From time to time a fellow blogger will share with me an interesting posting that has relevance to the readers of this blog. Thank you to Amy Quinn at HR World for forwarding this posting to me this week. Here is the link to the original article, Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession.

I have adapted this blog to the Transportation industry and added a few thoughts of my own. I hope that you find it of interest. This is indeed a difficult time in the freight industry. A number of folks with whom I speak have a heightened level of anxiety as to whether their company will make it through this "freight recession" and whether they will continue to be employed by their current company. Here are a few segments of the industry where there is likely to be more job security and growth potential.

1. Health Care: Since people will always get sick, this is a good industry for truckers to target. With the large group of aging baby boomers, there will be an increased demand for pharmaceuticals and medical products. This market segment has growth potential.

2. Energy: Although consumers are likely to cut back, they're not going to stop using energy. In fact, this industry may grow, as companies look for more efficient ways to deliver using less energy. This is another strong industry segment for truckers.

3. International Business: Even when the economy is doing poorly, other countries may be doing well. So if your transportation company is involved in international business, you can expect your career to stay safe.

4. Accounting: Death and taxes are a sure thing. In a recession, companies are likely to get desperate for more deductions and take a hard look at their books. Strong CFO’s and controllers can provide valuable assistance to truckers seeking to weather the storm.

5. Sales: Strong salespeople who control large blocks of business and who can bring on more business are extremely valuable to transportation companies — they should have little to worry about.

6. Debt Management: Recessions mean crunch time for trucking companies with significant debts. They're sure to need some guidance.

7. Consulting: Recessions create opportunities for companies to bring in consultants for advice on efficiency and squeezing the most out of their resources, for assistance with the sale of a distressed company or the purchase of a company that will create more critical mass and more core competencies.

8. Food: People need food to survive, and it's not likely that anyone is going to just stop eating — no matter how bad the economy gets. While people may change their eating habits (e.g. more Kraft dinner, less dining out), food will continue to move to store shelves and trucking companies will continue to move this freight.

9. Debt Collection: As the economy contracts, some shippers will delay payment of their invoices and companies will look to debt collectors to recoup their costs.

10. Rail: One look at the stock market last year will tell you that rail was the hottest segment of the transportation industry. The economics of double stack containers are still compelling and this is where there will be growth.

11. Truck Drivers: As the “freight recession” comes to an end and volumes pick up, qualified drivers will be in short supply. The aging baby boomer population means that many good drivers will be leaving the workforce in the years to come. There will be an ample supply of jobs for those who enjoy driving on the open road.

12. Multilingual Workers: The importance of being able to speak multiple languages in the world of global commerce even made it to the TV debate between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama last week. The ability to speak Chinese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and a host of other languages provides you with a leg up on the many folks in North America who can only speak English.

13. New Port Development and Management: With the west coast ports still challenged in coping with the flow of offshore goods, the opportunity exits for new ports on the west coast (e.g. Prince Rupert) or east coast to grow their market shares.

14. Multifaceted Careers: If you don't put all of your eggs in one basket, you should be able to ride out a recession by relying on secondary income. So if you juggle a career that involves a regular job, plus other sources like online income, freelancing and investing, numerous failures have to happen before you're really in trouble.

15. Strong Leaders: It is often said that it is the ability to deal with a crisis that distinguishes strong leaders. To rally your troops, maintain good morale (while reducing work hours or announcing layoffs), make the bold decision, see the path to success that others can’t see while holding the company together through tough times is a true test of a leader. This is a time when true leaders really shine and this is when they are most in demand.