EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine February 2020 | Page 32

High Potential T C A R E E R S by Brigitte Hoarau he economy is good, and unemployment is on the decline seekers are looking for high potential careers—available jobs that for continuing prospects for those already employed and As a general rule, higher-paying careers usually require in the Volusia County region. But what does that mean career potential for the region’s graduating students? Nationally recognized economist and Director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness, Dr. Sean Snaith says that in today’s economy, “‘job security’ is a bit of an anacronysm. This is not our grandparents’ economy where you Dr. Sean Snaith get out of high school or college and you go to work for the same company for your entire career and retire with full benefits, a pension, and a gold watch. It’s very likely that people that are entering the workforce today are going to have to have multiple careers, potentially changing fields altogether at some point in their life which will necessitate ‘upgrading their software,’ if you will, for the new position.” Nowadays, many new and seasoned job | 26 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE provide desirable compensation with room to grow. higher levels of education or more skilled training. But knowing where the job demand will be requires tracking the trends, work done by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, which is also directed by Snaith. Much of the job growth in the state and region follow megatrends that began in the middle of the last century, according to Snaith. He reminds us that “the US economy continues to evolve from a manufacturing- centric economy in the 40s-50s to a more service-based economy, and [this region’s] professional and business services growth is a part of that larger trend and nature of the U.S. economy.” The solid growth in the professional and business services sector—a projected average of 1.8% annually—yields promising potential for upward mobility, as well as an average annual salary beginning at $58k, making it a high potential market for career seekers. Snaith adds that similarly-skilled careers in technology, such as software or application development (average pay range