This article will discuss which art jobs and engineer jobs are similar , and which are different.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released two interesting reports:

The first is "Historical Changes in the Employment Situation of Artisans, Technicians and Process Workers."

The second is "Job Outlook and Employment of Construction, Engineering, Plumbing, Fire Protection, and Transportation Workers by Industry."

Looking over these reports and websites I've collected an overwhelming amount of data on which jobs are in high demand and which ones are in low demand. The low demand jobs are not what most people imagine as typical "art jobs."

Do these reports tell us what the future of the American workforce will look like? Are there any similarities among the jobs listed above? What careers may be in high demand based on the current job market?

Art

The three jobs that stand out are artist, technician, and engineer. All three of these jobs require people to be good at making something and then analyzing it to make it better.

But this requires different skills and different time frames. So, which is the most in-demand profession?

It turns out there is no "most-in-demand profession."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) data is for the entire U.S. not just the "greater" or "more" metro areas. This means many cities may be asking for a lot of artist, technicians, and engineers.

The BLS includes them as separate occupations because these jobs need a lot of them. Also, these jobs are creative, and there is a niche market for that.

Most American cities may not need the same number of artists, but they may be asking for more technicians and engineers.

In all cases though, these jobs tend to be highly technical. The skillset tends to be specialized and need a specialized degree. These are jobs for people with a liberal arts education.

Is there a common trait among these jobs?

When I looked for similarities in the jobs, I found three factors that are shared: They are all highly technical jobs, they have a lot of them (usually two), and the degree must be in a technical field.

Technical Degrees

Artisan positions require a degree in a technical field. I found the three degrees that most commonly fulfill this requirement:

• Master's in design technology, architecture, or engineering
• Graduate degree in one or more of the following: architecture (including building science), engineering, construction management, civil engineering, electronics, communications, or industrial engineering.
• Master of business administration

Technical degrees require specialized training. A graduate degree is a good investment for anyone pursuing a career as an engineer or technician.

Licensure

Artisans, technicians, and engineers all have to be licensed to work in their fields. As I will explain later, the licensing requirements are incredibly detailed and strict.

The requirements are not a barrier to entering the field and learning the skills needed to work in these jobs.

Technical training

The requirements for artisans, technicians, and engineers are likely similar to the training required to learn these skills. Most people I know have to start somewhere, and what better place to learn than a community college.

Most people I know have taken art classes or studied mechanical engineering. You don't have to be an artist or engineer to learn these skills though. You just need to get an art or engineering degree.

What's the barrier to entry?

These are highly technical jobs. I think many people don't think that they want to learn a technical skill. It's intimidating, and it may require more specialized training.

You may be surprised to learn that most technical college students major in the liberal arts and often take a few technical classes to satisfy general education requirements. This is another way they can learn technical skills.

You can learn many of these skills in community college. You can pick up an art or engineering degree and learn the technical skills through classes you take during your education. The degree is not as complex, and it requires a limited number of credits.

To be clear, I don't recommend pursuing a technical degree for all artisans, technicians, and engineers. It is expensive, and it has many limitations. If you are an engineer or technician and interested in a degree, there are other options.

Build your skills!

If you don't have the skills you need, you need to get them. There are some steps you can take to learn the technical skills that you need.

Choose a career that interests you, find a local community college that has a program, and enroll. You will likely have to enroll part-time for several years to get your degree. This will give you more time to earn a living.

In my experience, these technical degrees do require more specialized training than an art or engineering degree. The degree in an art or engineering degree may require only 5 credits of general education, whereas a technical degree could require 15 or more credits.

Armed with a technical degree, you will have the skills necessary to enter the job market as an engineer or technician. You will be able to find a job that pays the same as a job as an architect or an engineer.