The Components of a Safe Career

Sometimes it's wise to play it safe. And in a major recession like the one we're currently experiencing, this might be one of those times. No one is exempt from potential financial loss, but there are careers you can choose that can afford you more security than others. What makes a safe career? Let's break it down.

Job security
Some jobs are, by nature, more secure than others. City or state-funded jobs, for example, provide a strong and growing salary, excellent health benefits, and a solid pension after minimal years of service. Safe careers with good job security include police officer, sanitation worker, teacher, and secretary.

Opportunities to branch out
If you're a widget builder in a factory, and widget building becomes automated sometime down the road, you're out of a job. But if you take it upon yourself to learn the jobs of those around you, you'll broaden your skill set and possibly even be able to transfer into a new department, like widget design. This is a good way to make your current career safe. By proving that you can do more than one thing well, your company will see you as a self-starter, a team player, one who is willing to invest in herself as well as the organization. Those are the kinds of employees that employers like to keep around.

Career longevity
When you invest yourself in a career, you want to know that the field is going to stand the test of time. A fields that is becoming mechanized, for example, would not make the safest career choice. Broad fields with long-term job availability include health care and technology, since both have become an integral part of life. Safe careers within these fields include registered nurse and software programmer.

Opportunities for advancement
Careers that leave no room for upward mobility can be considered dead-end jobs. Fast-food chains, on the other hand, provide a good illustration of advancement opportunities, with positions ranging from "fry guy" all the way up to manager. If your career offers no opportunity for advancement, and lower-level employees are the ones most often subject to layoffs, guess who will be among the first to be let go? Make yourself indispensable by keeping your career growth continuous, whether through a new title, new projects, or new responsibilities.

Life has no guarantees, but it always has choices. Secure your future by choosing a safe career.

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