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The job market for Licensed Practical Nurses is strong and offers opportunities nationwide, which makes LPN training programs an attractive option for residents of the Gulf Coast region. However, before deciding to pursue certification as a Licensed Practical Nurse, you may want to know what kind of career path might be available to you. How realistic would it be to relocate if you’re ready for a change of scenery, or to stay in the Northshore or Greater New Orleans area if this is where you feel at home? Wherever you go, would you have the chance to maximize your career potential?

The good news is that demand for LPN jobs is high all over the country due to the number of facilities in which LPNs are qualified to work, and just about every location offers the potential for advancement. You just have to be aware of the options that are available to you, and have a plan to make them a reality.

The petrochemical industry is a mainstay of the economy of the Gulf Coast region, and serves as one of the primary employers in the state of Louisiana. While the industry has been in something of a slump in recent years, there are signs that oil and gas prices are starting to rebound. If that upward trend in prices continues, skilled workers such as welders could see new employment opportunities materialize as the industry begins to enter an expansion phase. This potential growth, along with the projected workforce shortage caused by the impending retirement of a large percentage of the nation’s skilled workers, indicates that this might be an advantageous time to consider training for a profession such as welding.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of intelligence testing as it relates to our performance in school, but we often don’t stop to question how the results apply to our real-world success. What if you excel in other areas, or you simply aren’t interested in traditional academic approaches?

Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University first addressed this issue in the early 1980s with his theory of Multiple Intelligences. He believed that standard tests of intelligence didn’t tell the whole story of a person’s strengths, talents, and learning style.

If you’re considering a career in the skilled trades, you may be familiar with the individual skills required to succeed in each job—for instance, you likely understand that a welder should have steady hands and good concentration. But if you’ve heard of employers looking for “soft skills”, you may question what qualifies as a soft skill and whether soft skills are really all that important in the skilled trades.

The simplest explanation is that soft skills are the interpersonal skills that you need to succeed in your career. In other words, they’re people skills, and all workers need to develop them as part of their career training. It doesn’t matter whether you choose an academic degree program or technical training; you should always invest in a program where your instructors and mentors will put an appropriate focus on your entire skill set because that approach offers the greatest chance of lifelong success. Strong technical skills may get you a job, but a successful career requires equally strong interpersonal skills.

Many Americans still struggle with the perception that a college degree is the best option for anyone planning to enter the work force. But is this really accurate? Maybe for some individuals it is, but for others, technical training programs are a much more practical choice.

Compass Career College in Hammond, Louisiana offers training for jobs in fields such as Welding, Cosmetology, and Allied Health. Many individuals have used the opportunities available at CCC to kick start successful careers and secure brighter futures. They are a vital part of the nation’s work force for whom a college degree would be unnecessary, maybe even counterproductive.