Many Americans want a career change
September 11, 2012
A recent survey conducted by Yahoo! Finance and Parade revealed that almost 60 percent of Americans would choose a different career.
"Now we have the McJob that for so many people in the economy goes nowhere," the Daily Ticker's Henry Blodget told Yahoo! Finance. "The whole idea is that [those jobs] are a stepping stone to something else, and it never is. You can understand why they would be unhappy with that."
The poll of 26,000 people also found that many workers feel the key to getting ahead in their careers is playing office politics. Just over 50 percent of those surveyed said workers get ahead because of internal politics, 27 percent cited hard work and the rest credited initiative or creativity for getting ahead.
While the poll indicates that many workers are unsatisfied with their careers, there are ways to change a bad work situation. Pursuing a college degree is one way to enter a new industry or advance in your current job.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2011, individuals with a bachelor's degree made an average of $1,053 per week, compared to $768 per week for those with an associate degree, $719 per week for those with some college (but no degree) and $638 per week for those with a high school diploma.
Moms who want to expand their career opportunities by getting a college degree should know that they can offset their out-of-pocket cost by applying for various college scholarships, grants for parents and other financial aid.
