I-Team

Recession-Proof Careers

Almost half the 30 fastest growing occupations are concentrated in health services

(CBS4) Victoria Villalba has been helping South Floridians find good jobs for two decades. She remembers what our job market was like just a year ago. "We had more jobs than we had people then," she says. "It seemed like a flip of the switch that changed."

That flip of the switch was the subprime mortgage mess and the economic downturn that followed. Among the casualties were many good jobs in real estate, finance, and construction.

Villalba has advice for clients who have lost one of those jobs: "We need to be able to change to what the marketplace is demanding."

That means changing the way you look at work. Today, it's all about skills, such as mastering a new software program or learning another language, as well as changing with the times.

But there are jobs that are hot now that involve skills that will keep you employed through good times and bad. You can call them recession-resistant careers.

Here are some on the "A" list: computer programmer, graphic designer, accountant, paralegal, physical therapist, public relations professional, teacher or corporate trainer, international business specialist, and the hottest career of all: nursing.

With a shortage of nurses and an aging population, the need for RNs will be strong for decades to come. That attracts career-changers like Andrew Jett. He said, "Once you have your RN license and certainly a bachelor's degree, it's nice to know you're pretty much in demand wherever you go."

He is enrolled in the University of Miami's Accelerated Nursing Program for college graduates. Students finish after 12 months of classwork and clinical practice. For fellow student and former teacher Amy Melanson, there is a scholarship included. She says, "My tuition has been paid for in full this year, and my responsibility is a two-year commitment to one of the local hospitals."

These future nurses are studying their way to a financially rewarding career, but they're also living their dreams of helping people. And that's something career advisors like Victoria Villalba say is priceless. As she puts it, "It's not just a job; it's something you enjoy doing. You look forward to Monday morning.

For help finding your next job, you might start with one of these links.
Florida Jobs
State of Florida.com Job Help
State of Florida.com Job Search

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