Recession-Proof Your Career

[SumRunner]

I found an interesting study today, on the industries in the state of Washington which are most resistant to a recession. Using data from previous slow-downs in the economy, the report tries to predict which industries will make it through this recession with little impact on jobs. The list won't surprise you:

• Hospitals
  
• Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
  
• Federal Government
  
• Ambulatory Health Care Services
  
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
  
• Management of Companies and Enterprises
  

(read the full report at http://www.workforceexplorer.com/admin/uploadedPublications/9504_2008_4Q_WLM_Wex.pdf )

The report also lists industries which should rebound the fastest when the recession is over:

• Electronic Markets – Agents and Brokers
  
• General Merchandise Stores
  
• Local Government Educational Services
  
• Federal Government
  
• Management of Companies and Enterprises
  
• Building Materials
  

A quick scan of these industries isn't real promising for LabVIEW developers. We support many of these industries, but we aren't a direct part of very many of them. So what are we to do?

What I see so far is that there continues to be a demand for LabVIEW developers, but there is a twist. When a company has a need in a strong market, they have to take what they can get- which means they can often settle for less than the best developer because that's all they can get. In a weak economy, job openings are rare and a manager in a position of hiring someone has a lot of power and a lot of expectations piled on him. To make a hiring mistake in a strong economy isn't great, but to make one during a weak economy can ruin a career. So the interview process is more rigorous, and the candidates have to meet a higher bar before getting a job offer. So companies are demanding a higher level of developer.

How can you stand out from the rest of the crowd?

That same report says that there are two counter-acting forces that come into play: People need to invest in more training to develop their skills for new industries, and people are more hesitant to invest in training because they aren't sure what is a good investment for their future. We need to get new training, but we're scared to do it.

I've been talking to my team and other leaders at National Instruments about what we can do to help our customers who are in this situation. I've always said that we are committed to our customers' success, and that doesn't change in a slow economy. So we've come up with some ideas to help out. If you have other ideas and think I might be able to help, please contact me!

First, we will continue to offer our seminars to provide opportunities for you to grow. If you are a LabVIEW developer, you need to attend our Developer Education Day event. This event will provide excellent topics for your development, and at the end of the day we are offering our CLAD certification - free of charge. This $200 value will help you prove your skills and let you add "NI Certified" to your resume.

We are also looking for creative ways to improve access to training. Along those lines, we are working with Bellevue Community College to add a LabVIEW course as part of their continuing education program. This will be available starting at the end of April, at about 1/3 the cost of our standard training and taught in the evening hours. Look into this as a way to get started down the training path.

You saw my last post, with training options. Look into them to see what you can afford and what you can accomplish. Ultimately, you need to get certified as CLD or CLA. If you are certified as CLA, you will be in demand and you will be quite recession-proof. We don't have many developers at that level in Oregon and Washington, but the ones we have stay busy.

If you are looking at one of our training courses, but have lost your job and are unable to pay for one of the courses, please contact me. I may have some other options to help you get the training you need.

NI has also started a new community site for LabVIEW employment. Visit the LabVIEW Career Network to see companies that are hiring, and additional tips for improving your LabVIEW skills.

We are watching this recession very closely, as I'm sure you all are, and looking for creative ways to make the best of it. Hopefully we'll soon be through this, with a vibrant economy and lessons learned to make us stronger for the future.