At some point, everyone spends time thinking about their future education and career choices. With the cost of education skyrocketing and global competition not slowing down any time soon, the stakes are quite high. But when making these decisions, can you rely on your gut or instinct alone? Is passion all you need, or perhaps you should consider other criteria? Try letting the Tableau Dashboards below help guide you towards the path that’s right for you.
Count your points as you go along. A negative score means you might want to think a little harder about pursuing that education or career. Zero is neutral, while a positive score means you could be on to something. If one of the dashboards doesn’t apply, just give yourself 0 points for that specific one. Here are the descriptions of each dashboard.
Dashboard #1:
It’s common knowledge that the cost of higher education has been spiraling out of control. Some say student debt is reaching unsustainable levels and can’t keep increasing the way it has been without dire consequences for many people. Therefore, now more than ever it’s recommended prospective students weigh the degree they are considering against their future prospects. What is your median debt versus the potential earnings one year after graduation? Will the degree leave you drowning in debt or is it worth the money to pursue? Data comes from the US Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).
Dashboard #2:
In the near future, AI and automation may disrupt many of our current jobs. Which ones are likely to be the least or most impacted? We attempt to answer this question with the help from a report by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne entitled, “The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerisation?” Search for your specific occupation or try filtering to narrow down the results. If your potential future career is one that is highly likely to be automated, you may want to start rethinking that career path.
Dashboard #3:
Finding a job that makes you happy and brings satisfaction is often a top consideration when people start thinking about what they want to spend their time doing. Who really wants to be in a job they hate, especially when it can be such a big part of our lives? Glassdoor recently released their 50 Best Jobs in America for 2019 report (https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/best-jobs-in-america-2019/). These jobs include a job satisfaction rating on a scale from 1 to 5 by workers in the field. If your future job is on this list, you’re probably headed in the right direction!