First, manufacturing jobs moved offshore. Service jobs, from tech support to customer service, followed. Next up: white collar jobs. As companies face tightening budgets and overseas competition, more and more Americans are vulnerable to outsourcing. Are you one of them?
Career training to shore up your job
With the right career training, you can qualify for an "onshore" job and enjoy security few Americans can take for granted. According to a U.S. House of Representatives task force report, 30 to 40 percent of U.S. jobs are vulnerable to outsourcing. That leaves a range of solid career bets that will still be here tomorrow.
Information technology
Information technology is hardly a bastion of job security -- except at the higher reaches of the profession.
Offer: Search for Schools
Computer and information systems manager
If you're in tech support, development, or administration, run for the higher ground of a management role. A bachelor's degree in management information systems offers the combined business and technical training to prepare you for a leadership role. For the ultimate job security, invest in an online M.B.A. degree in IT management.
The Department of Labor forecasts "excellent" prospects for computer and information systems managers, particularly for "workers with specialized technical knowledge, strong communications skills...and management skills." Forbes magazine, which ranks IT managers among the "Ten Jobs Not Likely to be Outsourced," explains: "Some software development is being shifted overseas, but the people that oversee the process and make strategic decisions are staying put. IT managers, who typically report to CIOs, are crucial to an organization because they provide input which contributes to boardroom-level decisions."
Salary (2008): $118,710
Health care
Health care professions are flourishing in response to rising demand -- and in most cases, they are impossible to outsource. About a third of the nation's fastest-growing occupations are in health care. The hands-on, face-to-face nature of health care work makes the profession a good bet against offshoring. Notable exceptions include medical administration and some diagnostic roles.
Pharmacist
The pharmacy offers a range of secure job opportunities for qualified professionals. You'll need your Pharm.D. degree and licensing as a pharmacist by your state.
Pharmacy professionals can count on their jobs to stay stateside. First, the FDA closely regulates pharmaceutical sales in the U.S., prohibiting both offshore drug sales and consultation. Second, pharmacists are assuming a more hands-on role in counseling patients and planning drug therapy programs, according to the Department of Labor. And finally, the profession is in the midst of a shortage of qualified professionals. Pharmacist jobs are expected to increase 22 percent through 2016; their assistants, pharmacy technicians, will increase their ranks by 32 percent.
Pharmacist Salary (2008): $104,260
Pharmacy Technician Salary (2008): $28,500
Education
The public education system offers another haven for onshore jobs. K-12 teachers and education administrators engage with students face-to-face. Even though the technology exists to bring the classroom online, K-12 education remains firmly rooted on local campuses. Schools are the cornerstone of their communities and, for the most part, funded by public tax dollars. Outsourcing is not a part of this picture.
High school principal
If you already have a bachelor's degree, you may be within a few years of qualifying for a high school principal career. A master's degree in education administration or educational leadership offers the necessary career training for school principals. The degree is available online for aspiring administrators working in teaching or other roles. Teachers have a home field advantage on the path to promotion to school principal.
The public school system is likely to undergo significant changes in the coming years, calling on education administrators to lead the way. High school principals will be at the vanguard of this evolution. Training in everything from curriculum development to budgeting can help principals navigate the challenges ahead.
High School Administrator Salary (2008): $86,060
Business
The private sector has a guaranteed place for you in a U.S. office -- but only if you bring leadership and creativity to the table. Jobs that rely on repetitive processes are likely to head overseas. Trained strategy, development and management professionals will stay.
Marketing manager
Secure your business career by training for a management-level position. A bachelor's degree in marketing or business administration offers a solid foundation for a career as a marketing manager. For the most solid foothold, continue on to a M.B.A. in marketing. Online M.B.A. programs let you complete the degree while you work.
Marketing managers secure their jobs by leading teams and achieving measurable results. Creative marketing initiatives and strategic thinking are core to the job: Marketing managers identify potential markets, oversee product development, develop pricing strategy and monitor market trends.
Salary (2008): $118,160
Criminal justice
Criminal justice professionals on the frontlines of the justice system need not worry about losing their jobs to a worker across the globe. Corrections officers, detectives, police chiefs and other criminal justice professionals rely on close interaction with local community members to keep the peace.
Police officer
Walk the neighborhood beat as a police officer, and kiss your offshoring worries goodbye. Some police officers have at least an associate degree and complete a hands-on police academy training program. An associate or bachelor's degree in criminal justice offers a solid foundation for police work, with courses in criminal psychology, criminal law and more.
Demand is high for police officers, especially in urban communities heavily impacted by crime. The Department of Labor predicts 11 percent growth in jobs through 2016.
Salary (2008): $52,810
Even as outsourcing sends low-skilled jobs abroad, high-skilled professionals are seeing job growth. With access to education, U.S. workers have the potential to train for a higher-skilled, higher-paying occupation at home. For better or for worse, outsourcing is raising the educational bar for American jobs. Update your career training, and secure a career that will be here today and tomorrow.
