But enough about the stock market. Talk to me about the job market.

[funflower]

O, wise DU economists. I'm young enough that I figure my 401(k) will come back eventually. I'm more worried about supporting my family NOW. Should I be worried about my job? Are some sectors expected to be hit harder than others (OK, other than banking and the auto industry)?

[HopeFor2006]

1. Don't forget

Retail, real estate, entertainment.....

[readmoreoften]

2. I hear suicide prevention technician will be the hot new career in '09.

low pay though

[funflower]

8. Doesn't pretty much everything offer low pay these days? n/t

[madrchsod]

3. be prepared to change careers several times until you "retire"

continue your education every few years to keep up with the changing work place. community colleges are excellent for continuing education. no matter what save a little out of your income each week in secure money instruments. be prepared to change your life style to meet each "fork in the road".

if i would have taken the advice i just gave you i`d be in a much better place than i`m in right now.

[funflower]

6. Thanks. All of that sounds very useful.

I'll take it to heart.

[kojak]

10. I'm graduating with an accounting degree next semester

with 3.98 GPA and applied to over 20 firms. Granted 2 interviews and no offers. Market is hell. Could be I'm no spring chicken as well...I'm thinking of delaying graduation so I can use my school's career services next fall. I should have gone to nursing school. I hear male nurses are in demand...

[Birthmark]

4. You should be worried.

I don't see how a service economy that is 2/3rds consumer driven recovers from the shock we have taken --a shock that is likely to get worse before it gets better.

[fasttense]

5. Things are going to get really bad.

I'm not an economist and I normally don't trust them. Wasn't it the economist who cheered from the sidelines as people and governments collected mounds of debt? Wasn't it economists who made up this spectacularly ignorant theory called "Free" market? Who else but an economist would come up with the lame brain idea that unfettered selfishness and greed could bring about utopia?

But it was just such a ridiculous theory that the uber wealthy and CEOs jumped on and convinced everyone that through warped and vicious means we could have perfection. The uber wealthy latched onto this unworkable notion because it made them richer, because it allowed them to steal from the middle class and poor without concern, because instead of carefully nurturing the best in human kind, it allowed the most base and corrupt tendencies of man to flourish.

But...

Thom Hartmann had an economist on his show that seems to have seen this coming. Dr Ravi Batra has written several books and his last one clearly predicts what will happen. I recommend everyone read "The New Golden Age: The Coming Revolution against Political Corruption and Economic Chaos".

So he was on Thom's show last week and he said that if you have a job try to keep it, and if you can, get a 2nd job because things are going to get really awful the next two years. Here's hoping your world doesn't come crashing down around your ears.

I'm retired but I'm off to find a MCjob.

[funflower]

7. I'll check out that book. I fully expect to be working for a very long time.

Hopefully at something I can stand.

[diamidue]

9. I'm not optimistic.

Right now, the only jobs my daughter, a recent college grad, can get are free-lance. I am beginning to think that we are going to go the way of Japan where around 44 per cent of country's workforce is part-time & where short-term contracts for freelance jobs is becoming the norm.

My son, also a recent grad, is working a short-term contract job that expires soon. He may have to find another short-term job next. I worry that full-time jobs, with benefits will be a real luxury in the near future & working multiple jobs; freelance jobs; or temporary/short-term jobs with no benefits, may be the norm for a long while - no matter what field you may be in.

If the banks are not lending, businesses suffer. If ships are sitting idle, businesses suffer. If other countries reject our dollars, businesses suffer. All these things are happening now. Here is an example of how bad it really is out there: Locally we have a very large institution which employs thousands. This year they had job openings for about 2,500 positions. Over 80,000 people applied for those few jobs.

Maybe govt. jobs are safest, I don't know. I don't really think there are any truly secure jobs.