Choosing a Recession-Proof Career

Some jobs are always safe, even in times of economic turmoil. Maybe one of them should be in your future.

Some people don't mind rolling with the punches that life throws their way. Changing careers like others change underwear, these people get cut from one workforce, and bounce right into the next job.

But not everyone is cut out for that sort of uncertainty. Why not aim for a safe job? Some careers still begin and end at the same company, through whatever obstacles the economy puts in the way. Here are a few examples:

• Teachers never go out of style. Young minds always need tutors, and no politician who likes to get votes would dare cut into education budgets, even during a recession. The median annual salary for a K-12 teacher today hovers around $41,000.
• Doctors and nurses are always in demand. Nobody's getting any younger, and accidents and other medical emergencies abound. Registered nurses typically make $52,000 a year, and a doctor of internal medicine can expect $130,000 or more.
• Law enforcement officers and firefighters are true local heroes, always there when you're in trouble. Without them, civilization would be a myth. An experienced patrol officer should make $50,000 a year, and the median firefighter income is $46,000.
• Morticians may not fit the "childhood dream" mold, but you know what they say about death and taxes. The median salary is $47,000.
• Tax accountants are the corollary to morticians. The taxman cometh, and you'd better have the papers in order! The average tax accountant's salary is $47,000, and a tax compliance manager can pull in $77,000 yearly.

There are many more everlasting jobs out there, ranging from barber to librarian, from soldier to clergyman. If you like bedrock stability, all of these will fit you better than the unpredictable life of a software engineer or real estate agent.

Take a walk on the wild side

What if you like to swim upstream, cut across the grain, or be a rebel without a cause? There are job markets for that personality type, too:

• Debt collectors zig when the economy zags. Somebody needs to do the dirty work of repossessing Bentleys and collecting unpaid debts when the economy goes down the drain. On average, a collections specialist makes about $35,000 a year-less in the good times, and more in the bad.
• Bankruptcy lawyers make a mint during deep recessions, when personal and corporate fortunes evaporate. The same applies to foreclosure specialists. Divorce lawyers profit from the stresses brought on by business failures. Salaries average about $67,000 a year.
• All those newly laid-off workers need to find new jobs. Enter the job recruiter or headhunter, stage left, with a median income of $47,000.

Some people are wild and others mild. But no matter what your temperament, there's an ideal career waiting for you-even in a troubled economy.