Is there any safe job? Any career that will have demand in the US for decades to come? (insurance, financial)

[evilnewbie]

You could always farm... everyone needs to eat and if they eat less, more food for you...

[Woof]

The only jobs I've seen here that would be fairly recession proof in today's circumstances are nursing and undertaker. To those I would add TV, movie, and radio entertainment industries (as long as it's a job that can't be done by an illegal with an accent), tort lawyers, and religious clergy. Also the upcoming infrastructure jobs will probably be limited to American citizens.

Practically everything can either lose funding or be done by illegals.

Utilities are going to cut costs to the bone as more and more people become unable to pay bills,

repairs will be done by illegals whose families eat mostly beans and are willing to live 6 to a room,

law enforcement and firefighting are facing reductions as cities go bankrupt,

Obama and Congress are going to slash military jobs (and rightfully so),

people will drink at home more than in bars,

drugs will mostly be made or grown at home,

prostitutes will become so common that they'll be lucky to make enough for a meal,

and even farming will be done either by factory farms using migrant laborers, or much of the food will be grown/raised in backyard gardens.

[bande1102]

I'd say the best way to stay employed is to be adaptable and open to new opportunities. Jobs are constantly disappearing/new opportunities are appearing and you have to have the ability to 1) accept that the new reality involves changing careers at least 2 times during your lifetime and 2) adapting to new situations. Those who define themselves by a job title are dangerously limiting their earning power.

[North Beach Person]

Geriatrics and physical therapy.

[jasape]

Doctors and nurses will always be needed because there will always be sick people. Maybe also morticians because there will always be dead people.

[thebigr]

As bale002 said "trading in the capital markets". 2008 was one of my best years since I started in 92'. It's not for everyone and yes it can be stressful but you can limit the risk if you have a good strategy. And I really enjoy working from home.

I also own a small trucking company but I am going to be liquidating that soon and spend all my time trading. Trucking is definatly not reccesion proof and I have been through to many down turns with it. This will be the last one for me.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Woof

The only jobs I've seen here that would be fairly recession proof in today's circumstances are nursing and undertaker. To those I would add TV, movie, and radio entertainment industries ...

Nah ... entertainment industries are definitely vulnerable. For one thing ... TV and radio relies on ad revenues, which is way down. And people cut back on entertainment during tough times.

I used to work in TV and I got laid off all of the time ... even during good times because shows get cancelled constantly. It's one of the major reasons I decided to go to nursing school.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by jasape

Doctors and nurses will always be needed because there will always be sick people.

There was a time when nurses weren't needed ... there was actually a nursing surplus in the early '90s. It really depends on how much of the population is over age 60.

Now the baby boom generation is retiring so we have a lot more older people who need medical services. That's really what's driving up the demand for nurses and other healthcare personnel.

[cdelena]

"Companies are cutting jobs by the tens of thousands. State and local governments are penny-pinching, too. So what about Uncle Sam? Tough times for him as well? Not exactly.

In fact the number of federal workers is on the rise."


Pick a field and concentrate on federal government openings... good pay, benefits, retirement, security.

[eatfastnoodle]

Well, there is no 100% safe jobs. There is no 100% anything. It's just not how this world works. (GM retirees probably thought they got a 100% safe job with 100% safe retirement back when they took the job). That's a premise one must establish before a meaningful discussion can start. There are relatively safe jobs in the economy, but more often or not, that's also the kind of jobs that demand the most out of you in term of intelligence, patience, ability to adapt and sheer luck. My safe job list would include:
1. politicians are safe cuz the public isn't the brightest bulb and they always need somebody to lead them, honest politician or a crook, it doesn't matter. As long as he/she could master the intricacies of politics and isn't too unlucky, he/she would always have the best house to live, best car to drive, best food to eat and best woman to fu*k, no matter how ****ty the economy is, which country you live in (US politician, African politician and North Korean politician all live the same luxurious life style)and how violent the world becomes. And they are also the only crowds who don't need to rely on the survival of the system. (Soviet Union collapsed. Communism ended. But the rulers of the biggest nation of the world are still the same old crowd)

2. Tenured professors, especially professors in engineering disciplines, are pretty solid as long as the system doesn't collapse. They have life-long job security and added income from whatever grant they can get. Also their expertise and connection accumulated (specific to professors in engineering) are often more than enough to land them a pretty high level job in the industry, I personally know quite a few professors take essentially indefinite sabbatical to work in the industry. It's good, it's paid very well, and it has enormous potential, but it also requires Phd, lots of publication, lots of networking&politicking and all the skills a business owners need. Most people simply can't handle it.

3. Doctors, war or peace, poor or rich, people always get sick, they always need doctors. Doctors are also one of few professions that pays well in every country. Doctor's skills also grow in value as holders of that skills grow older and more experienced.