Career Advice

Let my preface by saying "Nice board, Mish and others."

I have been a longtime reader. TMT and Globaleconomicanalysis have done wonders to supplement my education in Economics. All of the news leaves me with a big question.

 What will the hot jobs be in the coming recession/ depression?

I am fairly certain that they do not include real estate. I would like suggestions and comments, as to steer my career in a strait path while it is still in it's infancy.

Regards,

Jim

How about marketing a Britney Spears "Chia Head" now that she's released from rehab?    ;-)    ~julie

I was pretty much kidding about the chia head britney  ;-)

I had read about some really efficient, new and desired solar panels being made in S. Africa.  Don't know the name of the company, only that these would be ideal for homes to use.  Much smaller, more efficient and you could sell power back to the grids, if you invested in a number of them.

I also found this site that may be of general help:  http://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Top_Jobs.htm

Trends are about change and every change has at its core, a "driver." To predict or spot a new trend, look for these basic forms of drivers.

• The need to save time
• The need to reduce cost
• The need to do things faster
• The need to make things easier to use
• The need to improve safety and reliability
• The need to lessen the impact on the environment

Good luck!   ~j

The biggest effect on jobs will be the baby boomers. Look for a field where it is skewed towards them, ie there will be a lot of retirees in the next 5 - 10 years. That ensures demand (in theory) for your skills.

As an example, I believe that 40% of doctors are retiring in Canada over the next 10 - 15 years (this datapoint may be slightly inaccurate since I'm too rushed to do a google).

http://www.healthworkforce.health.nsw.gov.au/amwac/amwac/pdf/10_retCAN.pdf

For example, by 2009, 44.5% of all physicians in Ontario will be over 55 years old.

 

The second point is I would look for a career in an area providing a service or good that is NEEDED, not necessarily wanted. Since the 1920's, North Ameicans have been subjected to advertising that shifted their consumption habits from buying what they needed, to buying what they wanted. If the TSHTF (the stuff hits the fan) and there is a credit contraction, it may well be that habits shift back to consumption by need, not by want.

So, a career which is top-heavy with older people, providing something that is needed. Although this is a pretty vague description, it will allow more flexibility in finding something that you also enjoy.

Graham.

 

Let my preface by saying "Nice board, Mish and others."

I have been a longtime reader. TMT and Globaleconomicanalysis have done wonders to supplement my education in Economics. All of the news leaves me with a big question.

 What will the hot jobs be in the coming recession/ depression?

I am fairly certain that they do not include real estate. I would like suggestions and comments, as to steer my career in a strait path while it is still in it's infancy.

Regards,

Jim

Apologies for the delay.
I was out of town and this particular forum is a bit off the beaten track.
Can you try posting again on the economy/general discussion forum?

I will say this: Trying to figure out the next trend before it happens id the 64 million $ question.
But it does not hurt to ask

Let my preface by saying "Nice board, Mish and others."

Hello Jim. Welcome  to the off the beaten track forum   ;-)

 What kind of work  have you done or are interested in doing?   ~julie

Jim,

My what a question and one that I constantly ask myself.  My humble opinion:

The best investment you can make is in yourself.  This is where I started.   I then started gathering information, ALWAYS educating myself, doing due diligence, etc...and then acting.   Most people never do any of the above.  Who knows where it will lead, but I/you will be much more ahead of the game than most.  So that is where I started. 

Secondly, I looked at big social, economic, and political trends.  I asked questions like-  What does the economy look like now?  What will it look like 5-10 years from now? Where are people migrating?  Where is there demand?  Where is there need?  How does technology fit into the equation?  Where do I want to live?  How can I provide for my family?

One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to keep an open mind and always listen but hold my own opinion as well.  So form an opinion after and while you are educating yourself.  And this is always on going.  It never ends. 

Some of the conclusions that I have come up with (these by no means are facts, just what I have found to be true.  You might come up with different answers and conclusions) are:

America has become "dumbed down".  Thus, there is a HUGE need for good, ethical, reliable, and INTELLIGENT workers.  If you are all of the above, you are miles ahead of most people.  I have experienced this as an employee, as a project manager, and as an entrepreneur. 

We are a global economy, inflation/deflation debate be damned.  The internet, telephone, cell phone, etc...  has enabled individuals to have a store front in every country.  To give you an idea, even though 75% of this sites traffic is from the U.S., we have readership and customers from all over the globe.  In fact, my family and I spend a few weeks/months in Europe every year.  And I have access to a computer, so I can work.  You can run a business from anywhere.  So think globally. 

I am a big believer in the commodity super cycle.  I believe the biggest factor is the demand from Asia.  So why not sell them stuff like energy, food, industrial metal, etc....

Good luck Jim, and thx for asking a great question.

Andy

I would actually disagree with the idea that jobs in real estate are a bad place to be. Like many sectors, I actually don't believe that there are "good times" and "bad times". Rather, there are "good positions" and "bad positions". There will actually be tons of opportunity in real estate for those positioned properly.

You can not prepare to take advantage of the coming opportunities without reading Tom Friedman's, "The World is Flat."  America is simply unprepared for the ascent of anyone, let alone two HUGE countries with very large capacities to improve. I havent finished it, but I can't stop telling people about it.  It should be mandatory reading for any business student in college, period. Country economies are measured but increasingly it's a world system operating.  Its not a zero sum game per se, but as China and India's standards of living rises, ours is falling.

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