5 Top Careers for the Next Decade

With the economy in a downslide, the best return on investment for your career may be to focus on your current job, rather than thinking about making any major changes.  If  you increase your skills and credentials by earning a degree or by taking certificate courses online, you can solidify your position at your current job. Still, preparing for your next job or next career may also be a good move. Of course, these days smart people are pursuing a recession proof career path that will be in demand now and well into the future.

Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to employment, but you can still hedge your bets.  If you have been considering your next career move, or if you are forced due to layoffs to make some fast career decisions, you may want to consider adding these professions to your short list:

 

1. Health Care:  If you are looking for  a guaranteed job then consider a career as a  ‘personal and home care aide’. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is projecting 773,000 more health care aide jobs to be added by 2016, more than any other profession. In addition, with an aging population, there will continue to be growth in other health related areas such as Pharmacy, Pharmacy Technician, Occupational Therapy Technician, Nursing, Physical Therapy Aide, Health Care Administration and Management, and many other health care professions.
2. Networking & System Administration:  The BLS predicts that this career field will have the largest growth rate (53%) of any major job field by the year 2016. The median starting salary of $55K-$65K is a good indication of the demand for the job.
3. Computer Software Engineers:  Demand for good computer engineering professionals has not fallen over the last decade, and probably won’t decrease over the next 10 years either. The BLS predicts this career path will add another 226,000 jobs by 2016.
4. Green Energy:  The next decade will produce many jobs in all fields related to green energy and the fight against global warming. President Obama's administration plans to spend at least $150 billion in the field of green energy over the next 10 years and predicts they will create 5 million new jobs.  Mechanical engineering and electrical engineers will some of the 20 most recession-proof jobs, and much of this job growth will be in the area of green engineering. There will be a growing demand for battery technicians, wind, solar, CO2 emissions technology, nanotechnology, materials sciences, natural gas exploration and infrastructure, and nuclear.
5. Sales Representatives/Account Support:  Jobfox.com indicates sales representatives and account/customer support as the #1 and #2 most recession-proof jobs.  With slow growth in many industries, people who can get results and keep clients/customers happy are in demand.  Since customer retention is much less costly than getting new customers in most cases, the need for good representatives is high.

While we don't encourage you to abandon your life dreams and goals, focusing on a career path that can result in almost certain employment that allows you to build transferable skills can be the best solution for now and for your future.

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