^{Are you one of the millions of Americans who experienced an un-
expected job loss due to
an economic slowdown or a shifting of your job to another country?}

^{The American economy is poised for some faster growth in 2004.  Anytime the economy grows faster than three percent a-year, say the experts, job growth follows.  At the same time, whenever the economy is just chugging along and is growing at less than three percent a-year, then there is zero job growth and if it is growing at less than two and a half percent, there is a decline in jobs.}

^{The U. S. government's Department of Labor studies the jobs in America and lists the job growth for several major occupations. Among them are jobs in the technology sector and, of course the service sector, specifically food service.}  

^{Career Education Opportunities
Boost your income with more education and new qualifications.}

<sup>A new career, 
is it for you?


A new career might be for you, if any of these  conditions are present in your cur- rent job or chosen  career field. The num- ber of people viewing web sites on career education and chang- ing career is at an all-time high.  One reason is the dramatic shift in the U. S. economy from a manufacturing base to a service and information base.</sup>

 <sup>This means more  American workers are changing their careers and jobs because they either are ahead of the curve and saw the changes coming or they are behind the curve and catching up after losing a job un- expectedly and their chosen career field's future shows little new opportunities and almost no growth.

Other factors often play a role in career changes.  They include, but are not limited to: wanting to earn  more money and/or obtain better benefits, current job dissatisfaction, re-
locating to another state, wanting to try something else and, yes, even retirement, especially at an early age, brings about many opportunities to begin something new.</sup>

<sup>If you see something of yourself here, then by all means, a career change may be right for you.  The first step is often the most difficult because many people feel they want a new career, but they don't know exactly what it is they really want to do in a new career.  The first place to begin is right here on this web site and look at the schools and career education programs that offer aptitude tests that will help you determine where your natural skills and experience will get you the most.

As you may have read "Get an exciting new job today!" in the column on the left,  American job growth is occurring most rapidly in the tech- nology and services information sectors.</sup>

^{There are many educational resources available on the Internet, however we wanted to include a few of, what we think are among the best places for you get all your questions answered about your new career}
Good Luck!
^{__________________
__________________}

^{IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT THAT WOULD HARM YOUR NEW CAREER CHOICES?}

^{CREDIT SCORES are used by employers increasingly in their hiring decisions.  Many jobs in today's new economy require security clearances in addition to the now normal background investigations,  em- ployers, in light of September 11th, 2001 attacks, now consider your personal credit report and  score as part of their process.}

^{If you think there may be a problem, visit the Institute of Consumer Financial Education's web site at:
www.icfe.info}

^{The ICFE is a wonderful resource for consumers of all ages to learn more about spending, saving and the wise use of credit.}