By Mark Farris, President & CEO, Greenville Area Development Corporation

As a parent, we try our best to impart whatever wisdom and guidance we feel might prove useful to our children, even after they become adults.

Perhaps the most dynamic period of a young person’s life involves choosing a career path.  We Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers may be less prepared to provide relevant advice for job training than almost any other parents in modern history.  The pace of business and industrial change has increased exponentially.  Skills we thought critical may not provide the elusive job security our generation experienced and now covets.

Healthcare workers top the charts for ‘in-demand’ jobs through the next decade.  The shortage is acute in every area from physicians to nursing assistants.  And almost every engineering field proves to be in demand — especially IT roles like software, robotics and biotech.

But as Generation Z is poised to begin work in an era referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, many industrial careers offer the chance to earn a great income AND avoid difficult medical classes like Advanced Anatomy or engineering classes like Statistics and Dynamics. Some hot arenas:

• Warehouse and Logistics Manager – COVID has revealed just how important dependable transportation of goods and materials are to a sustainable economy and reliable supply chain. Specialists will enjoy a choice of location as companies scramble to fill these positions.
• Electromechanical Technician – Every contemporary manufacturing environment utilizes machines and equipment that require complex electrical installation and maintenance.
• Maintenance Manager – That same IT-intensive equipment requires regular monitoring and maintenance to assure consistent operation, often on a 24-hour basis.
• Molding Machine Operator – Whether plastics or metal, tools that form component parts are integral to a finished product.
• IT Manager – These critical positions advise, educate and coordinate IT systems both in the office and on the factory floor.
• Construction Supervisor – Construction requires leadership by an experienced coordinator to keep progress on track and become a creative problem solver for inevitable issues that arise.

The GADC works daily with new and expanding businesses that frantically search for many of the positions listed above.  And while robotics will no doubt continue automation trends, making some of these jobs redundant in future decades, immediate demand creates opportunity for those interested.

Today’s manufacturing environment is clean, safe and financially rewarding.  We need to at least have the conversation with our children and encourage them to explore these career options.

Mark Farris, President & CEO
Greenville Area Development Corporation