This article is from the OC Register.

“Carol Grosz lost her sales position with telecommunications firm Ericsson about a year ago.

The scenario is all too familiar to many 45-plus women.

The layoff ocurred two weeks shy of her 25th anniversary with the firm — “how convenient,” she says. And it turned out to be the first blow of a tough stretch that included an IRS audit, a cancer scare and ongoing caregiving supervision of her father who suffers from dementia.

“My entire identity was suddenly gone,” says Grosz, 47. “I had to build back from that.”

As her savings dwindle, she tries to stay upbeat. She knows, she insists, that she is “the best person for the job.”

But building back has meant assessing just what skills she brings to the job market.”

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This article is from the Houston Business Journal. 

“A recession combined with online technology has many professionals re-thinking their options regarding additional education.

“Attributing a recent rise in online enrollment to increases in both commuting costs and access to technology, Steve Malutich, president of American InterContinental University Houston, says online courses make higher education more accessible for more people.

” ‘We’re seeing more students juggling the demands of working a full-time job and caring for a family while pursuing an education,’ he says. ‘As a result, I expect more universities will begin offering an online component to their programs.’ ”

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This article is from NewsOK.

“For job seekers, the timing couldn’t seem worse — a recession that has cut hundreds of thousands of Americans from the work force and left employers cautious and uncertain about when the economy may rebound.

“But even in tough economic times, there are some industries with secure jobs and career growth, work force officials and human resources specialists say. And lists of the best jobs in a downturn and ‘hot jobs’ with a bright future are cropping up on Web sites and in magazines.

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This article is from MSN Careers.

“Are you wasting your green thumb in a blue-collar position? Tired of slaving away at a job that doesn’t align with your principles? A green-collar career can have you earning a healthy salary while you make a real difference in your community. “What’s more, green jobs are built to be sustainable.

” ‘A job that does something for the planet and little to nothing for the people or the economy is not a green-collar job,’ claims the national organization Green for All. ‘The green in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality … in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse-gas emissions, eliminate toxins and protect natural systems.’ ”

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This article is from MSN Careers.

“It sounds like an oxymoron: The fastest-growing industry in the fastest-declining economy since the Great Depression. But the downturn in finance, real estate and commodities belies growth elsewhere in the economy. Find out where the opportunity is in today’s job market, and explore the training and education required for a high-demand career tomorrow.

Health care

“The old faithful of industries, health care booms in good times and bad. As long as the human race continues to struggle with illness and disability, there will be demand for trained professionals. But the real driver of today’s health care industry is an aging population: Baby boomers are entering retirement in droves, and demand for elderly services is sure to follow.”

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This article is from SOA World Magazine.

“EarnMyDegree.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics, today announced the launch of its new Higher Education Stimulus site, which outlines how higher education, and those seeking degrees, may benefit from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. EarnMyDegree.com’s new site, located at http://www.earnmydegree.com/online-education/learning-center/stimulus/, features a state-by-state breakdown, showing how the approximately $100 billion marked for education will directly affect U.S. higher education in 2009 and 2010.

” ‘Every state’s education system will benefit from the economic package, which should assist more people to find the money they need to go to college,’ said Terrence Thomas, EVP of Marketing for EarnMyDegree.com. ‘There is money out there for education, but the challenge is finding it. We outlined, in one easy-to-understand site, what funds each state is receiving so people know where to look for assistance.’ ”

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This article is from Imperial Valley News.

“Facing the prospect of a layoff amidst the economic downturn, many jobseekers find themselves on the defensive. Some employees have found that they must distinguish themselves in their current profession, while others have decided to change fields altogether, looking to promising new industries such as health, technology and other growing areas. In response, educational and career training institutions have had to expand to meet growing demand for career training.

“Criminal justice instructor Carol Sciannameo at Everest University in Largo, Fla., explains that a large number of jobseekers are returning to school, despite the recession. ‘Even though you might think that the recession makes higher education less affordable, we have actually seen increases in our enrollments despite economic difficulties,’ he says. Sciannameo explains that students of all ages understand that education is an investment in their future.”

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This article is from Philly.com.

“At a time when job opportunities are shrinking, there’s one industry that’s looking up. Renewable energy jobs are growing even faster now that President Obama has signed his $787 billion recovery package into law. You might be able to move into these jobs from another field. ‘Many of the jobs will require on-the-job training or apprenticeship-level training,’ says Neil Lurie, spokesperson for the American Solar Energy Society in Boulder, Colo. ‘Not everyone will have to go to four-year or advanced degree programs for specific technical skills,’ he says.

“Look up to see the source of many emerging renewable energy jobs: the sun. For years, there’s been talk of harnessing the sun’s energy to serve our need for power. We’re closer than ever. ‘The economic stimulus bill had 16 provisions that directly benefit the solar industry,’ says Colin Lantz, vice president of sales and marketing with Lighthouse Solar in Boulder. Although solar companies may hire all sorts of workers, from accountants to sales people to engineers, one of the hottest jobs is solar installer. ‘It’s a good, shovel-ready career,’ says Lantz. ‘If you have a construction background, you can easily get into the solar installation world.’ ”

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 This article is from MSN Careers.

“For most Americans, school is a large part of your life. From the time you turn five until the time you’re 18, you’ve probably spent thousands of hours in a classroom. Although the common path is to move from elementary school to high school and then decide what to do next, many students take a different route. “As anyone knows, life often has its own idea about how your plans should go. Some students leave school because they need to help with the bills, they start a family or school doesn’t seem like the right option for them at the time. Whatever the case, they can always return to high school or they can earn their GED_®, which stands for General Educational Development.

“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.8 million people over 15 have a GED, which proves that a significant amount of people are opting to take a different path. This large number of people with GEDs also means that more employers are faced with job seekers with backgrounds that don’t fit the traditional model. Still, plenty of people are left wondering whether or not their decision to opt for a GED will come back to haunt them.”

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 This article is from MSN.com.” ‘Our first job is to put people back to work.’

“President Barack Obama has declared this call to action time and time again when outlining the new administration’s goals for rebuilding the economy. If the president’s massive economic stimulus plan succeeds as hoped, an explosion of jobs will be created and saved to help recession-weary Americans rebound into the work force and get the economy back on track. 

“But where can people expect to find these employment opportunities when job losses have swept nearly every industry and region across the nation?

“In his recently released book, ‘Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan,’ leading occupational expert Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., reveals which sectors and jobs are most likely to benefit from the president’s policies. Shatkin also debunks the myth that the government will try to accomplish its re-employment goals by hiring a large number of people to work for the federal government. Instead, 90 percent of the jobs to be created or saved are expected to be in the private sector, Shatkin says.

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