The Post-COVID Job Market: 3 Potential Careers for Parents

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on career fields across the country. Millions of Americans lost their jobs during the pandemic and many are still struggling to find employment. According to a study on the COVID-19 recession, one in five U.S. renters with kids are still struggling to keep up with rent during the pandemic, and 27.5 million people don't have health insurance.

It's no surprise then that many parents are looking to make career shifts to find stable employment both during and after the pandemic. But what are some of the best career options for parents right now? Here are a few career options to keep in mind.

Medical Assistants

The medical industry has seen significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic because of high demand. But what makes the medical field a good choice for parents is that the demand for medical assistants won't be going away. In fact, pre-pandemic, the employment of medical assistants was expected to grow by 19% between 2019 and 2029. Even the profession of osteopathic doctors has grown 63% in the last decade. Additionally, depending on the career route you'd like to take, the path to becoming a medical assistant typically takes only between eight months to three years. This is good for people who are not able to spend a lot of time in full-time education, but still want to advance their career into something worthwhile. When you study for your diploma, you will feel so much happier at knowing that you will be part of a huge industry where each level plays an important part.

Project Managers

Project managers oversee all phases of a project and make sure it runs on-time and on-budget. The demand for project managers is extremely high with over 22 million projected job openings through 2027. The reason why project management is in such high demand is because it's needed across a wide array of industries. You can be a project manager for construction projects, corporate event planning, wedding planning, marketing, and more. What's more, it only takes approximately two months to get a PMP certification if you're willing to study for three hours each day.

Digital Marketing Specialists

Digital marketing has seen a major surge in recent years. In fact, LinkedIn currently lists digital marketing specialists as one of the top 10 most in-demand jobs right now. What makes digital marketing ideal for parents is that you can do this work remotely and you may even be able to make your own hours depending on the job you take on. While a degree in digital marketing may come in handy, you can typically find online certifications and classes that can help you develop the skills you need to apply for these jobs.

The current job market is a bit of a nightmare. But by being strategic with your career shift and having a strategy in mind for the kind of jobs you want, you can make finding your next career as a parent post-pandemic a little bit easier.