Best Bets

Finding a job is hard. Finding a job that relates to your interests is harder.

Jobs for the Future’s Back on Track initiative developed Best Bets profiles of jobs, training programs, and possible career ladders in NYC. I love the career ladder part of the profiles, as it reduces the risk of shuffling kids into dead-end jobs. For example, you might start as a bus driver, then become a dispatcher and eventually an operations manager.

JFF investigated jobs and postsecondary training programs based on the following criteria:

• They are accessible to students. 
• They meet students’ interests. 
• They pay off quickly in a credential with value in the labor market. 
• They have evidence of retention and placement in well-paying jobs with the potential for advancement. 

In addition to labor market analysis, they interviewed employers and employees, giving the profiles much more depth. JFF also did a great job of using photos and drawings that reflect the diversity of the United States. These profiles are a good prototype for other communities to use – after reading a few of them it would be hard not to consider these as pretty good jobs with enough information to get started on a career path.