumbing malfunctions. Certified plumbers are experts in handling various plumbing services and can offer lasting solutions at short notice.
Planning on starting your career in plumbing? There are several ways to do it: You can join a trade school or learn on the job. Most plumbers begin working as helpers or apprentices, then move to the journeyman position, and later become plumbers. You can earn your master plumber certificate after four to five years of apprenticeship. You’ll also need to sit and pass an extensive exam. After these hurdles, you’ve been tested and can positively contribute to the national economy.
2. A Home Remodeler
As a home remodeler, you’re starting your career in a field that needs mechanical skills combined with the physical ability to repair and replace surfaces such as walls, floors, and fixtures. For this job, you need professional skills in redesigning structures to change their functionality or enhance their esthetics.
Those looking to build their homes are getting more picky about how they want them to look and the details to include to make it the home of their dreams. As a custom home contractor, you’re expected to know what works, what doesn’t and guide your client on decisions that’ll give them a quality home.
You’re responsible for helping a homeowner choose materials for their property based on the qualities these materials bring to the overall value and functionality of the home. Your expert knowledge from years of experience with the ins and outs of the home building industry should lead you to offer clients quality solutions by following best practices in alignment with local building regulations.
When remodeling homes, giving a client’s kitchen a stunning new look is every remodeler’s dream. Ideas such as remodeling a kitchen countertop from natural materials such as granite to artificial quartz, which is stain resistant and does not crack, must be at your fingertips when you come calling. Your skills and expertise are useful to clients and fellow construction industry colleagues, where offering insights can inform policy changes that fuel economic growth.
3. A Car Repair Tech
With formal training as an automotive technician, starting your career as a car repair tech should be seamless. Among other useful skills include knowing how to use computer systems, hybrid fuel systems, and auto repair skills. The array of cars in the American market has intricate systems that combine mechanical and software equipment in their engineering. As a result, knowing how to use high-tech diagnostic equipment to solve car issues has become essential.
Demand for auto technicians is expected to rise with more vehicles on the road and as multi-car families rise. Auto repairs such as replacing brake pads, oil changes, routine service, and maintenance to ensure vehicles last longer will comprise most of your routine tasks as a car repair technician.
You can also get employed in an automobile dealership and continue honing your skills with experienced technicians. Other places needing your expertise are tire stores, automotive parts, and automobile accessory stores.
There are great opportunities to rise into managerial positions, and eventually, you may find yourself owning a car dealership business. Another good thing is that local dealerships are found in every community across the United States. This means you have high prospects as a car repair tech to get a job within the convenience of your neighborhood.
Some auto technicians progress into customer-facing service provision within the auto industry, becoming service writers for different customer needs, scheduling service and maintenance of vehicles, and other jobs. Therefore, expertise in this niche puts you in the enviable position of securing jobs, some within your neighborhood.
3. A Garage Door Contractor
Garage doors are essential to homes and businesses. They give security and ease of access to property. If you’re interested in starting your career in this niche, get your foot in the door by looking for apprenticeship opportunities in the local garage door companies.
Working alongside experienced employees, you get to pick valuable skills, such as using different tools and equipment while fixing garage doors. You need to be physically fit as the job will involve climbing, lifting heavy parts, and working overhead on a ladder. Electrical technician skills are also handy, especially since a garage door service may include welding.
4. A Florist
A floral designer, also known as a florist, is one of the most important roles in floral shops. A florist selects and arranges flowers to present the style and reputation of a place. Starting your career as a florist needs one to understand the different flower types, when they’re in season, how long they can live in vases and as arrangements, and which other flowers they pair well with.
As a florist, you’ll be expected to choose and buy flowers from suppliers and coordinate flower needs with different event planners. Your task will include designing floral arrangements for particular occasions and making attractive displays. Here, your skills in cutting and arranging flowers will be called upon. As a florist, you’re familiar with the various types of live, dried, artificial flowers and foliage used in floral arrangements.
5. A Chef
If you love trying new recipes and enjoy whipping up this or that delicacy in the kitchen, this could be your career. Chefs and head cooks work in the food industry. They’re tasked with ensuring perfect food preparation in a restaurant or other eateries.
If you’re considering starting your career as a chef, you need a high school diploma and training at a community college, technical school, or culinary arts school. You can also learn the trade through apprenticeship programs.
Among places your career will likely land you is the hospitality industry. You’ll work in hotels, cruise ships, government institutions, and organizations. You can also bite the bullet and open your restaurant. The hospitality industry is a key driver of the economy, and a job in this sector means you’re helping grow the economy. You could also open a training and mentorship program to pass on skills and ideas to others keen on culinary arts.
6. A Roofer
The construction industry in the United States accounts for a big proportion of the jobs market. It has positively impacted the roofing sector, with modern, stylish, and efficient roofing technologies coming to the market daily.
According to Marketing Expert Research, the roofing sector in the United States is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2023 to 2028 to about $32.14 billion. There’s a renewed vibrancy in the construction of residential and commercial structures nationwide. Since the slowdown of the covid-91 pandemic, many infrastructural projects are rebounding, and jobs such as roofing services are in high demand.
As you plan on starting your career as a roofing expert, equip yourself with installing and repairing different roof designs. Get acquainted with roofing materials and how to handle them safely when working from heights. This is essential to avoid one of the hazards in this sector; falls.
7. Landscaper
This job best suits those who love the outdoors and spend long hours working with their hands. Thinking of starting your career as a landscaper? Search for job opportunities and apprenticeships with landscaping companies.
As a landscaper, your job includes maintenance of facilities and vegetation within the property. You need skills in tree planting, pruning and cutting down trees, shrubbery, watering, and applying fertilizer to plants. You’ll also be tasked with constructing patios, walkways, maintaining swimming pools and fountains, and keeping public spaces litter-free.
8. Interior Designer
As an interior designer, your work is to make indoor spaces functional, safe, and beautiful. You are comfortable working in specialized design, architectural, and engineering services. Before starting your career, get formal community college or university training. You can also learn as you work as an apprentice. You stand a better chance of getting employed in this sector if you have skills in green energy design or energy-efficient design innovation.
The construction industry is highly vibrant. With this resurgence is a spike in the demand for interior designers to work in housing developments, restaurants, offices, hospitals, senior care facilities, and other huge projects. Besides acquiring professional skills, arm yourself with the latest technology in interior design to keep your skills marketable in an increasingly competitive construction job market.
9. Nursing
Nursing is among the most popular and highly respected jobs in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9% growth in the nursing job market by 2030. The high demand for nurses has seen hospitals and healthcare facilities offer high salaries, bonuses, and benefits. According to government data, it’s the only career with an average annual pay that’s much higher than the average salary of all other occupations.
Besides, nursing is considered a highly secure career, with numerous opportunities for professional growth. Starting your career in nursing requires professional training, which includes practical work. A nursing career opens up many opportunities to move up the ranks into managerial and advanced practice clinical positions.
You can also specialize in pediatric nursing, critical care nursing, and geriatric care. The career also offers flexibility in work hours and scheduling, meaning you can work on a side gig in your spare time. A nursing career is highly fulfilling if you love serving people. However, it’s also emotionally draining since caring for the ill and the dying can is sometimes heartbreaking.
10. Attorney
A career in the legal profession is fulfilling and expensive. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree from a reputable university to become a lawyer. Before starting your career, you’ll need law school certification. You’ll learn to think and write like a lawyer during the course. After this, you’ll sit a bar exam before admission to the bar, after which you’ll be certified to practice your trade.
This career is bound to keep your brain stimulated. You must know what to say if the unexpected happens during a court session. Besides, laws change occasionally, and as a lawyer, you must keep reading to stay updated.
A third of those studying law desire to help others get justice from the courts, according to a survey by the American Bar Association. Among cases, you’ll be dealing with as a lawyer include those involving families, the community, the government, and civil society. The law profession is highly lucrative. It has many career options: corporate lawyers, government lawyers, criminal lawyers, legal aid attorneys, family lawyers, and divorce lawyers.
You could specialize in any of these options depending on what you feel most passionate about. Consider a career as a personal injury lawyer, a contract lawyer, intellectual property lawyer, or a children’s lawyer. As new jobs emerge, opportunities to diversify in law are emerging, making the sector an essential contributor to the economy.
An alternative is to start a business in a sector you love. The beauty of doing this is that you’ll create jobs and employ others. There’s nothing as satisfying as having a business that helps others feed their families, take their children to school, and thrive. Besides, you also get to help the economy grow, as it’s mainly private-sector-driven.
With the United States job market on an upward swing, there has never been a better time to look for a job. Sharpen your skills in the career you feel most comfortable with. Whether that career is in the medical, hospitality, construction, or legal sector, there’s a high likelihood you’ll get a job soon. In the meantime, skill up; get requisite training for the career of your choice, and you’ll soon join the ranks of taxpayers making a significant contribution to the economy.