Where's the work?

ADA - Nathaniel Hedrick was on track to medical school, but then the statistics started creeping in.

Sixty percent of students who apply to medical school don't get into the school they want, the Cleveland-area native heard.

Ninety-eight percent of Ohio Northern University pharmacy students are immediately placed in jobs.

Already enrolled at ONU, the latest statistic really stood out.

"I didn't feel I had as good of a chance of getting a job," he said. "You have to be the cream of the crop in the medical field to get a position. I felt that there is so much need for pharmacists, it gave me great job security."

Hedrick, in his second year of ONU's pharmacy program, is sure he'll land a job right out of school. And he's probably right. The U.S. Department of Labor projects pharmacy as one of the fastest growing professional occupations around.

"There is a strong need for retail pharmacists," said Quill Pettway, ONU's director of career services. "You can go to any Walgreens, CVS or Meijer and there is always going to be a need."

Registered nurses, retail salespeople and customer service representatives are projected to see the largest increases in jobs nationally through 2016, the department of labor reports. The largest decreases are projected in stock clerks, cashiers (except in gaming) and packagers.

In Ohio, the largest employment growth is expected in network systems and data communications analysts, home health aides, physician assistants and computer software engineers, according to the National Occupational Supply Demand Consortium.

Along with pharmacy, Pettway said, engineering and accounting are fields that are strong. The mortgage industry was booming three years ago, but now is seeing people looking for jobs.

Bluffton University business, technology, accounting and social services graduates are getting placed in jobs quickly, said Kathy Dickson, the school's director of career services. English as a second language graduates are also doing well, finding jobs as translators and interpreters.

"That is an area of growth big time. I think that reflects what's happening culturally," she said, adding that anything related to wellness, including dietetics and health education, is a good career, also a sign of the times.

In education, Dickson said there is a demand for math and science teachers, as well as intervention specialists to work in special education. More retirements in education are projected, she said.

Nationally, manufacturing is declining, expected to decline by 10.6 percent, or 1.5 million jobs, during the next several years, according to the Department of Labor. Pettway said automotive manufacturing is a field to stay away from.

Locally though, officials said manufacturing was still a good job. Apollo Career Center Superintendent Chris Pfister said research shows the greatest industry needs in the community are health care, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and business and information technology.

Manufacturing jobs of today, Pfister said, require academic and technical skills, different from several years ago.

"The jobs of today are more advanced with more advanced technology," he said. "It takes skills. If you have that skill, you are going to get a job."

Areas like public-safety services and health careers will always exist, Pfister said. He recognizes though, that even the health care industry is experiencing significant costs, which could affect jobs.

"I still think it will be there," he said. "We still have the aging population, and I think it is an area people still need to continue to focus on, both at the high school and adult level."

Health care occupations are expected to make up seven of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the next several years, the Department of Labor reports.

Fewer students are choosing liberal arts careers because they seem more uncertain, Dickson said.

"It's scary to say ‘I don't know what I want to do, but I really love history,' for example," she said. "The fear factor is involved with that. ... Students want clear answers."

Geography is also a factor. Officials said those willing to relocate will find more opportunities. The strongest employment regions in the country, Pettway said, are the Southeast, Southwest, and some part of the Northeast and West. Chicago is the strongest in the Midwest, he said.

School officials said students need to be flexible and willing to look beyond their majors. Pettway said that while someone with degrees like political science, history or international business may not find a job directly in the field, their degrees might get them government or other work.

"Don't just look inside your major, but look at opportunities in which you qualify for," he said. "You need to access your current skill inventory to find out where that skill inventory may take you."

Officials say some students do look at the job market, but it is not the only thing they consider. For example, Pettway said, some pharmacy or engineering students are there because they have a passion for the field, while others see the opportunity.

Dickson is a strong proponent that finding a job has more to do with the individual than it does the major or job market.

"Students that are being proactive throughout their college career - doing internships, volunteer work, part-time jobs - that is going to be more helpful to them finding a job," she said, adding that she never discourages a student from studying something they love.