Job security

[Goldy1]

Yes, I am a talented teacher and have the grades, many past job refs etc to prov eit, but it does me no good if there are no openings in my local area. There are plenty of talented engineers etc with no jobs due to auto industry cuts, and I suppose plenty of good people who worked in finance with no jobs now.
I started college as a "pre nursing" student in the mid 90's. I was certain job security would be great if I became a nurse. I do not remember why but I had a couple people tell me that nurses were getting laid off then. That isn't the case now at least in Michigan (in fact they are begging for nurses here and many states) but it proves you never know.
Also daunting is going into a career you do not like.

[FrugalFish]

I come from a long line of people who worked in the funeral industry- that's pretty reliable in all times. My great grandfather may have gotten paid in chickens and pies sometimes, but they never went hungry.

I think a lot of people are kidding themselves to make themselves not worry. It's just too scary to think about- and by the time it hits most people's radar, it's too late to save what they know they should have. Before my DH had his extended layoff a decade ago, I didn't think something like that could or would ever happen to us. I take nothing for granted these days.

[disneysteve]

Sorry. Wrong thread.

[Cylenchar]

My job is definitly not secure: I work for a homebuilders in house mortgage company. Luckily, we are one of the few doing even remotly well. I have survived well over 10 layoffs in the pst year and a half. I have been here for almost 4 years and consistently have some of the best numbers in the company. However, I know i could get the ax on any given day. To help, i am currently studying for my first actuary test. This should greatly approve my employability as the first test is probability/statistics, so having a test result to show strong math skills will be a definite plus.

[Caoineag]

My field is fairly secure. I am a paralegal at a small firm who helps with whatever needs to be done. My job could evaporate (not likely, but could) but the field is still hiring so I wouldn't have a big issue staying employed.

[boosami]

US defense contractor. As long as we have a need to defend our country, I have a job.

[Goldy1]

I read legal jobs are going to lawyers in India b/c they get paid like a fourth of an AMerican lawyer or less(maybe the money there is worth less, not sure). They are used for things such as going over contracts. US firms are employing overseas lawyers. lol kind of odd.


I just kind of thank heavens I am in my 30's and not 21 again b/c we were able to work in our 20's and pay down the mortgage and job security wasn't as much an issue as it is now so I feel I have a head start on taking care of myself in the future with a place to live and some retirement saved.

[disneysteve]

I read legal jobs are going to lawyers in India b/c they get paid like a fourth of an AMerican lawyer or less(maybe the money there is worth less, not sure). They are used for things such as going over contracts. US firms are employing overseas lawyers. lol kind of odd.

Even some medical jobs are getting outsourced. Radiologists are being used in India. Since most facilities now take x-rays digitally instead of on film, the images can be sent anywhere to be interpreted. Our local hospital uses Indian radiologists after hours rather than keeping a radiologist on-site to read x-rays and CT scans done through the ER.

Medical billing is another job that can easily be outsourced.

[boosami]

Even some medical jobs are getting outsourced. Radiologists are being used in India.

I used to work in the healthcare field, like Steve. Even years ago, I was beginning to see full outsourcing of procedures, called "medical tourism." For example, someone may need an expensive procedure that would cost as much as $200k in the US. Getting the procedure done in India from a fully-qualified hospital the total bill including the airfare would be less than $10k! I thought it was interesting, and I wonder if it has picked up any more in recent times. I'm interested to hear your thoughts, Steve, from the perspective of a physician.

[disneysteve]

boosami, medical tourism has gained in popularity in recent years. We talked about it in another thread recently. There is even domestic medical tourism where people go to parts of the US where medical costs are a lot lower.

What do I think? I think if you do your homework, it isn't such a bad idea. A great many foreign doctors are US-trained, so their education and skills are comparable to US docs. As long as the facilities are well-equipped, why not save tens of thousands of dollars, especially if you are paying for it yourself. The US is not the only country in the world with good quality medical care.

Fortunately, being a family practice doc, my job really can't be outsourced since I mostly treat acute non-surgical illness and chronic conditions like blood pressure and diabetes that require ongoing visits.

[cobbsterpcv]

I'm a teacher for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools on a military base overseas. Federally employed in a profession where there is high demand anyway generally means secure.

[mommyof4]

I'm a teacher for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools on a military base overseas. Federally employed in a profession where there is high demand anyway generally means secure.

My mother did that years ago. I'm now working with another lady who used to be a principal at one of the schools in Germany.

[Ronin]

I'm in Law Enforcement, which you would assume is a secure job in all times, but recently with city budgets stretched thin they are talking about laying off police. This makes absolutely no sense, because that just puts citizens (tax-payers) in more danger. Unsafe city = a city tax-payers don't want to live in = less money for the city....

I spent 10 yrs in the USAF prior to joining the police, I could always go back if need be, but I'd rather not be in the military right now.

[Seeker]

I'm in Law Enforcement, which you would assume is a secure job in all times, but recently with city budgets stretched thin they are talking about laying off police. This makes absolutely no sense, because that just puts citizens (tax-payers) in more danger. Unsafe city = a city tax-payers don't want to live in = less money for the city....

I spent 10 yrs in the USAF prior to joining the police, I could always go back if need be, but I'd rather not be in the military right now.

City budgets are going to be stretched thinner as most of their revenue comes from us taxpayers, whom in turn are paying less taxes because property values are declining, and while citizens may not want to live in cities that are unsafe, they will also not be able to live in the city (ie keep their mortgage and pay their taxes) if they cannot keep working in the area anyway.

No job is secure and chaos reigns when people are unemployed. It's all just one large circle.

[GREENBACK]

The problem with gov't is they put bandaids on problems that really need a cure. They do short term fixes that look good on paper but create other problems down the road. Maybe it's job security for them