By Marlena Williams,

“Within the next ten years, our generation will be looking for careers.
The demand for education and good skills is higher than ever. There will be fewer jobs for those with low skills. Positions that used to be available for word processors and telephone receptionists are less common, as many offices now have automated services and computers for those functions. Employers will need more highly skilled workers, such as database managers and computer scientists. Computer literacy is a must—being able to type on a computer, access the Internet, and know how a computer works.
The best thing we can do is focus on our education. Those without a high school degree will not do well in tomorrow’s society. A college degree, or better yet a Master’s degree or doctorate, will make you a more valuable employee, according to Edward Lawler, Professor of Management at UCLA. The more you can offer the world, the more it will offer you.
But how can we decide which kinds of careers to pursue? The information gathered here will give you a sense of some careers that are good bets, like being a home health care worker, and those that are poor bets, like being a machine tool operator.
The availability of jobs depends partly on where the jobs are. For example, Los Angeles is home to the entertainment and garment industries, so there will be openings in those fields in this area.
Salaries can vary widely depending on your education, experience and what the company can offer you. From talking to people about their salaries and figures published in the Los Angeles Times, here is a sampling of salaries that might help you choose a career:

Teacher—$26,000 to $55,000/year

Orchestra musician—$400/week

Ballet dancer—$610/week

Film choreographer—$3,000/week

Theater director on Broadway—
$80,000/year

Film technician—
from $21,000 to more than $40,000/year

Attorney—
from $40,000 to more than $600,000/year

Hotel/motel manager—
$25,000 to $90,000/year

Geriatric social worker—
$24,000 to $48,000/year”