revised: 7 March 2008

Why go into health care instead of some other field? There are a lot of different health professions? What will be the basis of your choice? Will you follow your heart or make a coolly rational choice? Maybe job security is most important to you; some people worry about what their earnings will be. Picking your career can be very complicated when you consider all the aspects of your choice.

You need to think of what you want to do and where your strengths are. It is also a good idea to see what the rest of the world is doing.

There are several resources you can use to find out how individual health professions are doing, nationwide or in different regions of the country:

Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics (a vast clearinghouse of information), and in particular the part of the site called The Occupational Outlook Handbook. Look up the professions that interest you! You can also find out how different areas of the country are doing at http://www.bls.gov/bls/geography.htm.

Job growth can vary depending on the area of the country you are talking about and the profession you are interested in. Knowing where the jobs are might help you to make a smarter decision about where you want to live and work.