Top 10 Best High Demand Jobs In the Knoxville Employment Market, Including Nutrition - Ask About Internships

During the World's Fair of 1982 in Tennessee, I found Knoxville a most interesting place. The fair was held on both sides of the river and connected to the University of Tennessee. It was fun and refreshing to see a university that I had never visited previously, and to see so many international exhibits at the fair. Lines were long, but wait times were not as long as expected.

Despite usual high world's fair costs, the fair brought additional businesses and tourtist dollars to the city that spurred further educational and economic advancement in the coming decades. According to Sperling's Best Places, Knoxville has experienced recent growth in population, jobs (especially 4th QTR 2011, as seen below), and economy, with lower overall cost of living than for America total (84 as opposed to 100).

A reader and Hubber wrote in asking about the potential job market for employment in the field of Nutrition from December 2011 - March 2012 , her target city being Knoxville, Tennessee.

To begin, Nutrition and Dietetics jobs are not among the top 10 or 15 jobs projected to increase significantly in Knox County or in Knoxville, Tennessee. However, some related jobs are available now and a small increase is seen during 4th QTR 2011 in graphed data offered below. An overview of the job market is features at Top 5 Job Markets in Tennessee for 2008 - 2018. Fortuitously, the University of Tennessee has a food lab that may offer jobs and internships.

Looking at all jobs listed on Internet sites on December 19, 20, and 21 in 2011, I found only about 50 job postings in the field of nutrition or dietetics in an area within a 25-mile radius of the center of Knoxville. A 50-mile radius revealed about 100 such postings. Healthcare is the leading job industry in the city, with Food Prep and Service in casual dining and fast food places in second place.

Among the job vacancies within a reasonable driving distance for 25 miles maximum, the highest-demand nutrition related jobs are:

1. Retail Salespeople for sports nutrition items.
2. Merchandisers for Kellogg Company
3. Dietary Managers
4. Clinical Dieticians
5. Cooks
6. Home Health Aides (HHAs) -- Recent telecasts have highlighted the long-term plight of HHAs in their long work hours without overtime pay in the American Midwest.
7. Veterinary nutrition/dietician types of jobs (very few)

At the same time snapshot, I found posted nearly 250 nutrition-related jobs in other Tennessee cities. The top metro areas for this kind of work are Nashville, Memphis, and Franklin Tennessee. A move might be in order if our graduating friend wants to work in nutrition related fields.

An internship post graduation may be the answer to this dilemma of lack of job openings.

1. Event Specialists
2. Owner Operator Truck Drivers
3. Physical Therapists
4. Sales Representatives
5. Physician Assistants
6. Company Truck Drivers
7. Other Truck and Delivery Drivers
8. Occupational Therapists
9. Dentists
10. RN Nurses
11. Pharmacists
12. Physicians
13. Software Engineers
14. Accountants
15. Food Service - Casual and Fast Food Dining

Internships can lead into full-time employment and make a good segue from college to work.

Looking into the internship market in Knoxville is one way to find additional opportunities in nutrition after graduation and certification. Internships and jobs you might not find listed elsewhere may be available at hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living and retirement centers, schools K-12, colleges and universities, day care operations, restaurant chain headquarters, food companies like Kellogg, local and state health departments, the US Armed Services, and even prisons. Related to the privatized space program and NASA partnerships, nutrition and its various occupations will play a vital part of mankind's quest for deep space.

A good time to begin the quest for internships in nutrition and dietetics or related fields is at the beginning of the final semester of academic training or even before. However, begin as soon as possible to contact companies and organizations about internships and you may hear about full-time work in our field.

• The many Knoxville Hospitals are available at this link: http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/newcomers/hospitals.asp
• Knoxville City Schools: www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/newcomers/schools.asp
• Knox TN County Schools: http://knoxschools.org/?sessionid=b33394856cc8abfe64f308acff2cbd34&t
• Kellogg Company R&D - search under Nutrition: http://kelloggs.appone.com/Exempt/default.asp
• Local Colleges and Universities: http://www.knoxvilletennessee.com/edu-colleges.html

Consult Yellow Pages listings and online directories are additional companies and groups of organizations that offer internships and future employment in Nutrition and Dietetics.