Over the last two weeks, most everyone has had a chance to sit down and reflect on what is going on and where we as individuals fit within this new world. Those of us of a certain maturity might tend to think about what choices we have made and how that has affected our place in the world.

Along with that can come the realization that we made really good choices or there could have been better options. Either way our lives are exactly where they are at this moment in time.

For those who are a bit younger, they have the wide horizon of life ahead of them. They have choices to make. Those choices are now taking on a bigger significance given what we now know about life and the world around them.

These youngsters, the high school seniors, have had what should be the greatest year of their lives turned on its head. Instead of a series of lasts, last high school final, last prom, last chance to hang out with their high school pals, their life is now one of uncertainty. They are receiving a crash course in how life can change in an instance.

These young adults face a world where a booming economy is now slowing down and people all around them may become a casualty of it. Layoffs and job uncertainty will be a painful normalcy for some time to come.

These students, instead of mourning what they have lost and what has changed, can use this situation to evaluate what could be of their future. They can look at how to make themselves invaluable to a future employer and help to guarantee that they become an essential employee.

Every year there are lists of what hot jobs are out there. National lists and state lists, everyone has an idea based on pay or rate of employment or job satisfaction of what everyone should strive to do. While most of these lists are creative and certainly have merit, what they often lack is a realization of what the job means to the average person.

One such list I found online in a national news magazine had the top 25 jobs for people this year. Being that the list was published B.C., or before Corona, the list is somewhat out of date. Flashy, prestigious jobs were at the top of the list. Mathematicians, IT managers, Statisticians were high on the list. Analysts, genetic counselors were there too. Medical doctors, of various types, were listed. All important.

In Maine, a similar list had software developers, business analysts and mechanics as the top jobs in the state. Some of the other jobs to make the cut were Nurse Practitioner, Physician’s Assistants and Home Health Aid. All of these jobs help the economy and provide a much-

needed service to people and organizations throughout the state. Some of these jobs are better positioned to be part of the bank of essential jobs.

As the young people who are leaving behind the security of their parent’s homes and entering the larger world prepare for that journey they should look at these lists of top jobs and think about how they would keep paying the bills if they were to be faced with a pandemic in the future. If you have a skill set that is in demand right now you might never go without a job again.

Think about what is truly in demand right now. Certainly, nurses and every other job that works in hospitals are coveted. Very few nursing staff members are being furloughed or laid off right now. The work can be very difficult and it is not for everyone. However, with the number of nursing jobs that are available, even in times when there is no global pandemic, it is an employee’s market as they say.

Even non-direct patient care areas of hospitals can have numerous open positions, and once again, those positions rarely ever get furloughed.

There are other sought-after jobs right now. Truck drivers are necessary in any economic state. Why, you ask? Because that roll of toilet paper that you are stalking at your local big box store does not magically arrive at the store. No, there is a person who has driven that case of goods from a warehouse or manufacturer to be able to have it end up in your cart in the morning. Truck drivers are literally the backbone of the nation and are usually always in demand.

Electricians and tradesmen are needed. You might think that with the economy slowing down there would not be a need for such jobs. Think again. While that person who had to cut back their hours at the store or the restaurant is sitting at home, the neighbor who is an electrician is finishing up the sixth call of the day. Same thing for a plumber. Those service calls never stop coming for someone in the trades.

To the class of 2020, while you sit and lament all that you are missing out on as the school year dwindles down, think about what you can do to make yourself employable. Think about this sudden turn of events and inoculate yourself from it. Use this time to learn how to be better off.

Jonathan Crimmins can be reached at j_crimmins@hotmail.com.