Recession Proof Careers Foreword

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Recession Proof Careers, I wanted to share the wonderful foreword written by Clarke Havener, Global Sector Leader, Aerospace and Defense, Korn/Ferry International. He’s been a wonderful partner and wrote a great foreword for the book. Enjoy…

One byproduct of the current financial turmoil is that hardly a day goes by without some pundit coining a new name for the upheaval. The Second Depression, Great Recession, and Nightmare on Wall Street are just a few that have been bounced around. But whatever name we finally end up with, it is certain to be a turning point in how work is organized. And while the emphasis understandably has been on the pain, economic upheaval also presents opportunities as people draw on creativity to reinvent themselves.

In the past, every broad shift in the economy has resulted in reinventing, redefining and reenergizing the workforce. The 19th-century’s industrial revolution, culminating in the Great Depression, transformed an agrarian society into an industrialized one marked by a mobile workforce. Stagflation in the 1970s signaled the decline in manufacturing in the U.S. and the rise of a knowledge-based, service-oriented economy. Finally, the Dot-com-driven 2000 recession marked the explosive growth of the Internet and globalization. Each of these periods represented inflection points in employment opportunities and saw the emergence of important industries such as aviation, petrochemicals and aluminum in the Thirties, and I.T. and biotech more recently.

Certain fields and industries present perennial growth. The graying of the U.S. and technological innovation can be expected to produce high-paying jobs in healthcare and computers. Openings for dental hygienists, physical therapists and physician assistants will jump 30 percent to meet demand, while data communications analysts and software engineers should see employment jump 53 percent and 45 percent, respectively. Openings in education and government are on the rise too. Meanwhile, innovation continues at small startups and big companies, and federal funding for basic scientific research at universities is fostering breakthroughs in biotech, high-tech and Green technology. These innovations will spur new businesses, industries and jobs.

But looking for a job is a bit like going on a journey and as with any journey, it’s good to have a guide. In Jeff Cohen, you have one of the best. He’s successfully made the transition from a corporate job to an entrepreneurial one—reinventing himself, achieving financial security and maintaining a balance between work and leisure time. But like all good guides, Jeff recognizes that no two paths are identical. So he’s organized this guide to let you find the path best suited to your goals, gifts and strengths, whether you are transitioning to a new career or a new graduate first starting out.

Recessions present new challenges but also new opportunities. And it calls on both experienced workers and those first entering the workforce to develop new skills that safeguard them from the vagaries of a shifting economy and enable them to compete in a global economy. Good luck as you begin your own personal journey toward finding a recession proof career.