After more than a year of unemployment, Heather Dobyns knew she needed to take some bold moves to stand out from the pack. In May 2008, she had lost her job selling printing services for Deluxe (DLX) in St Louis. She was in her late 30s and her unemployment benefits were scheduled to run out in months.
Dobyns enrolled at New Horizons Computer Learning Center to get the certification she would need to operate and provide security on a computer network for a midsize business using Cisco Systems (CSCO) gear. "Having those skills with a sales background [gives me] an edge that I didn't have six months ago," she says.
Workers like Dobyns may have the right idea. Once the economy turns around, hiring managers say they'll staff up technology departments before other divisions, according to a survey of more than 500 U.S. companies released by Robert Half International (RHI) and CareerBuilder on Aug. 25. Workers in such hard-hit industries as financial services and autos are trying to figure out what careers will best position them for the recovery, and the technology field is looking increasingly attractive.
But the tech jobs of tomorrow will likely demand different talents than the ones many workers possess today. Areas of growth include computer security, clean technology, and health-care IT.
At NASA, 7,000 Will Need New Careers
The challenge for workers who are retraining is to decipher the signs that distinguish industries poised for revival from those that have shed jobs for good.
Dobyns enrolled at New Horizons Computer Learning Center to get the certification she would need to operate and provide security on a computer network for a midsize business using Cisco Systems (CSCO) gear. "Having those skills with a sales background [gives me] an edge that I didn't have six months ago," she says.
Workers like Dobyns may have the right idea. Once the economy turns around, hiring managers say they'll staff up technology departments before other divisions, according to a survey of more than 500 U.S. companies released by Robert Half International (RHI) and CareerBuilder on Aug. 25. Workers in such hard-hit industries as financial services and autos are trying to figure out what careers will best position them for the recovery, and the technology field is looking increasingly attractive.
But the tech jobs of tomorrow will likely demand different talents than the ones many workers possess today. Areas of growth include computer security, clean technology, and health-care IT.
At NASA, 7,000 Will Need New Careers
The challenge for workers who are retraining is to decipher the signs that distinguish industries poised for revival from those that have shed jobs for good.
