10 Hot Professions for 2009
Joy Victory, Payscale.com, Yahoo! HotJobs


As the global economy continues to falter, job prospects for 2009 are expected to slow. But if you're lucky enough to be in one of these top fields, your job future is still quite bright. Take a look at this list below and either thank your lucky stars that your job is already on it, or consider seeking the education and experience for the career that most interests you.
Auditor. With all of the economic upheaval, businesses are being watched more carefully than ever. "There is a lot of money flowing into companies right now due to the stimulus package," says Ron Mitchell, CEO and co-founder of GottaMentor, a career coaching service located in New York City. "And, we've all seen some issues with, 'Where is this money going to?'" He adds that auditors are mostly working for the big four [accounting firms] and also as internal auditors. Average Yearly Salary - $64,914

Career Counselor. More folks than usual are starting off the new year without a job in sight. How can the out-of-work find gainful employment? From outplacement agencies to government programs, career counselors and coaches will be very busy in 2009 helping make things easier. Mitchell encourages those seeking work to get professional help, saying, "Many individuals will need to completely re-engineer their careers. In order to do that, people need personalized guidance and feedback from an expert counselor." Average Yearly Salary - $54,426

Counselor. Besides their bank accounts, people's self-esteem and confidence are getting hit hard these days. "People's self worth is tied up in their job, so you have a huge identity crisis happening. Counseling and mental health services will be in high demand," says Mitchell. Guidance and some soul-searching can result in new and better careers for those in transition. Average Yearly Salary - $40,275

Public Relations Specialist. Rather than promoting a line of sparkly, new products or an exciting initiative, many public relations professionals will spend the upcoming year smoothing over unfortunate events. Mitchell predicts: "Being able to tell a story about major layoffs, reduced sales, and failed mergers, without causing a panic in the market, will become even more important." Average Yearly Salary - $44,334

Factor. A what? Didn't you study those in algebra? While this career is fairly foreign to most folks, now that bank loans are hard to come by, factoring allows small business to get funding based on their current accounts receivable -- the money they expect to have coming in. Factoring works well for retailers and other businesses that have big receivables. Mitchell explains that factoring is a legitimate source of funds in hard times. He says, "It's a huge business and, at a time when people can't get other types of lending, factors are skilled experts at lending against accounts receivables." Average Yearly Salary - $79,846

Health-Care Technician. You may know that nurses are in demand, but what about the folks they work with? "There's never enough of them, like radiology technicians, lab assistants, and home health aides. Health-care is the largest industry in the country, and in the more technical aspects of those careers we have a huge shortage of personnel," says Mitchell. Average Yearly Salary (Pharmacy Technician) - $32,531

Mechanical Engineer (and all engineering fields). With every passing year, more skilled-labor jobs are replaced by complex automation or robotics systems. For example, some hospitals have turned to "robotic pharmacies" to help dispense medication. It's the engineers who help build these automated systems, says Jim Turnquist, director of career services at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. "In the U.S. we only graduate 70,000 engineers per year, but we're going to need 100,000 per year. The demand is going to go way up." Average Yearly Salary - $71,490

Networking/System Administrator. Since almost all business transactions these days are done with the assistance of a vast computer network, the people who understand how to keep computer networks running smoothly are critically important -- and consequently, in high demand. "Network and system administrators maintain the company's infrastructure. People need people to fix and monitor their infrastructure, keep them updated," Mitchell says. Average Yearly Salary - $54,193

Nurse. The health-care field has been booming for a long time, and all signs indicate it will continue to do so, says Turnquist. He also says college students and people looking for a new job field would be wise to consider physical therapy and similar "exercise science" fields, since aging Baby Boomers will be looking for ways to remain active long into their later years. Average Yearly Salary (Registered Nurse) - $53,840

Software Designer/Developer. Companies from all sectors of the economy are looking for software engineers and programmers, says Turnquist. This is because society in general is becoming more tech-dependent -- just think of how rapidly cell phones change with each passing year -- requiring software developers that can stay abreast of all the changes. Average Yearly Salary - $72,070

Source: All salary data is from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are median, annual salaries for full-time workers with 5-8 years of experience and include any bonuses, commissions or profit sharing.

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~ Morning rain

From my personal experience, I am also seeing the last segment (software engineer, developer) slowly thin out of the Canadian IT sector simply because of the expensive labour costs.

Where I work, IT consultants in the above roles charge $800/day by the consulting company to the client.

The offshore counterparts in the same role have a payscale of $275/day.

So you see that big difference.

My company is offsetting this by beefing up on System Analysts and Business Solution Advisors. These roles are primarily client facing and are responsible for requirement gathering and designing apps and formulating solutions. The execution is sent to Bangalore.

The cost savings for the client is enormous.

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If you have a gun, you can rob a bank.
If you have a bank, you can rob everyone.
- Bill Maher

THE RIGHT-BRAIN ADVANTAGE
by Donika Madjirova / Career Resource Specialist
Training Innovations / Burnaby Employment Resource Centre

It is commonly believed that individuals choosing to go for degrees and diplomas in the fine arts, humanities and social studies struggle to find high-paying jobs upon graduation. According to author Daniel Pink, this will not be the case in the future. Pink argues, the artistic and creative ‘right-brain’ professionals will be in much higher demand as the workplace ‘climate’ is changing yet again.

In his book, ‘A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future’, Pink argues that just as information/ knowledge workers surpassed manual labour workers with the shifting patterns of the economy, power and demand will shift once again when we enter the new ‘Conceptual Age’. According to the author, the future of business is subject to three main trends: ‘abundance’ (too much consumer choice; companies standing out by appealing to the aesthetic), ‘asia’ (everything can be outsourced), and ‘automation’ (computerization and technology).

As left-brain abilities - logic and analysis, math and science, order / pattern perception, practicality, reality-based approaches - continue to be outsourced, it is people who possess strong right-brain qualities that will develop skill sets of increasing importance. The book reveals six essential aptitudes or ‘six senses’ for career and workplace success: design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. Those sensibilities make the person multi- and interdisciplinary, moving beyond function to engage emotions and intuition, master narrative skills, develop empathy and contextual thinking.

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~ Morning rain