In the Americas, 1,047,509 COVID-19 cases had been confirmed by April 25, 2020, and 53,103 people had died. By April 9, 16 million Americans had lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic and filed for unemployment benefits. Many non-essential businesses have shut down and many states have a stay-at-home order in place. Naturally, the fear of losing jobs is at an all-time high.
At such times, choosing a career requires you to place a greater emphasis on job security and stability. While following your passion and doing what you love is fine, you need to have a career that keeps the money coming and enables you to have food on your table. You need to make a career plan that can help you make the most of the opportunities available in a world that is changing rapidly.
Some of the career options that will have the highest job security in the post-corona world are:
1. Healthcare Services–
Doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pathologists, radiographers, and other hospital staff are the most important people during pandemics. These include home health aides who provide critical medical care services to homebound people (such as the elderly, people with disabilities, or people with chronic illnesses).
Different jobs require different sets of qualifications but if you choose to join the medical field, you will never have to look for a job again.
Coronavirus pandemic has taught us that visiting a doctor’s office is a privilege during an outbreak of diseases, the demand for people who can provide basic healthcare and nursing assistance at home will see a rise for the next few years to come.
2. Online Teaching – As schools and colleges have closed down, online classes have taken a greater priority. But even when we overcome this situation, teaching online is not going to fade away soon. The flexibility of teaching from anywhere is a great boon to those who want to achieve a better work-life balance in their lives.
Besides the Master’s and the Ph.D. degree in their subject, online teachers need to be well-versed with the latest pedagogical tools they can use to make their online classes fun and interesting. They need to:
- master a good Learning Management System (LMS),
- know how to conduct virtual live classes,
- be aware of figuring out common technical issues and how to troubleshoot them,
- create interactive course content with features like real-time discussions, and quick quizzes and tests to keep the class lively, and
- make study material accessible to students offline.
A MOOC on online teaching is available on Coursera.
“Online academic support services are also very popular. Besides school and college classes, many students from remote areas look for online tuitions. Some others look for apps and sites that can help them with solving their problems. An app like ours employs qualified academic experts to help these students clear their doubts instantly. We look for an expert who holds at least a Master’s degree in his or her subject and has years of experience teaching or working in a related field.”
If the economy slides down and jobs whittle away, colleges and universities may close down admissions to some of the professional courses. But MOOCs and online courses will still see a rise. You can become an online educator in any field you expertise in – from fitness workouts to corporate training on how to deal with cross-cultural communication.
3. Software Development–
As businesses move online, cloud computing and remote workforce are increasingly becoming a norm. Hence, it’s not a surprise that the U.S. News & World Report has ranked the job of software developer as #1 in terms of prospects. A Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and programming experience in languages like C#, Python, and Javascript can keep you in demand for the foreseeable future.
Elementary school students can use Scratch to learn to code. While many platforms now allow people to develop websites and applications without the need for coding, knowing programming languages give you better control over the features, look, and user-friendliness of the site or app you develop.
4. Data Science–
If you are a data scientist, data analyst, or a statistician, you collect, analyze, and interpret data and generate reports that can help in making informed decisions. You can help businesses as well as government agencies. Your work can guide policymaking decisions regarding vital issues, such as public health and safety, environment, and even sports.
Statisticians need a degree in Statistics, Mathematics, or Survey Methodology. Data Scientists and Analysts should preferably have a Bachelor’s degree in IT or Computer Science with a Master’s degree in Data or related field. Those who have a degree in Math or Statistics may also enter the latter fields if you take up a few online courses related to data science and analysis.
This is a safe job because statisticians or data scientists help us to make sense of all the records we have and draw conclusions. They help us to predict and mitigate the bad effects of an event and find the best ways to deal with a situation.
5. Psychotherapy & Counseling–
Lockdowns, social distancing, and isolation are having adverse effects on the mental health of people. A new poll on 817 British Columbians in Canada revealed that:
- 62% of respondents felt more worried than usual.
- 59% of respondents reported feeling more stressed than usual.
- 59% of respondents were fighting boredom.
- 57% of respondents were feeling anxious.
- 43% of respondents were feeling lonely.
18-34-year-olds are taking a harder hit. 73% of them reported feeling stressed in the poll.
People with suicidal tendencies, behavior disorders, and substance abuse problems are seeing a flare-up during the pandemic. Right now, when face-to-face counseling sessions are not possible, psychotherapists and counselors are manning the assistance hotlines or providing consultations through telemedicine portals.
Marriage counselors and child counselors are also seeing a rise in demand for online or virtual services as families are locked down together – exacerbating certain situations in dysfunctional families.
It is expected that as people become aware of how important it is to take care of their mental health too, the demand for psych-assistance is going to see a sharp rise. Besides a degree in related discipline and clinical experience, taking a course or two in online counseling may prep you up for the future.
6. Market Research Analysis– Now, when remote workers are in demand, and companies are looking for ways to cut costs and reach homebound customers, the need for market research analysts has become critical. These business professionals help their clients figure out who their customers, where they are, and how much they can pay for their products and services.
A market research analyst uses traditional as well as latest technology-based methods to survey potential customers and clients of the company, study sales trends, and determine consumer demographics as well as needs, desires, and preferences. He or she may also study buying habits and other types of consumer behaviors.
A degree in Marketing or Market Research or Business Administration (such as MBA) is required in this field. You also need to understand latest tools used in the industry, such as geo-fencing (which uses GPS to deliver you targeted advertisements as you walk through a store or a market area) and eye-tracking (which studies how your eye travels around a website to see what draws your attention, for how long, and record what you do next).
7. Banking, Economic & Financial Expertise–
The novel Coronavirus pandemic has shut down the world’s economy. Its shockwaves are tumbling down sticks all over the world. Economists are warning that the outcomes of this pandemic can be dire – much like the great depression. Banks and financial institutions are gearing up to meet the challenge.
With schools and offices closed and the demand declining for many products and services, many businesses are shutting their doors, and workers are losing their jobs. At such times, we need banking and finance experts who can deliver tailored solutions to individual customers. More digital product offerings will also be needed. At times when branches are forced to limit their operations or close their offices, digital banking solutions will be needed.
A degree in Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Business Administration, Strategic Planning, and Management can lead you to job opportunities in commercial and investment banking or similar jobs in financial institutions.