Hat tip to Next Gen Personal Finance’s Jessica Endlich Winkler for finding this great interactive map (from Planet Money) showing how the most common job has changed in each state since 1978.  Be sure to hit the PLAY button at the lower, right hand side of the map to see how career opportunities have changed over time.

Have your students see how the map changes over these time periods and ask them what the main takeaways are (they may need to hit PLAY a few times).  I am sure they will naturally be interested in  how their state had changed over time and trying to explain why those changes have happened.

From the article:

• Why so many truck drivers?
• Rise and fall of secretaries
• Disappearance of manufacturing jobs
• Fewer and fewer farmers
• Who knew that Utah was a hub for technology jobs?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.