The job employment landscape keeps changing dynamically, so placing yourself in an industry that matches your skills, values, and market demand is essential. Trading Economics says the jobless rate has dangled between 3.4 and 3.7 since March 2022, but some industries may register lower unemployment rates. Discover the major industries you can explore a career in and how to choose an industry to work in.
Exploring Different Types of Industries
Thanks to the division of labor and varied human needs, there are almost infinite industries. These industries have subindustries within them that employ thousands of people. To know how to choose an industry to work in, you must understand what opportunities are available. Here is a broad categorization of industries you can work in.
1. Technology Sector
Innovation is one of the key drivers to shifts in the industry. For example, the invention and adoption of personal computers and phones made communication efficient and created new jobs altogether. The invention of ATMs changed the job landscape for bank tellers, who were replaced by the first machines.
You can work exclusively in the technology and innovation sector or other industries as support staff. Popular jobs include cybersecurity, software development, web analytics, and cloud computing. Remember, software engineers are among the highly paid professionals, raking in an annual income of $122 000 per Microverse. With the emergence of artificial intelligence technology, the tech job market’s growth is just starting. The best part is you can work as a freelancer offering your services to anyone who needs your service or in a company. One of the biggest advantages of working in the technology sector is the freedom to work remotely.
2. Business and Finance
Every industry is composed of businesses. Even industries such as government and non-profit need business-savvy personnel to keep things running. Some of the biggest employers, such as Amazon and Walmart, are business entities that employ thousands of employees with business and finance skills.
You can become a business owner and use your skills to grow or help others grow their businesses. In the business and finance industry, you can work in banking, sales and marketing, human resources, management and consulting, e-commerce, and logistics. You’ll need strong analytical and management skills to thrive in the business industry.
3. Creative Arts and Media
Do you have a less-than-conventional approach to work? Creative arts and media are a vast industry employing thousands of people. According to Statista, the arts and entertainment industry was worth about $379 billion. It employs musicians, drummers, actors, and performers. The industry also employs thousands of people in support roles, so it’s a solid industry worth looking into.
The media and communication industry are also diverse and highly needed in every society. People need news and communication from companies and advertising professionals. Besides journalists and news reporters, the industry employs sound engineers, product managers, and video producers. People in this industry may work outside the 9-5 framework because of the nature of work.
4. Healthcare and Life Sciences
One of the oldest industries is healthcare provision. Yet the world’s changing needs mean that there’s always a shortage of qualified people who can offer care as a service. The industry incorporates more than treating illnesses. It also includes research for disease patterns and treatment efficacy, managing large health centers, and ensuring treatment delivery to the most vulnerable.
Healthcare is an interesting industry because of its emphasis on human-centeredness. Thus, it’s highly regulated to ensure people can access high-quality care and the best support. Even though it offers stable income, its complex nature and diverse human needs mean most workers have to think about more than income. You can work as a health provider, researcher, support staff, or manager.
5. Engineering and Industry
People need houses to live in, food to eat, and products to support daily human life. Think about it; a house needs engineers and industry professionals to construct. Soap and toothpaste are made in assembly lines made by engineers, and food is produced through a long process requiring agricultural, manufacturing, and logistics personnel. That makes engineering and industry so critical for human survival.
Engineering and industry require hands-on critical, technical, and analytical problem-solving skills. The industry’s core mandate is to solve problems with innovations, design, and planning. You can work as an engineer, chemist, mathematician, architect, construction manager, plumber, driver, or support staff.
Choosing the Perfect Industry for You
Knowing how to choose an industry to work in before making any decision is critical because a mismatch can cause joblessness, job dissatisfaction, and even legal consequences. Sometimes monetary compensation is not enough reason to pick an industry. You may need passion, work-life balance, and the right skills. Here’s a nine-step-by-step process that will help you succeed in job hunting.
1. Assess your Strengths, Passions, and Skills
Different industries require different skill sets and strengths. Thus, the first step before settling on a job is doing a personal assessment. You can find tools online to understand the most suitable industry for you to work in. The service industry will be suitable if you have strong people skills. A job in bail bond service may be suitable for one and difficult for another.
Tech-savvy people who don’t mind long hours working on things will find the technology and engineering industries alluring. They can provide septic system service to help homes run without interruption. Do you love solving problems, entertaining others, or ensuring justice? There’s an industry for every kind of passion.
2. Clarify What Values are Important to You
What matters most to you as a person? Reflect on personal experiences that brought you much satisfaction or discomfort. For instance, did you enjoy eating home-grown food growing up? You can work in aquaculture farms, helping produce food sustainably. You can also think about the people you admire the most and the qualities they have. It can help you know which values resonate with you the most.
Knowing the values that matter most to you can help you have a strong foundation when learning how to choose an industry to work in that resonates with your beliefs. If you work in an industry punctuated by values conflicting with yours, you may have difficulty enjoying your job. If you value honesty but work in an industry where fraud and corruption are popular, you may become resentful and quit your job.
3. Analyze How Your Personality Affects Satisfaction
Do you know your personality significantly impacts your happiness and satisfaction with your job? According to an older research study, personality affects 43.5% of job satisfaction. You can’t ignore the role of personality in your quest to learn how to choose an industry to work in. Creative personalities may prefer room for innovation, while conscientious people excel in detail-oriented tasks.
Extroverted and social people may enjoy sales and marketing, while empathetic people will find satisfaction in healthcare provision. The best strategy is first to understand your personality and then look for industries that match other things on your checklist. You may enjoy doing email marketing for boutiques as an introvert, while an extrovert may enjoy more social aspects such as cold-calling.
4. Explore Demands in Diverse Industries
Passion and personality matter when choosing an industry, but it won’t matter if you can’t get employed. In pursuit of passion, some people find themselves qualified but with few job prospects. It’s essential to be pragmatic when choosing your career because some fields have a dwindling demand for services. The World Economic Forum highlights data clerks, bookkeepers, and sales reps as decreasing in demand.
The best tip is to match your passion, personality, and values with jobs that are in demand or are hard to replace. Machine learning may change how manual jobs are done, but people will still need well pump services. Choose an industry where you can position yourself as a problem solver.
5. Match Your Skills with Industry Needs
Once you have zeroed in on an industry with growing demand you are passionate about, it’s time to align your skills with industry needs. If you are on a quest to know how to choose an industry to work in, likely, you’re also refining your skills. Talking with a career counselor or mentor can help you understand your needed skills. The only way to be valuable, even in an industry with high demand, is to have matching skills.
Some skills can only be obtained through training. If you want a long-term career doing things like turbo repair, you’ll need experience as an apprentice or go to college. Some skills will take years to master and certifications. For other industries, soft skills matter as much. Consider the industry and the challenges they’ve been having, then train to match the need.
6. Track Market Trends and Growth
Apart from the skills demand and job demand, consider market trends and opportunities for growth. Some industries are affected by fluctuations in the market and thus may not offer long-term job stability. In the hotel and retail industries, casual workers are hired quickly and released in the same breadth. Ideally, you want a job with growing demand and stability despite market shifts.
Even if the market trends tend to fluctuate, consider growth opportunities when searching for how to choose an industry to work in. In the oil industry, fluctuations in price cause massive layoffs and hires. Can you find an opportunity for growth in the directional boring services industry that will make it hard for employers to release you? Some people find that upskilling makes them indispensable even in financial emergencies.
7. Assess the Culture of Potential Employers
Each industry has a general culture of behavior even though different companies will have their practices. Still, it’s essential to consider how the culture of an industry will affect your job satisfaction. Some industries have employers that invest heavily in employees to ensure they retain and attract the best talent. Technology and innovative sectors have attractive perks to keep employees satisfied.
However, other industries have a long history of employee rights violations that can demoralize you. For instance, mining industries have often been spotlighted for unsafe working conditions and even human loss. You’d better work for a commercial garbage disposal service if your rights are respected than a white-collar job where your voice is unheard.
8. Expand Your Network by Connecting with Professionals
One of the best ways to learn how to choose an industry to work in is by connecting with professionals. They have been there long enough, seen the good and the bad, and with the right motivation, can guide you. Some professional associations have multiple networking opportunities that you can utilize to learn more about the industry.
If you want to be a custom home builder, attend architecture and construction seminars and connect with other professionals in the area. As the saying goes: “your network is your worth.” Other professionals can let you know of work opportunities that can benefit you.
9. Gain Experience through Internships and Volunteering
If you’re still early in your career or your quest to know how to choose an industry to work in internships and volunteering can help you get a taste. You can get more experience learning about an industry by being present than you would if you read or heard about it. Look for short-term opportunities to avoid spending too much productive time trying things.
If you end up in the commercial exhaust cleaning company you interned in, your experience will help you get better perks. Look for opportunities that help you grow skills you can apply to diverse industries. If you are taking an online skill, you can look for matching opportunities to help you gain experience.
Once you have considered your passion, values, skillset, demand in the industry, employer culture, and maybe taken an internship in the field, reflect on what you learned. Which best-fitting industry would satisfy you, match your values, and offer sustainable income in the long run? The answer to this question can’t be answered in an evening. In your quest to learn how to choose an industry to work in, engage loved ones and friends because they know you best. Success on your journey.