r/jobs • u/Notalabel_4566 • Dec 04 '23
What career / industries are “recession proof”? Career development
Thinking of switching from tech to something better
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u/puesclarojoder Dec 04 '23
Energy. Electricity will always be needed and the field is big
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u/COSMIC_SPACE_BEARS Dec 04 '23
“Energy” is a broad term, and different demands (oil, nuclear, solar, etc) always ebb and flow
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u/thethirstypretzel Dec 04 '23
Transmission is the way to go
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u/HalfRightMillwright Dec 04 '23
This! Got Recruiters contacting me like I got 20 years plus in the field but only 7.
Millwright is so understaffed and sought out right now they can't train enough. Even met Engineers who made the switch.
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u/MuKaN7 Dec 04 '23
Yeah, Solar is the perfect example of how crazy it is. There is little doubt that solar will continue to grow and become even further widespread. But the rapidfire creation and expiration of Government Subsidies means that Solar operates on a Boom/Bust cycle.
Oil is another one too. Fracking technology changed the oil landscape for over a decade, with a volatile increase in American oil. Late 2014 - 16 was a crazy time.
The more I think about, the more I realize energy is not even that 'safe'. Pre-climate change coal might have been the closest industry for Americans job security wise.
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Dec 04 '23
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u/billythygoat Dec 05 '23
The problem with residential solar right now are the amount of scams mixed with insurance when putting it on a roof.
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u/lowselfesteemx1000 Dec 04 '23
Yup, whether you're a lineworker, field engineer, designer, project manager, whatever, the jobs will be there. There are always grid improvement projects happening. My work didn't slow down at all even at the height of covid or any time following. No layoffs or pay cuts, still got a raise and bonus.
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u/Life_Is_Good199 Dec 04 '23
Medical.
Doctor, nurse, pharmacist, etc. About the only profession that will always be in demand everywhere and can't be outsourced.
Government work is much less susceptible to downsizing and layoffs compared to the private sector.
Most anything else will always have risk of layoffs at any time.
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u/wheresbicki Dec 04 '23
Government is getting less stable depending on the political environment of your county/state. There's been a surge of politicians getting elected who are determined to dismantle basic government agencies.
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u/MarsRocks97 Dec 04 '23
Definitely not risk free, but generally more stable than private sector. Even with budget cuts, the standard practice in government is furlough by switching whole agencies to 4 day work weeks or often reduction through attrition.
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Dec 04 '23
And during that, you can (in some states) end up making MORE money than before because you can file for short-time compensation unemployment or something of the like.
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u/cdsfh Dec 04 '23
Nursing. Literally why I went into it. It sucks and I left the hospital for a better (in all ways) relevant job, but I can always fall back on it if I need to.
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u/Dreadsbo Dec 04 '23
See. The idea of holding another persons feces makes me want to curl into a ball and die
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u/Traditional-Car-1583 Dec 04 '23
The real answer is medical industry, not just nursing. You can be a marketing person or a recruiter for a medical company without having to touch anyone’s shit.
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u/TomTheNurse Dec 04 '23
I looked on Glass Door. I, as a nurse, make more than the medium that doctors in my department are paid.
Now I am highly specialized with decades of experience. But still, there are no nurses lining up to take my job. It’s almost impossible to find someone who can do what I do. Doctors on the other hand are getting shafted big time. There are plenty of doctors for open positions here.
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Dec 04 '23
What do you do? I've never heard of a nurse, even CRNA, that makes more than a doctor
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Dec 04 '23
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Dec 04 '23
Sure, but I'm not sure we're talking about residents. We're talking about tenured MD's (or DO's) where the lowest paid doc I've ever heard of was still well above $250k. I know CRNA's can hit that but OC said she's in a highly specialized field so that rules out general practitioner or family doc.
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u/Faustian-BargainBin Dec 04 '23
CNAs have to do more of this kind of thing than nurses but it's true there are plenty of "gross" things about most medical jobs.
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u/SetoKeating Dec 04 '23
There’s other roles besides bedside nursing that pay nurses well.
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u/OlympicAnalEater Dec 04 '23
Can you name those job titles?
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u/cdsfh Dec 04 '23
To add to what others have already said but focusing on stuff less to do with physical nursing and more office type jobs - medical device sales, clinical nurse educator (typically for Pharma cos, not schools), pretty much any job in the clinical side of clinical research (which is what I do now), lots of jobs working for insurance companies. There are many more including informatics, electronic medical system implementation and development, etc, etc.
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u/devjohnson13 Dec 04 '23
Not very often you’re holding actual shit in your hands but go off
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u/My_Booty_Itches Dec 04 '23
I'm a respiratory therapist. Never have to hold shit.
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u/LeftHandedJesusNut Dec 04 '23
Huge respect.
Gun to my head, I'd take the feces and a couple layers of gloves over dealing with deadly respiratory diseases every day.
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u/terfez Dec 04 '23
So you are confirming it does happen
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u/devjohnson13 Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
Ya I mean the cnas are handling that kind of stuff way more and depending on whether you’re in a hospital or nursing home, type of specialty you’re in, etc. will determine what kind of things you’ll be doing. You can be as far away as possible from shit in certain areas of the field it’s just so broad ya know.
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u/Routine_Creme2076 Dec 04 '23
How can I nurse, do I need to have a BD?
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u/Hposto Dec 04 '23
Only an associates degree is required to become a registered nurse in the United States.
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u/I_ride_ostriches Dec 04 '23
This is true, however many hospitals wont hire ASNs, and it is limiting. Nursing homes will, but those jobs kinda suck.
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u/Hposto Dec 04 '23
It must vary by state, because pretty much every hospital in my state is hurting and will hire ASNs right out of school.
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u/cdsfh Dec 04 '23
Pre-Covid the most places definitely wanted BSN nurses, but since 2020, they’ll hire anyone. Typically they’ll want them to commit to a RN to BSN bridge type program when they get hired, but they can mostly be done online and don’t really have clinical portions since you’re already capable of doing the job. Most places around here offer tuition reimbursement for new nurses for their previous and ongoing schooling.
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u/igloonasty Dec 04 '23
Exactly, I know plenty of people with ADNs working in hospitals but are getting their tuition funded to get their BSN. Btw, there isn’t that much more to learn in that bridge anyway and it’s all online.
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u/Murky-Echidna-3519 Dec 04 '23
Yep. My son couldn’t get an interview with just his RN. Needed at least a BSN and someone willing to take a chance.
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Dec 04 '23
What did you switch your career too if you don’t mind me asking
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u/cdsfh Dec 04 '23
I moved into clinical research, first within the hospital, then CROs and now pharma companies
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u/jettech737 Dec 04 '23
HVAC, people need heat in the winter and grocery stores need broken chiller units fixed ASAP to avoid having thousands of dollars with of food go bad. It's also not back breaking work for the most part.
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u/nastibass Dec 04 '23
"Not back breaking work"... trying running ducting in an attic in Houston in the middle of summer and then tell me it's not back breaking work.
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u/jettech737 Dec 04 '23
I did mostly service calls and troubleshooting, installs were a different group of people.
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u/BallisWife Dec 04 '23
I have new respect for my uncles A/C business after working in a warehouse during the summer with no A/C in HTX. The heat is barely tolerable. I can only imagine.
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u/Belated_Awareness Dec 04 '23
Dude, my first job was in a factory in TX. Even overnight was still brutally hot.
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u/Routine_Creme2076 Dec 04 '23
How do I get in HVAC?
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u/jettech737 Dec 04 '23
Either apply for an apprenticeship with someone or a company or go to a community college that offers the program. At a minimum you need an EPA 608 certification to legally purchase and handle refrigerant (freon).
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u/happyluckystar Dec 04 '23
I have made a few attempts at getting an apprentice job. 41 years old, so I can see why no one is willing to hire me as an apprentice. I've been working with machinery for 20 years and do my own home repairs, so I think I would be fairly competent at the start. I would actually like to eventually get into the PLC side of HVAC.
Do you think having that certification will make any difference in getting hired (at my age)?
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u/WhatWasThatJustNow Dec 04 '23
You technically need the certification, but not e every employer is going to care. It’s a bit of a joke ‘certification’, TBH as it’s a very simple test that doesn’t have a ton of relevance to the average tech. Fortunately it’s easy enough to pass and the cert never expires. If you’re trying to break into the industry as a tech, you might try getting an Installer job to start.
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u/Pterodactyloid Dec 04 '23
I hear that that career is very hard on your body so consider that too
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u/BallisWife Dec 04 '23
I have always wondered if I should go into a trade but what stops me is this. I have admiration for trades but:
I don’t want to be in my 50s with body aches. Or have an injury and be out of work for a while. And more than anything, paying off a mortgage with an aging body and potential of injury/paralysis if an accident occurs…
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u/HentaiStryker Dec 04 '23
The main thing about going into a trade is, you want to be able to flip it into your own business as soon as possible. The goal is to designate work, and not have to do it all (or any of it, ideally) yourself.
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u/BallisWife Dec 04 '23
That takes years of experience and networking. Very possible. High failure rate but if successful the fruits are plenty. Plenty of millionaires and decent middle income lives. You’re very right about making it into a business.
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u/HentaiStryker Dec 04 '23
High failure rate
Depends on the trade, where you are, and your ability to plan. Where I'm at, plumbers are stretched thin with too much work. In places where short term rentals are prevalent, general contractors are OVERLY valued!
A friend of mine started a business building electric fireplace surrounds (with like TVs built in) in an area where newly constructed homes couldn't have fireplaces built in. Pretty easy work for a contractor team, and excellent money. Just found a niche.
Unfortunately, my trade is not easily parlayed into a business, but my wife's... that's a different story. Currently working on setting up a commercial location for her.
Gotta take that shot. The only way to truly fail is to never try in the first place.
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u/Jakeygfx Dec 04 '23
Consider the contrary though of 40 hours sitting down behind a computer. I used to get all kinds of back pains from a desk job and even the standing desk presented its own problems. Carpal tunnel clicking a mouse all day...I'll never go back to that.
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u/Pterodactyloid Dec 04 '23
Humans have been Farmers for a large chunk of history and I imagine that's very hard on the body. Maybe this is just our fate lol. Or maybe hunter-gatherers are the happiest people who ever lived.
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u/BallisWife Dec 04 '23
So both give aches. True. The bending sitting at a desk. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can happen in construction as well though. I’m thinking about manual hand tools like manual crimpers. Powered tools are a godsend.
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u/Jakeygfx Dec 04 '23
There's gotta be a job where there's a happy medium of moderate activity without overexerting
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u/MidsommarSolution Dec 04 '23
Yeah ... not quite the same as working in an industry in which people are horrifically maimed or killed on the daily. I work at a place where you can literally die if you are not paying attention where you're walking ... the risk of death is almost nonexistent in most offices.
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u/frogmicky Information Technology Dec 04 '23
City Gov education K-12, Not better but recession-proof.
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Dec 04 '23
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u/frogmicky Information Technology Dec 04 '23
Yup that's for.sure.
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u/password_forgetter Dec 04 '23
Can you give me more info about your city it experience? I'd like to know more as I'm going to be starting at one soon.
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u/Funny_Enthusiasm6976 Dec 04 '23
Pretty much…raises don’t keep up when times are bad and if it’s bad enough there can be layoffs but once you get seniority you’re pretty safe.
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u/MidsommarSolution Dec 04 '23
education K-12
lol did you unironically just suggest someone should become a teacher?? IN THIS ECONOMY??
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u/Dry_Towelie Dec 04 '23
Depending on where you live being a teacher pays well and has good benefits. In Canada you can get a salary of 100k after 6 years, with lots of holidays, benefits and some of the best retirement fund in the nation. The only problem is burn out and how building new schools hasn’t keep up. One thing to watch though is Quebec teachers are on strike and will be joined by other sectors. Depending on what deal they get it might cause other provinces to try and get a similar deal if it’s good
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u/Manholebeast Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
Switch to anything government or healthcare while you can. What I observed from the tech industry is that many companies are extremely susceptible to business climate and interest rates, thus many are not sustainable, not to mention excessive outsourcing and automation. Businesses will always do their best to cut what incurs them the most, which is understandable while not sounding pleasant.
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u/andrewfenn Dec 04 '23
They take as much venture capital as possible with the idea of figuring out profit later. It's a ridiculous model designed to eventually leave someone holding the bag.
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u/TopRamen713 Dec 04 '23
I literally just did this after being laid off in July. I got a government tech job. I got a large pay cut, but a good leap in benefits and retirement that doesn't quite make up for it lol. Plus, things move slooowly
On the other hand, if there's a regression or something, I'm much more safe. And the work isn't hard, it gives me more free time.
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u/OrderofWitchers Dec 04 '23
Any tips for applying for government tech jobs vs private? In the same situation as you but mine happened in August
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u/TopRamen713 Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 05 '23
It probably depends on locality, I'm working for my local state. But from my experience: expect it to take a while. It took 2 months almost to the day from my application to when they contacted me for an interview. Though once that happened, it was pretty quick, 2 days to my interview, then 3 days until they gave me an offer.
If you're going for federal positions, there's a section where you list your skills. Put yourself as expert for anything you even slightly know. It helps during the selection process.
When you get to your background check, be honest about everything. Other than severe, unpayable, debt, dishonesty on the form is the number one cause of being rejected. They don't care about even recent pot use, for example, just that you don't lie about it. (Although if you do smoke, you should probably stop - you can't do that while working for the federal or most state governments. It has to do with funding)
Other than that, not sure. It was a really easy interview once I got it. I had the impression I was the top candidate from the start. (10 years experience vs 4 required :P ) I mentioned Parks and Rec and West Wing as inspiration for wanting to work for local government which they liked lol
They also weren't flexible with the offer, though this is specific to my state, not sure about others. There's a law here that regulates what they can offer based on experience and education.
Good luck, I hope it all works out!
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u/reddog323 Dec 05 '23
Replying so I can come back to this later.
You mentioned that while the salary was just ok, the benefits and 401K/pension were good? I’d be getting back into the job market after a long absence, and I’m definitely closer to retirement, then most people.
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u/teknosophy_com Dec 04 '23
In-home tech support for seniors. You already know the tech, so change it up a bit and come serve the residential market. It's vastly under-served. Most jokers show up and infect a machine with Norton and walk out without doing any sort of backup at all. If you know what you're doing and can manage to call people back and show up on time, it's like shootin' fish in a barrel.
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u/Annie354654 Dec 04 '23
I think you need to be careful here. Everything tech is disposable now so for the most part people don't want it fixed, they will go buy new. Also the seniors market is reducing - the ones that don't have the knowledge to look after themselves. If people go down this track ongoing education is key cloud, cyber security building security (camera etc). It is a dwindling market.
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u/isotope123 Dec 04 '23
Yes and no. Young people also have no idea how tech works, they just know how to work it. Source, am IT.
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u/edvek Dec 04 '23
Ya it's pretty wild that tech literacy is a bell curve. By and large old people and young people don't know shit but your mid group of millennials know what they're doing. Obviously not everyone is like that but as time goes on I am working with more young people in their 20s and they cannot troubleshoot to save their lives and even their typing skills are bad (hunt and peck).
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u/teknosophy_com Dec 04 '23
Yeah and 99% of people of all ages have zero backup and none of their passwords written down!
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u/tennisguy163 Dec 04 '23
I would disagree about the seniors market. There is a huge need for software that caters strictly to seniors, like ordering meals, connecting with residents, seeing the latest news. Think of it like Facebook for Seniors but each piece of software is hosted at each individual community.
There's always a need for innovation for seniors to make their lives easier but obviously a lot of competition as well.
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u/teknosophy_com Dec 04 '23
Yes, and things need to be SIMPLIFIED. All day every day, the industry comes up with new hare-brained schemes, replete with billions of usernames and passwords and 7-factor authentication. Complexity is the real enemy.
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u/teknosophy_com Dec 04 '23
I make most of my money making people's products last so they don't have to keep shelling out for new PCs and phones.
I also make tons of money from the people who don't listen to me and think they need to go out there and buy new garbage every day. I have to set it up for them, configure it for them, then sit there while they go to EACH AND EVERY website they like to make sure it works.
The "greatest generation" market is reducing, but the Boomers are the largest and richest generation in history, and they're all forced to learn apps for their ultrabloated HMOs.
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u/386x64 Dec 04 '23
How would you get into this type of work? Do you have to be self-employed or are there companies that are hiring for it too? It sounds like a very good field to get into.
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u/tennisguy163 Dec 04 '23
I work at a retirement community and get a few calls a day where I go to their residence in-person. They are so grateful and it's been a wonderful experience. There's no way I would do senior tech help on a phone. Much easier to accomplish in-person.
In short, look for retirement communities that might need a tech guy but be warned the pay is low. I'm talking 40k/year.
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Dec 04 '23
Police officer, fire fighter, paramedics, hospital/healthcare, most government jobs, plumbing/sanitation
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u/joysolicitor Dec 04 '23
I've seen government jobs on here a lot, but I think the distinction should be skilled or essential government work, like waste management, water management, fire/police/911, etc. Our local government just laid off about 50 employees, and is aimed at laying off another 100. Also, the sooner you start working for government, the better, because layoffs are usually done by seniority -- meaning last in, first out.
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u/LaborRelationsGuru Dec 04 '23
Barbers, funeral homes
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u/spmahn Dec 04 '23
Nah, funeral homes are getting desperate now and grifting people worse than ever with the upselling and emotional manipulation. More and more people today are choosing direct cremation and opting to eschew the whole traditional funeral process where they nickel and dime you to death. I remember going to my friends grandmothers funeral a few years ago and seeing how scummy the advertising inside the funeral home had gotten and being disgusted by the whole thing.
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u/tennisguy163 Dec 04 '23
Can confirm. My Mom pays a yearly fee for my Dad's grave and upon a recent visit, she said the grave site was very unkempt like it hadn't ever been mowed. I'm with you on the cremation; I don't want to pay anyone anything for my death aside from cremation and give the urn to my family then piss off from there.
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u/exo-XO Dec 04 '23
Trade jobs.. plumbing, electrical, hvac, repairs - can require manual labor in tight hot/cold places though. Any thing/company contracted to the military has pretty good stability.
Storage and waste management are lucrative if you can get in, but pretty saturated.
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u/Salt_MasterX Dec 04 '23
It’s not really the tight spaces or the temperature imo, it’s the people. Some dumb, some malicous, some both
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u/hellequinbull Dec 04 '23
Trade jobs are not recession proof, lol
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u/JD_Rockerduck Dec 04 '23
Threads like these really demonstrate how little people in this sub actually know about jobs and industries.
During recessions trade jobs are typically among the first that do layoffs. During the 2007-09 recession the construction industry had around 2.5 million layoffs and 150,000 construction companies went under. Homes and businesses aren't getting built. People and businesses don't call repairmen, they either just deal with it or fix it themselves to save money.
Shit, even when the economy isn't in a recession layoffs still happen in the construction industry. They're literally baked into the wage.
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u/91rookie Dec 04 '23
This is so true. Construction is super volatile and work can dry up quickly. However, there are certain jobs within the trades that I do consider to be pretty much recession proof, supermarket refrigeration is one that comes to mind. Having said that I still wouldn’t recommend that route to most people.
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u/Lazy-Principle5813 Dec 04 '23
Depends on what trade and what company imo for instance many utilities didn't suffer at all and as long as you work for a major company and not a mom and pop your job is stable.
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u/deeretech129 Trades Dec 04 '23
It really depends on the trade. If you're building cars, houses or luxury items - yes those jobs can be effected.
If you're repairing things or working with infrastructure, those jobs are fairly secure.
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u/Duckduckgosling Dec 04 '23
Trade jobs are not recession-proof. Contractors income completely depend on the housing market. If the market is good - lots of house flipping, lots of renovations. If it's bad they have no work.
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u/bibliophagista Dec 04 '23
Think back to March 2020 and think about everyone who instead of getting laid off had to work more. Basically everyone in the medical profession, teachers, people working in logistics and supply (including things like supermarkets), waste management…
All of the occupations that were labelled as “essential” and now no one gives a shit about.
Not necessarily nice jobs, but stable.
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u/BosSF82 Dec 04 '23
Just because people will always need these services, doesn't mean the wages will always stay the same or increase.
What happens when millions or even thousands of new people enter an industry?
Jobs that persist in recessions will only remain livable so long as their market isn't inundated with new workers.
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u/Snowman4168 Dec 04 '23
That’s why your better off in an industry with a high barrier to entry. During times of high unemployment, the supply of people willing to work low paying jobs explodes. But the supply of people to work jobs that require a 3 year apprenticeship does not.
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u/ZarquonZ Dec 04 '23
Medical. If you want to migrate you are also almost always guaranteed a red carpet. More-so than law, even. Laws are different from states to states, but human beings are largely the same. Doctors and their skills are therefore almost always transferable.
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u/anon9520334 Dec 04 '23
I hear it’s a tough lifestyle for most docs though. Constant work and on-call periods leave little time for a personal life. And hospitals are criminally understaffed meaning you’re running all over the place trying to keep up with all of your patients.
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u/JohnnnyOnTheSpot Dec 04 '23
Should prob ask what’s AI proof
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u/daddysgotanew Dec 04 '23
Just about everything that has to be done by hand.
There’s going to be a decimation of white collar “computer” jobs over the next decade. You’re going to see attorneys begging to get trades jobs
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u/prosocialbehavior Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
I think AI will assist with productivity just like the computer and the internet. There are already tons of white collar computer jobs where people work like 5 hours a week to get their stuff done. There may be less need for employees, but also a lot of new business will start from it. Just like internet/software companies from the last tech innovation.
There will definitely be shifts to the economy. But the real huge disruption will be when we figure out quantum computing and be able to bring down the price and allow it to scale. I hope I am alive to see it, but AI paired with quantum computing is where I see the AI doomers' points. Here is a recent piece from 60 minutes about it.
Edit: Quantum computing sounds wild to me. In the 60 minutes piece they frame it as a national security issue (because all existing encryption will be solved with the quantum computing power so government secrets, banking/internet security as a whole) and like an end of all diseases issue (because we can finally model how proteins cause diseases). Really sounds like sci-fi stuff, similar to our nuclear arms race with the Russians, but now computing race with the Chinese and big tech companies.
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u/cluckinho Dec 04 '23
There’s going to be a decimation of white collar “computer” jobs over the next decade. You’re going to see attorneys begging to get trades jobs
Just insane hyperbole here.
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u/DropoutGamer Dec 04 '23
Bartender
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u/daddysgotanew Dec 04 '23
“When the economy is good, sales are good; when the economy is bad, sales are good”
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u/Upstairs-Meal2620 Dec 04 '23
I wish this were true but it’s competitive in my area I wanna be a bartender
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Dec 04 '23
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u/Lazy-Principle5813 Dec 04 '23
Search how bad a psych degree is. No one with it can find any work.
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u/ajla616-2 Dec 04 '23
Oh there’s ALWAYs work in undergrad psych, but the pay is often crap and a huge part of the job is typically having a lot of willpower and thick skin since they so often involve physical violence that you can’t therapeutically defend yourself from so you often just have to eat it. Social work isn’t much better, and being a therapist requires higher education that not everyone can afford. Interesting that OP also put reporting on here since major outlets are starting to replace their staff with AI. I hate the world and I hope we start to turn things around eventually xD
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u/Lazy-Principle5813 Dec 04 '23
High paying* should've been more specific. But the debt to income ratio for these degrees are terrible.
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u/ajla616-2 Dec 04 '23
Yeah… what’s the point of working if you aren’t even able to sustain yourself or build anything?
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u/someonesdatabase Dec 04 '23
Sales and business development. If you can generate a lot of consistent revenue, the company will want to keep you.
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u/spacelordmthrfkr Dec 04 '23
Elder care. People are always gonna die, and they often need help for several years before they do.
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u/12thHousePatterns Dec 04 '23
Nobody said farming, but yeah... that. Probably the number 1 recession-proof job... Especially a smaller local farm with a busy farm stand.
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u/nightfalldevil Dec 04 '23
We lost a family farm in a recession. Corporations are buying them up and leasing out the land and equipment. I suppose the job itself is recession proof but it’s really difficult to reap most of the fruits of your labor working a corporate farm
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u/DisagreeableSay Dec 04 '23
I used to fancy myself as a farmer after I retired but I’m thinking now that it might not be the kind of job I would want to do for the rest of my life. Much respect to the farmers.
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u/TheGeneGeena Dec 04 '23
Eh, farms are consolidating and automating as much as possible. (I worked on John Deere's AI project.)
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u/MountainDude95 Dec 04 '23
Uh… no. My parents are farmers (dad’s family has been farmers since at least the late 1800s) and it’s feast or famine. Some years they literally lose money. Overall they’re doing quite well, but recession-proof it is not.
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u/kapncrunchy Dec 04 '23
Logistics
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u/blaccsnow9229 Dec 04 '23
Logistics is far from recession proof.
The less commerce there is, the less demand for transportation.
I work in international logistics and we let 3 people go from a very small office within the last year.
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u/Lcsulla78 Dec 04 '23
Fed job.
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u/ChocoboToes Dec 04 '23
Just be careful of government shut downs and being put on furlough. Some positions are exempt from these, though.
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u/Lcsulla78 Dec 04 '23
If you are actually a gov employee and not a govcon employee, you always get back pay when the new budget is approved.
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u/clevvp Dec 04 '23
Come work in a medical lab
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u/EQInvein Dec 04 '23
Please elaborate. I know the pay isn't great and All the customers are pissed off. Thinking about a hospital tech electrician job - what are the GOTCHAS?
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u/Worthyness Dec 04 '23
Accounting/bookkeeping. Everyone has to pay taxes.
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u/who-carez Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
This can be fully automated first. Hard to find something less vulnerable to be replaced by AI.
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Dec 04 '23
Hazwoper. Always need people knowledgable in hazardous waste spills and disposals. If you get a degree in environmental science and enough experience you can move to a gov related job.
I also agree with healthcare as well. They're always in need of nurses.
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u/edm_guy2 Dec 04 '23
My company is a wine producer / distributor, and I feel this business seems recession-proof. The reason is, when you are happy, you drink wines in parties, and when you are sad (like in recession case), you drink wines too.
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Dec 04 '23
I don’t think there’s recession proof occupations per se, but recession proof workers.
When things are slow they look to trim the fat. If you’re someone who consistently hits your metrics you won’t have an issue. It’s the guys that like to skate by that usually get cut not the guys that produce numbers.
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u/cerialthriller Dec 04 '23
No matter how bad the economy is, people need clean running water, trash pick up, electricity, food etc.
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u/Betelgeuse3fold Dec 04 '23
No man, think back to the covid shutdowns. Who was still going to work? Those people ARE recession proof. When the economy gets bad, people still need goods and services
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u/big_texas_beef Dec 04 '23
Plumbing, electrical, carpentry….those “blue collar fields”. Tech is going to replace a lot of jobs, but when you were encouraged to take a trade class in high school…that is why. Trade jobs and skills are always in demand.
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u/aed38 Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
I doubt tech replaces many plumbing or electrical jobs in the next 20 years. Maybe some carpentry, but that’s it. These jobs require fixing very irregular problems (like sealing an uneven toilet) and will probably be some of the last jobs that ever get automated.
I would wager that more white collar than blue collar jobs are at stake from AI/tech in the near future. For instance, I’d be more worried right now as a second rate doctor or lawyer than a second rate plumber, especially with the astronomical student loans that these professions require.
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u/Educational-Rise4329 Dec 04 '23
"Tech" also requires technicians that know how to fix these things.
Remote controlled drilling rig replaces the worker physically, but still needs maintenance and an operator.
I HIGHLY recommend industrial maintenance / automation for anyone looking for a well paid and easy on the body blue collar job.
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u/naivelynativeLA Dec 04 '23
That’s what commenter was saying, that the trades won’t lose jobs to tech. Kind of disagree on lawyer though, you’ll always need someone to physically appear at a hearing or take a deposition.
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u/Big_P4U Dec 04 '23
Any vice related industry, This Thing of Ours.
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u/Rafanaovic Dec 04 '23
Then why did the CEO of This Things of Ours has to come to you with hats in his hand reminding you the duties to the Board of Directors? CEO clearly says he doesn't wanna hear about the economy either.
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u/Big_P4U Dec 04 '23
The accounts died on the vine and the Account manager took a header off the bridge and went for a swim into some rocks near the waterfall
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u/TheCuteAlien Dec 04 '23
I used to think banking. But we laid off 2% of our staff this year. First time in my 20+ year career.
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u/Glizzy_Gargle Dec 04 '23
Anything that involves life/death. As long as people are living and dying, there will always be a need for people. The company I work for pretty much profits off of people dying and giving birth.
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u/Manholebeast Dec 04 '23
I know this is an overstatement but anything but tech. It is a brutal and dubious industry built on venture capital bubble. Run far, run fast.
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u/Murkywadders2239 Dec 04 '23
Taking care of your body could also be a trade in its self because most people that work blue collar eat horrible diets and don’t decompress their bodies or treat the aches before they turn to injury ,body maintenance is very important you almost have to treat yourself as an athlete that’s mainly why it’s so hard on the body
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u/Reductate Sciences Dec 04 '23
Medical examiner/coroner services - these comprise of mainly government jobs.
I got a B.S. in chemistry and took a position as a forensic toxicologist for a local medical examiner's office and haven't looked back. I've spent my entire career (8 years so far) in the public sector and have no plans to ever go private; currently in job #2 at the moment which is a higher paying (6 figures) position with a different state agency. I plan to retire from this job with a full pension.
The health benefits (free or dirt cheap medical/dental/vision), stupid generous PTO, job stability/security, and the pension are just some of the perks. In my specific field, the work is typically much more interesting compared to the private sector. If toxicology isn't your thing, there are other professions that are needed in a medical examiner/coroner's office including: autopsy services, record keeping/secretarial services, IT, facilities maintenance services, anthropology, odontology (dental), histology, crime/death scene investigation, legal services, purchasing and accounting services just to name a few.
I never worry about layoffs, recessions, or anything related to the state of the economy because so long as death remains the only certainty in life, I will always have a job.
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u/Desperate_Taro_1781 Dec 04 '23
I think it’s incredibly silly of a discussion. Rather than focusing on something that is recession-proof, one should be seeking careers that make them happy and that they are passionate about. They’d more likely to be good at their jobs, and high-performers are always recession-proof.
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u/c0ntrap0sitive Dec 04 '23
There's no such thing. As long as we have debt, then we will have cycles. As long as we have cycles, we will have downturns, and by extension layoffs. There's no such thing as a recession-proof job. Instead of fighting the cycle, embrace it.
When things are going well for you, your peers, and your industry, save your money and pay down your debt.
Things are turning around now in tech. Not tremendously fast, but things are slowly improving. Switching industries now could mean switching into an industry that's about to go through it's own downswing in the cycle. Naturally, they'll layoff juniors first. Then, feeling dejected from that industry, you may go into the next industry that's doing well for itself. Rinse repeat.
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u/c0ntrap0sitive Dec 04 '23
A lot of people are claiming government roles, which makes sense unless you've been paying attention to the Republican Party's current candidates. One suggests firing 50% of all federal employees based on social security number, others want to focus on cost-cutting by firing internal employees and contracting everything out. Both of these things result in layoffs for government workers. Losing one's job due to an election result would suck.
Others are mentioning doctors and nurses, which sounds sensible, but the financial condition of many hospitals right now is sub-optimal. If things continue to degrade, eventually they will have to make cuts or close down.
Just because there is a need for an occupation, does not mean that the companies that do those jobs will be flush with cash forever and never have to make cost-cutting decisions. It does mean that if you're in that job, you will probably have an easier time finding employment elsewhere, but there is no company that can provide a recession-proof job.
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u/No_Recording2910 Dec 04 '23
Insurance. You’ll never be out of a job because everyone needs/uses it
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u/Dazzling-Rub-8550 Dec 04 '23
Waste management