A new “Career Confidence Poll” by education company eLearners indicated that lots of American adults don’t feel they have the education they need to be competitive in their careers. The study found the rather frightening facts that even among those who have a job, 23 per cent don’t believe they can remain competitive for the next two years, and that among all 18 – 34 year olds, 44 per cent don’t believe they can stay competitive for more than the next four years. The results were based on a study of 1,000 adults.
“The results…demonstrate that many adults may need to return to school if they are to be more confident in the long-term viability of their career” concluded eLearners. The study noted that women currently feel more nervous about their competitiveness than men. 35 per cent of employed women said they lacked confidence about their ability to compete in their jobs for four years, compared with 29 per cent of men who currently have jobs.
The study indicates that American workers grasp the maxim that “the only constant is change,” and that having a job today doesn’t guarantee any kind of long-term career security. “The down economy has sparked a crisis of career confidence among many Americans” said Tom Anderson, CEO of the parent company of eLearners, “people are reevaluating if they have the training or education they need to be competitive and a significant number are finding they do not.”