Top Ten Jobs for Grads

The quest for employment isn’t hopeless for the class of 2009! There are promising jobs out there, if you know where to look.

Commencement for 2009 graduates is quickly approaching. The search for entry-level employment is never easy for recent grads, and today’s economy is no help. It seems like a fair share of students, myself included, fear graduation day like the rest of the country fears layoffs. According to the Job Outlook 2009 survey of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to hire 22 percent fewer grads from the class of 2009 than they had from the class of 2008. Don’t panic! There are a number of jobs that look promising for 2009 grads. Here’s a list of ten (in no particular order), based on statistics from NACE and the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

1. Accountant and auditor
Straight forward and self explanatory. Accounting majors are on a direct path to this always-in demand career.

2. Database administrator
Careers in information systems management are on the rise as database systems are becoming an integral part of all business…

Love in the Time of Layoff: Cheap Date

Twice, my friend Susan (I have changed some names and identifiers) found herself covering for a date who was short on cash. On the first date. At the end of one of them, there was even a humiliating walk to an ATM machine, where he handed her precisely his half and thanked her for a nice evening. Susan was mortified.

I would be too, and obviously so should those guys. Being cheap (or disorganized) is not unusual in the annals of dating, but it seems like some people are using the recession as cover for skimping out…

Recession Concessions: Lost the Business, Keeping the Cleaners

Ryan M. Salinetti, 33
Suffolk County, N.Y.

Keeping: Cleaners
I’ve kept my cleaning people because I love them and I don’t want to see them suffer the way I have.

Letting Go: Employees, childcare, extras
I have a graphic design business [Breakwater Design Studio] that works with locals and local businesses. They did not just go into hibernation for the off-season—I drive down Main Street and see For Rent signs in the windows. There was a wine merchant who was doing excellent; I worked with him for six months on a website project and now he’s gone. Landscapers—their clients were V.P.s for Lehman Bros., and they were the first to get chopped. I do their graphics and marketing, so I got chopped next. It happened in three weeks. I had to lay people off. I gave up the idea that I could have a business, I moved everything home. It was horrible…

Unsung Heroes – Recession Moms

Today we’d like to offer a big thank you to our moms, without whom we would not running a website, or even tying our shoes, frankly. We know how hard you work, how deeply you care, and how much the future depends on you.

In his new book Elsewhere, U.S.A., social scientist Dalton Conley explains the challenges of today’s multitasking moms, who play an increasingly important role in the economic life of families: “Blending work and home responsibilities is no easy feat, especially in a 24/7 service economy that allows many of us to work from home at all hours.”

Redux: Your Psychic Friends

Lynn Parramore looks back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.

What’s in the crystal ball? Minds freaked out by the economy want to know.

So much so that folks are willing to shell out their scant cash on psychics during an economic downturn. The business of telling fortunes is thriving, with psychics reporting visits from a new class of customer – high powered business types and well-heeled Wall Streeters. Some clients fork over a hundred bucks for the privilege of staring at a pile of crystals. Seems kinda silly – until you consider the bad predictions they’ve likely heard from their financial advisors.

Shows like “The Medium,” or “Ghost Whisperer” have sparked a renewed interest in psychics in recent years, but the downturn has revved up a full-blown revival…

Recession Lexicon: Recessed

/adj. “Recessed” describes a relatively mild condition of discontent, ennui or disillusion triggered by job loss, portfolio plundering, or home value decline.

Not as serious as the experience of being depressed, feeling recessed can still suck pretty badly, and often requires bailouts in the form of small monetary floaters…

2 Ways the Recession is Good for Romance

The recession will affect relationships in different ways, and just how couples deal with economic turmoil will depend on a multitude of factors. While the prevailing tone of this roundup (of perspectives on what happens to couples as they wade through financial woes) by the editors at The New York Times is a tad negative, a few panelists shed light on positive points. Here are those that rose to the fore:

Talking through the tough times can strengthen relationships, pointed out Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington. “A bad economy can force people to take up these difficult conversations. If couples are honest and compassionate with one another, if they learn to work it out as a team, they could emerge with a better relationship,” wrote Schwartz. Difficult times spawn deep, solution-seeking discussions. It’s the act of plowing through the issues and mining for fixes together that can build intimacy, connectedness and ultimately bring couples closer together…

The Book Reporter: Elsewhere, U.S.A.

Having a job in today’s economy feels lucky, but the pressure’s on to keep up a relentless pace. In his new book, Elsewhere, U.S.A., social scientist and NYU professor Dalton Conley shines a light on the hyperconnected, telecommuting, multitasking, 24/7 world that keeps us running to catch up with the last email, glued to our gadgets for fear of incurring “opportunity cost.” This linked-in dynamic means that for the first time in history, “the more we are paid, the more hours we work.” Dalton articulates the frustration of today’s workers, who literally risk their lives checking BlackBerries as we drive and cross the street, pinged incessantly by co-workers and bosses who measure productivity by the number of sent emails. The important work of processing, reflecting, and thinking is something that we feel we can’t afford. And leisure? Forget it. That’s something for the poor.

We live in a twilight world of “Elsewhere” because we’re never fully present in our lives…

At the End of Your Robe: Best Sites for Discount Shopping

You don’t need to be on your toes anymore to score the best deals on the best clothes—you just need to be online. Over the past few years, some fabulous sites have sprung up that offer bargains that were once limited to sample sales in New York, discount codes, inexpensive basics, and even cash back on clothing purchases. These seven websites will get you in the know and have you saving like a fashion insider.

Gilt Groupe
My favorite online secret. Gilt Groupe offers daily sales on the best men’s and women’s designer merchandise at incredible savings—think Zac Posen, Alvin Valley, Jack Spade.

Traveling Tight: Saving with Stopovers

Once upon a time, before airlines charged for pillows, they allowed travelers to make stopovers for free. That meant you could ski on your way to L.A., or overnight in Paris en route to Italy, without extra charge. For the most part those days are gone—especially on cheapo coach tickets. But the downturn has inspired a few major stopover deals to encourage tourism, and a number of airlines are dropping fees on stopovers.

Stopovers can be an economical way to drop extra destinations into a trip—especially places you might not otherwise hit, like Singapore. The tiny city-state is offering a bang-up deal, the Fabulous Singapore Stopover. Travel to Asia on Singapore Airlines, and get a super-discounted hotel rate…