NEW FRONTIERS IN OCCUPATIONS

Abstract

It is a commonplace to say that “America” is no longer a frontier country. In the large it is unquestionably true. Throughout the depression, however, President Morgan has held to the belief (and has acted upon that belief) that there are many undiscovered frontiers within the economic complex. New occupations can be found and made; new opportunities in old occupations are waiting to be seized. The Editors of Occupations have asked Dr. Morgan to take us on a voyage of discovery and exploration. In this article, the first of a series by the man whom President Roosevelt has chosen to head the work of developing Muscle Shoals, he tells of the possibilities of one new profession and of uncanvassed opportunities in an old one.Managing public utilities can be transformed from a badly run political fob into a civically directed and efficiently conducted profession. One can prepare by combining work and study; he can start small—as a meter‐reader perhaps—and advance. The profession can attain the dignity of the superintendent of schools, but research and cooperation are necessary. Were these organized not only would present publicly owned utility systems employ trained managers, but more communities would establish such systems in the belief that they would be efficiently managed.It has been often suggested that the doctor can find great opportunities in rural districts. Dr. Morgan, wasting between planes in a mountain region, conducted a brief telephone research. He learned that there are such opportunities and he speculates upon how they may be grasped by present or future physicians.