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Best careers to have in a recession
We took the Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of 30 occupations expected to grow fastest over the next decade, then asked compensation experts PayScale to identify the 10 white-collar jobs among them with the best combination of high pay and high security.
| JOB | GROWTH RATE | GROWTH* MEDIAN COMP | WHY IT’S SECURE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial adviser | 41% | $74,000 | As boomers retire, they’ll need financial hand-holding. |
| Software program manager | 29% | $103,000 | Someone has to prevent complex systems from going kerflooey. |
| Database administrator | 29% | $77,000 | See above. It’s good to be a computer nerd. |
| Physical therapist | 27% | $67,000 | The baby boomers’ backs and knees aren’t getting any younger. |
| Physician assistant | 27% | $84,000 | Managed-care companies love PAs: They’re cheaper than docs. |
| Environmental specialist | 25% | $53,000 | Ever heard of global warming? |
| Hydrologist | 24% | $59,600 | Water is in short supply. People get thirsty. Enough said. |
| College professor | 23% | $79,000 | It’s Econ 101: Demand for schooling is growing. |
| Certified public accountant | 18% | $64,000 | Thank complex tax codes and audit-hungry regulators. |
| Teacher | 12% | $48,000 | Try to get fired from this union job. Just try. |
Note* Projected growth in jobs between 2006 and 2016. Sources: BLS data, PayScale.com.
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