Bulletproof careers p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

If only we’d known where Windows was headed, we’d have taken jobs with Microsoft straight out of high school.

If we’d just listened to the environmental doomsayers back in the ’70s, we’d be moguls of recycling today.

It’s easy to pick winners in retrospect. The trick is spotting hot careers on the way up, especially in times of recession.

The government offers some guidance, with a list of fast-growth sectors put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trouble is, that office last released its list in 2007, and the U.S. economy has taken a different — downward — turn since.

“I don’t think any industry is going to be growing all that fast, and in fact some industries may grind to a halt or experience a pretty strong downturn,” said Patrick Gray, partner at international recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International in Washington, D.C.

Other experts are more optimistic. Maybe yesterday’s growth industries are not absolutely dead in the water. Maybe they’re just unknowable in the short term, said J. Bradford DeLong, professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

“All bets are off for the next two years,” DeLong said.

Not reassuring for those on the cusp of a career change. Still, there are some bulletproof careers you can take advantage of, as well as some strategic job-hunting advice.

Economic catastrophe may have its upside for the job seeker or career changer, Gray said.

A former Army captain and West Point graduate, Gray left the service just in time for the post-dot-com recession. Finding no growth potential in any industry, at least in the short term, he pursued an MBA and eventually found his way into his present position.

With few prospects in sight, the economic downturn gave him time to think and plan. Golden lining ahoy.

Gray thought long-term, and experts say that’s the way to go in times like these. Any career plan that looks only a year or two into the future isn’t a career plan; it’s a summer job. Career planning requires strategic vision, even in economic down times — one reason behind the BLS projections, which stretch from 2006 to 2016.

The authors of that list knew there would be ups and downs along the way, even serious downs, “but if you look out at a five- or 10- or 20-year horizon, odds are the BLS projections are still very good,” DeLong said.

Here are seven careers with recession-proof potential and what it takes to land one:

1. K-12 teaching

You remember your teacher in elementary school drilling math, reading and science. For middle and high school educators, add keeper of the peace and confiscator of iPods. Those who love teaching say there’s nothing better.

• Why it’s growing: More federal funding makes hiring possible. Enrollments are way up in the fast-growing South and West. Special education is booming, too, thanks to continued emphasis on needs of disabled students.

• What you need: All states require some form of license or certification, though high-needs districts may have the ability to hire teachers who are working toward certification. Training and competency requirements vary state by state.

• Where to find out more: American Federation of Teachers; National Education Association

2. Consulting services

Often highly specialized, these folks get deep into a company’s inner workings to help set high-level business and technology strategy.

• Why it’s growing: Businesses need great advice on investing in sophisticated new technologies and organizing payroll and benefits to the best advantage for all. Short-term downside: Belt-tightening means consultants are sometimes the first to go. The upside: Massive consultancy Accenture said in 2007 that it would nearly double its work force of 13,000 consultants over the next three years.

• What you need: About 42 percent of management consultants have a bachelor’s degree, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared with 20 percent of workers throughout the economy. About 32 percent have a master’s degree or higher.

• Where to find out more: Institute of Management Consultants USA Inc.

3. Employment services

These are temp services, the recruiting industry. Most of the people are recruiters, sales professionals and administrative support.

• Why it’s growing: Down times can be up times here. “A lot of companies will be more apt to fill positions with temporary help,” Gray said. “You can get rid of them easier, and you don’t have to incur some of the costs of full-time employees.” Plus, temps are business-friendly. “The industry has been growing faster than the economy because of flexibility: Workers want it, businesses need it and it’s good for the economy,” according to the American Staffing Association’s 2007 annual economic analysis.

• What you need: Much depends on the company. An agency that tends to hire support personnel may take on recruiters with less education. Those placing executives will want to see a depth of education and experience. Agencies that act as outsource suppliers of personnel services such as benefits administration, human resources and financial support will look for experts in those areas.

• Where to find out more: American Staffing Association; National Association of Professional Employer Organizations

4. Hospitals

Physicians and surgeons aren’t the only ones who work in hospitals. About three in 10 hospital workers are nurses, according to BLS. One in five workers are in service jobs, including food service and housekeeping. Translation: booming opportunity.

• Why it’s growing: Better medical technology creates more opportunities for treatment. At the same time, people are living longer. Older people need more care, more often.

• What you need: From janitorial work to surgical specialists, hospitals seek all levels of experience and diverse forms of training.

• Where to find out more: American Medical Association/Health Professions Career and Education Directory

5. Local government

The largest number of local government jobs — excluding education and health care — are police and sheriff’s patrol officers, bailiffs, correctional officers and jailers, and firefighters. One in five local government workers is in a professional occupation; same again for office and administrative support; 12 percent are in management, business and financial occupations, BLS said.

• Why it’s growing: Thirty-five years ago, 26 percent of local managers were younger than 30, according to the International City/County Management Association. By the turn of this century, that number had fallen to 2 percent. There’s a wave of retirements coming. At the same time, local government is racing to meet a growing demand for social services, especially services for the elderly, the mentally impaired and children.

• What you need: Jobs run the gamut, from urban planners to engineers, secretaries to police officers to jailers. Training will vary.

• Where to find out more: International Public Management Association for Human Resources

6. Fast food

• Why it’s growing: With money tight, “People are going to stop going to Applebee’s, stop going to P.F. Chang’s, and start going to McDonald’s more,” Gray said. And we didn’t even wait for the recession. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service said in 2004 that per-capita spending on fast food would grow 6 percent between 2000 and 2020. It’s now rising about 8 percent a year, Gray said.

• What you need: Front-liners need limited job skills or training. Managers typically come up through the ranks, though career-changers with management experience also have a good shot at getting hired — and earning a mean annual wage of $41,790. Some chains offer their own advanced management training: McDonald’s runs the management school Hamburger University in suburban Chicago. More than 70,000 managers have graduated from the program.

• Where to find out more: National Restaurant Association

7. Computer systems design

These firms design Web sites, build computer networks, organize IT security apparatus and provide related services on clients’ behalf. They include programmers, networking professionals and computer facilities managers.

• Why it’s growing: Systems become ever more complex and ever more necessary. Tomorrow always brings another must-have technology. These are big, pricey projects with plenty of work to go around. The downside: They’re big, pricey projects. Some will be put on hold until the economy perks up.

• What you need: About 75 percent of workers in the industry have college degrees, according to BLS. Trends drive demand: Cybersecurity is hot right now, and IT pros with security expertise are coveted. Expect lifelong study.

• Where to find out more: Association for Computing Machinery; National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies