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It seems like nursing is the only program in demand, and it makes me sad.
jduster
94 replies43 threads Junior Member
in College Life
Law is glutted, and only the upper part of the strata is safe. Engineering was highly in demand 5 years ago, but now the demand moved from very high to moderately above average. Programmers I talked to said the software revolution happened a decade ago, and now it's very competitive.
Nursing is in very high demand right now; it's said that most people in the program have an easy time finding a well-paying job. But will it be like engineering in that 5 years from now, millions of extra people enter nursing due to the hearsay and it's no longer in demand.
11 replies Nursing is in very high demand right now; it's said that most people in the program have an easy time finding a well-paying job. But will it be like engineering in that 5 years from now, millions of extra people enter nursing due to the hearsay and it's no longer in demand.
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Replies to: It seems like nursing is the only program in demand, and it makes me sad.
A. At many flagship-level universities, the departments are capacity-limited, so the number of engineering and CS graduates they can produce is limited.
B. At many less-selective universities, the rigor of the degree programs limits the number of students capable and willing to complete them.
C. Acquisition of comparable skills through self-education or experience is almost non-existent in engineering; in CS, it is more possible for motivated people to self-educate, but that is still rare compared to those who do the usual route of studying CS at a university.
D. H-1B work visas are less of an issue than commonly thought by people who blame foreigners first, due to most being taken by outsourcing companies doing lower-end IT work (of course, it is a bigger issue for those working in IT departments that can get outsourced).
However, the industries associated with various types of engineering and CS can have their ups and downs, and the general economy can also affect the job markets.
Data Science
Cyber Security
I won't act like I know a ton about the job market -but what about PT,OT, Nurse Practitioner, Physicians assistant?
I live close to a military base and their contractors are always advertising for interpreters/language instructors that speak languages from middle eastern countries.
Another local office of a large international payroll services provider seems to always need people who have training with payroll, human resources and accounting.
My daughter is getting ready to start her Masters in Public Health and her program has 99 percent job placement
finance
analytics
But the thing about nursing and other medical jobs is that they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, some medical things can be replaced by machines but we're a long way off from machines cleaning bedpans and whatnot. (As someone who spends a lot of time in hospitals, I know nurses basically make the hospital run so I'm not trying to reduce them to "just" bedpan cleaners).
If you want a job that will always be in demand, go into the skilled trades: electricians, plumbers, etc. Before my dad was a plumber, he worked in early software development (80s). Once the recession hit in the 80s, he still had a job (plumbing) whereas many of his computer friends were laid off. He always said his job was recession & outsource proof and so far he's mostly been proven right.
It's kind of like how (during the 2000's), lots of people flooded into law schools because political science and philosophy were not in demand. But now law is not in high demand (unless you're in the top half of your class).
The latest available placement report from WPI spring of 2015 is at https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/.../post-grad-report-2015.pdf. This report covers graduates as reported by each major.
I'm equally sure that WPI is not alone in this placement success. MIT, Cal. Tech, Lehigh, RPI, are probably also doing very well on job placement. It is probably a not good idea to go for it just because it is a job. The "right stuff" requires the right fit. :bz
Similarly with teaching. Want to be a math teacher, particularly in an urban district? Sure, there are openings. Want to be an English teacher - well, period, but particularly in a suburban district with high test scores and wealthy parents? Good luck.
I'm not saying don't look at employment statistics at all, but field are rarely black and white.