Five hot careers in a cold economy

When people can't find a job in their intended field, they can look to these five areas which currently need employees.

By Samantha Knaack

Healthcare

People age and live longer, so health care workers will always be needed. The jobs with the most security are registered nurses, physician assistants, internal medicine physicians, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and physical therapy assistants.

However, not only direct care providers fall under the health care industry. There is also a need for people behind the scenes.

“Under Obama’s health care plan, he plans to create a seamless information management system within healthcare. Fout says.

There will be an online patient record system. So, if a patient is in the hospital in Cincinnati, they can see a doctor in Chicago and the Chicago doctor will be able to pull that patient’s records up online. This will decrease the price for medical costs, labs and other tests. People are needed to man this system.” Fout also says that there are many careers in hospital administration, medical records, information management and nursing homes.

Education

Education is ongoing. Fout says there are many positions in higher education, elementary and special education. According to a recent Reader’s Digest article, “Despite the Economic Downturn, These Careers Are Still Growing,” authors Cathie Gandel and Hilary Sterne say, “Math and science teachers will be in demand as the United States struggles to compete with other countries in engineering, technology and medicine.”

Fout says there is a surge in children being born, creating the need for teachers. And when teachers need to be let go, often the experienced ones who make higher salaries go first. Younger, lower salaried educators are then brought in.

Finance

Gandel and Sterne say that financial services have a bright future. They say, “Corporate America’s wretched excesses mean more government regulation. Workers who are retiring will need advice on how to make their money last.” Accounting is one of the strongest job titles; it is needed almost everywhere. Fout says, “Accounting continues to offer jobs in bad economic times; everyone needs an accountant.” He says, “Accountants can decide if they want to work for a corporation, do taxes for people or work for a nonprofit organization. There’s also forensic accounting where individuals work in security, investigating fraud.”

Government

According to Gandel and Sterne, more than 500,000 federal employees will retire by 2016 and make up around 45 percent of the government agency work force. Security positions are unyielding in this category: homeland security, border patrol, CIA, FBI and land management.Fout says, “Most people think that government positions can only be found in Washington D.C., but government positions are everywhere. However, they are often clustered around the Capitol and big cities.”

Energy

Green energy from biofuels and wind energy are booming industries. People care more about the environment these days, and wind and green energy industries are thriving. Fout says there are about 34,000 positions available solely in wind energy. But what types of degrees fall into the green energy category? Those with architecture, biology, chemistry and interior design degrees are great for this industry. Fout says that better building practices can drive down energy costs. Interior designers and architects create and build the interiors of big buildings, schools and hospitals. It’s all about creating energy efficiency.

Stay Optimistic

Many people become discouraged when they don’t get that dream job right out of college. Fout says to give yourself a break and that graduates shouldn’t get too scared by a bad economy. Fout says, “There are always jobs out there. It’s all about adjusting your expectations. Nobody goes into a career and stays in it. It’s your life — you have to learn how to manage it.” And the career center can help current students and graduates with all of their job hunting needs.