Looking to switch careers? Want to go back to school but don’t know what industries will survive economic downturns? Career Explorer wants to help you by listing the top 10 fastest-growing industries.

Now, you can find the industries where projected growth is guaranteed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled a list according to percentage of growth in a 10-year period from 2006-2016.

10. Internet publishing and broadcasting: Expected to increase by 44%.
9. Securities and commodity contracts, brokerages, and exchanges: Expected to increase by 46%
8. Facilities support services: Expected to increase by 46%
7. Other financial investment activities: Expected to increase by 47%
6. Community care facilities for the elderly: Expected to increase by 50%
5. Educational support services, public and private: Expected to increase by 53%
4. Home health care services: Expected to increase by 55%
3. Gambling industries: Expected to increase by 66%
2. Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities: Expected to increase by 74%
1. Management, scientific, and technical consulting services: Expected to increase by 78%

Most of these industries have a number of careers and positions within each sector. Begin searching for a career that has positive growth and stability. Career Explorer can help you achieve your professional and academic goals. Search for programs that could fit into one of the industries and start building a better life!

Summer is often thought of as the season of light, breezy reading. Romance novels, exciting page-turners, and other carefree types of books are out in full force at beaches, lakes, and pools all around the country. But this summer, you are more likely to see some books with a little more weight. We’re talking career advice books.

People young and old, employed or unemployed are finding words of wisdom in these books. In general, it’s a tough time for the book world. This year, overall book sales have been down 4.1%, according to the Association of American Publishers, but many retailers are reporting increased sales in the career improvement and advice category.

No matter your current professional situation or future goals, there’s a book out there designed to motivate and inspire you. Interested in exploring some of your reading options? Here’s a list of some of this summer’s most popular choices:

· What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles. 10 million copies have been sold since it was first published in 1970, and the text is updated with new information annually.

· Knock ‘em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide by Martin Yate.

· Moms who are returning to the professional world should check out Back on the Career Track by Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin.

· Members of the baby-boomer generation might appreciate the advice in Finding Jobs After 50 by Jeannette Woodward.

· Job seeking “green” lovers could find good advice in Green Jobs: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn.

· Classic motivational books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey are a good choice for anyone looking for a boost of confidence.

As you browse the shelves in your local library or bookstore this summer, you’ll find countless other sources of advice and encouragement tailored to fit nearly every situation. And while buying a new book won’t guarantee you an instant job offer, you may learn new strategies or ideas you hadn’t previously considered.

Have you read any career improvement books that really made a difference to you? We’d love to hear about them!

In an economy like this, you probably feel lucky just to have a job … let alone feel like you’re in a position to ask for more money. But the reality is, you are providing an important service (through time, expertise and labor) for your company and you deserve to be compensated fairly. Now, if your company is losing money hand over fist or you haven’t actually been performing the job you were hired to do, then maybe now isn’t the best time to demand a raise. But if you really feel it’s deserved, there is a fair, reasonable way to ask for the compensation you deserve.

Find out how much other employees in your position are earning. Determine your value by browsing the salaries of comparable positions in your area. Come to your employer with concrete examples of competitive salaries and a tangible, reasonable amount that you deserve to be earning.

Determine how much you can earn. If a competitive salary for your position applies to employees with 10 years experience and you only have 2? You may not be able to leverage your amazing skills as much as you’d hoped. You’re worth it, but you also have to pay your dues.

Make sure that people know your value. Display a helpful, flexible, initiative-taking attitude and it will be noticed. Don’t wait until you go in to ask for a raise to point out all the good you do the company … make sure your boss already knows.

Ask. You’ll never receive anything you’re too afraid to ask for. Schedule a meeting with your supervisor, and begin the conversation with a confident, respectful phrase like: “I’d like to talk to you about a salary adjustment.”

Remind your manager of the strong contributions you’ve made. Stay away from mentioning financial hardship, unfair comparisons and pity parties. Show your employer the ways that you have helped to earn or save the company money.

Don’t give ultimatums. Especially if you’re not prepared to follow through. They come across as manipulative and immature, and your manager just might take you up on your offer to take a position at a (fictitious) company that is willing to offer you more money.

Overall, keep your approach confident, level-headed, and be prepared to back your request for a raise with concrete numbers and reasons why you deserve what you’re asking for. If your request happens to be rejected this time, don’t pout. Instead, see if your employer is willing to meet you in the middle with some non-salary perks like a few extra vacation days.

If all else fails, research some more job training that would put you a little more ahead of everyone else!

What are some ideas that worked for you the first time you asked for a raise?

There’s plenty of “bad” economic news to go around, but one thing you don’t actually hear much about is President Obama’s plan that is now in action to add thousands of jobs to state and civic offices. They’re up and open for inspection.

But understand one thing: you will be in competition with LOTS of people for these jobs, so be honest with yourself about your abilities and professional experience. Save your energy for the jobs you stand a chance of landing. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for the lowest of the low on the ladder. Be ambitious, but apply for what you know.

Where are they?
The most abundant industries the Obama administration has listed as priorities are:

• Renewable or Green Energy Careers
  
• Natural Resources Careers
• Infrastructure Careers
  
• Health Care Careers
  
• Education Careers
  

Lily Whiteman, an industry analyst, says jobs are particularly plentiful for contracts managers, financial managers and auditors, network specialists and people who are bi-lingual.

Extra tips for those who are finishing up their education

• A good route to a permanent government job is a federal internship. The site www.makingthedifference.org lists 200 federal internship programs.
• The 100 largest government contractors send job openings out weekly, which are listed at www.usaspending.gov.
• Federal job postings are at www.usajobs.gov There are literally thousands of jobs to fill right now, including the positions that Obama’s stimulus package and domestic policies have created. Many of those positions will be filled through accelerated hiring procedures, so get moving!