What industry to get into?

[chrispattinson]

Considering the current economic climate, what's the best industry to be looking to work in. I can vouch that automotive is not where it's at.

[Lee]

oil is about as bouyant as anything at the moment ;)
I agree with the comment about the automotive industry, when I took my car in last Friday for a download, they said they were only doing warranty work now and had only sold 2 cars in the last month, if it wasn't for recalls on the vogue diffs then they would have nothing in. Landrover have also stopped production of the 4.2 V8 engine :-( because people are scared of it and if you want a new landrover you have to cough up a 50% cash deposit before they place the order.

[DCM]

nowhere is totally secure, civil service is reasonalbe, if you can get on a permanent contract, and not a yearly contract.

[millzy]

nowhere is totally secure, civil service is reasonalbe, if you can get on a permanent contract, and not a yearly contract.

im at the civil service and most of our contracts are permanent, but are rocking horse shit to get now

[footey]

i would imagine computers must be a good 1 :confused: as they are everywhere now

[Chrislong]

Considering the current economic climate, what's the best industry to be looking to work in. I can vouch that automotive is not where it's at.


Bayliff or debt collection.

Have you had bad news at work this week? :(

[bandit]

Bayliff or debt collection.

Have you had bad news at work this week? :(

your not far off the mark as this industry is going strong , debt management etc

[chrispattinson]

No, no bad news, I think I'll be ok for the medium term, just wondering where the next move would be???

[Chrislong]

No, no bad news, I think I'll be ok for the medium term, just wondering where the next move would be???

Well with unemployment rising, many will be looking for the easy answers - taxi driving, delivery driver etc etc. Temp/contract work seems to be offering lower wages as they simply have so many people begging for any position, probably different for more skilled/niche contract work though.

So do think outside of the box.

Other secure jobs are: RAF, Navy, Army. Other than that, id just hold tight and pray you come out the other side of this recession still employed.

[bigoggy]

i deliver car parts for a motor factor and we have had our hours cut from 8 to 6 a day:mad:. lots of small shops and garages shuting down lately:(

[90dug]

Anything enviromental at the moment big business or power generation.

[markwilliamson2001]

Get into IT in schools...:D I am and its 'steady' money. Computers AND civil service!

Mark

[rcluke]

be a sparky mate:thumbsup:

[Smartalec]

Considering the current economic climate, what's the best industry to be looking to work in. I can vouch that automotive is not where it's at.
Drug dealer :thumbsup:

[jim76]

Drug dealer :thumbsup:

that's how you paid for that second Shark then! :o

[mole2k]

I wouldn't suggest being a self-employed photographer, people aren't overly interested in spending much money these days on luxury items like photograph :/

[Southwell]

Get into IT in schools...:D I am and its 'steady' money. Computers AND civil service!

Mark

With the added bonus of retarded users, o wait, thats not a bonus. Man im bitter this week :lol:

[MK999]

Rubbish, we used to run rings around our IT department at school, had games loaded on the local machines with admin rights etc :thumbsup:

[Southwell]

Rubbish, we used to run rings around our IT department at school, had games loaded on the local machines with admin rights etc :thumbsup:

Obviously mickey mouse, not even admin have those rights on our network :lol:

[MK999]

Definitely a complete bunch of muppets, if a comp crashed or whatever we usually had to fix it for them :eh?:

Used to send those little pop up network messages to the head of IT, confused the hell out of him. I forget how you do them now, command in command prompt somewhere... once we even sent a couple round the computer room saying they have breached the terms of use and should report to the head of IT immediately, was pretty funny watching people pack up and shuffle out :thumbsup:

[glypo]

Have you tried going from Automotive to Aerospace?

Some aerospace firms are feeling the pinch, BAE and Rolls Royce (who are both massive) are cutting a few jobs. Generally the whole science/technology/defence/aerospace industry is resilient in times like these however. The company I work for announced big profits and growth just a couple of weeks ago, not bad going at all.

We work on a lot of high level (secret/classified/confidential) as does most the industry, so you need to be British with both parents also British and no mix nationality, so that is a draw back and problem for a lot. That's not just specific to the company I work in, but many others in aerospace so don't bother trying if you don't think the government will grant you access to see materials at that level.

However if that's not a problem, I would suggest Aerospace or just Science/Technology in general. Although the companies are doing well, they are still being cautious and not recruiting a whole lot. However there are jobs if you look, and they should be reasonably secure (hopefully) once you get in.

I suppose more proof of the whole technology thing. One of my brothers lost his job as an architect due to the construction industry problems. However another of my brothers works for a company that makes Sonar/ROVs/Subsea instrumentation etc and due to the number of large contracts they have secured recently they needed CAD designers etc so he managed to get a job there as well.

Proper industry no longer exists in the UK, and hasn't for years. However our expertise does and it is these kind of companies that actually do the hard work designing the stuff that should be relativley safe even during a recession. Airlines want less costs due to economy, best way is fuel effcient aircraft, thus firms designing the aircraft should get their buisness.

[Ian F]

You're never secure working for someone else doesn't matter how big the company, look at Woolworth 25000+ staff might be out of work by Christmas:(.

[mobile chicane]

mobile service industry seems ok at the moment, I get 2-3 potental job offers a week from agencies looking for field service engineers saying that I've 11 yrs field service experiance in a variatey of roles no kids and a clean driving licence which makes me a rare find especialy with the experiance I'm gaining at my current role.

When I was fixing pneumatic bailers at a fixed £20k sallary I used to deliver pizzas for dominos 2-5 nights a week money was min wage but tips and fuell allowance made it worth my while paid me about £2500 in 4 months work.

my industry seems ok at the moment as people are getting their cars repaired rather than buying new therefore more both use = more breakdowns= more overtime for me.

[cjm_2008]

my advice: find a niche and become the best within that niche. if it's in IT, and you can work for the government, even better.

there's only a handful of people in the UK who can do what I do, and I'm probably at the top of that tree, so I *should* be ok for a while - especially as my job involves cutting operational costs.

I am avoiding being total smugness, however, because any contract is only as good as it's notice period, despite the fact I've just been extended to june 09.

i do feel comfortable enough to piss away $$$ on karting though :woot:

[MK999]

I find myself comfortable enough to pi$$ away money on cars, and i'm a student with sort of, no job (I work part time at a go kart track, but it's paper round money really) :thumbsup: Overdrafts are a way of life for the full time student :woot:

[Lee]

Proper industry no longer exists in the UK.

Who told you that :confused:

My company has £400 m worth of work i the next 2 years in teesside, last year i worked on a £200m project in lowestoft, there is bags of industry in the uk, probably as much as there was back in the 70's, but the processes are becoming more automated.

You still need pipers Electricians, riggers, welders etc its just knowing where to look, if a job isn't on a lot of peoples doorstep, their answer is there is no work :thumbdown:

[i4n]

if a job isn't on a lot of peoples doorstep, their answer is there is no work :thumbdown:

I think you've just hit the nail on the head, Lee. People can't be arsed to put themselves out a little bit and actually LOOK for work, they wan't it handed to them on a plate.

[DCM]

the other thing, getting re-training is hard, I know in the 80's and 90's, there were loads of initiatives, but there isn't so much now. My brother-in-law has just lost his job, and all the government done was give him a grant and told to go find some courses.....

Also, decent apprenticeships are very hard to come by now too.

In South Wales, the 'manufacturing' industry has been well hit, plus engineering.

[pro4nut]

Well if it cheers anyone up the mobile phone industry is still expanding its retails divisions. The company i work for will be opening 20 new stores in the next 6 months and getting good terms on the lease agreements as many other retailers are doing the opposite. For people looking for part time work we pay far more than the rest of the high street in basic pay let alone the commision/bonus structures. Starting pay for store managers runs from 25K to 30K with bonus pushing that to 40K a year. Not trying to advertise really just saying that not every business is fragile, mobile phones are treated as a utility rather than a luxury so unless everyone goes back to using landlines things are looking good over this way.

BTW if you are looking for work in the london area drop me a pm

[mark christopher]

Considering the current economic climate, what's the best industry to be looking to work in. I can vouch that automotive is not where it's at.
somin to do with immargation, that seem to have planty to do at min, open the door and wave em in, seem an easy life to!!:thumbdown:

[glypo]

Who told you that :confused:


How many sources do you want? If that is not common knowledge than I don't know what is! You say £200m revenue as if that is substantial for a company, where I work a single contract can be worth that and with a revenue of £1.4bn/year. I would almost consider where I work to be partially in the manufacturing industry, and even then at £1.4bn I say it's small.

As usual I have just done my homework, here you go:

The manufacturing industries contributed more than 20.0 per cent of GVA until 1998, when it stood at 20.0 per cent, but has fallen every year since then, to 14.1 per cent in 2004.

We have a Financial Service industry that is a massive 30% of the economy, ICT not far behind. In reality, as that statistic is old you will find industry has dropped to around 9.8%.

You have to consider Britain was once almost entirely proper industry. The industrial revolution was born here, we are the ones that made the modern world. This powered our empire, the biggest the world has ever seen, and industry took over from agriculture as the major source of wealth for the country.

Change happens, and it's not always bad, it's just different. Agriculture dropped from basically 100% before the industrial revolution and proper industry took it's place. Now services are by far the biggest part of the economy, probably 70% when you combine government/financial/technical. Industry is a lonely 9% and agriculture is just about 1-2%.

And yes you are right, we now design the stuff but still need to people to make it. But most those people live in China. We live in a world where even Boeing and Airbus are making their planes in China due to the savings. There will always be stuff that needs to be at home, and that small amount of stuff accounts for the small 9% of the economy, and falling.

I am not trying to put down the industry down, I am an engineer and rely on industry to build the stuff we design. I am just saying things aren't what they used to be, and manufacturing is not really the best place to look for jobs right now compared to some of the more technical industries.

[Gaz_Stanton]

And yes you are right, we now design the stuff but still need to people to make it. But most those people live in China. We live in a world where even Boeing and Airbus are making their planes in China due to the savings.

Have you seen some of the crap we're getting out of China?!? :woot:

Most of it will be back soon if common sense can overrule the politics...

[PaulRotheram]

steer well clear of the building industry for a few years, its on its arse at the moment! lots of people loosing their jobs, no work, no one to buy the work, no one to provide funds, times are bad!

[DaveG28]

my advice: find a niche and become the best within that niche. if it's in IT, and you can work for the government, even better.

there's only a handful of people in the UK who can do what I do, and I'm probably at the top of that tree, so I *should* be ok for a while - especially as my job involves cutting operational costs.

I am avoiding being total smugness, however, because any contract is only as good as it's notice period, despite the fact I've just been extended to june 09.

i do feel comfortable enough to piss away $$$ on karting though :woot:

What he said!! Find something your good at, mate it to something people want, and its as well protected as you can get!

This last year has maybe been slightly different in that more fundamentally sound businesses are being killed by cashflow due to the lack of credit.

Any industry can suffer, for example not all the mobile phone industry is doing well. I worked in the industry for 5 years until a few months ago and many of the guys I worked with have been made redundant since. I work in a support function (finance) though so I am of the view that it should be people in my type of role being made redundant before salespeople/engineers etc. I now work in a manufacturing business and I think it would be madness for them to lay off people who make the product or sell the prouct before looking for ways of cutting central costs such as finance/HR etc. Keep the engine room strong in any business, and try to cut support costs!

[chris_dono]

Considering the current economic climate, what's the best industry to be looking to work in. I can vouch that automotive is not where it's at.


become an accountant.

[Northy]

I think Edward might change his mind too now :(

G

[tjf]

Computer game industry is one to get into its worth billions of pounds a year. I'm sure you know people who love games consoles etc.

[Lee]

I think Edward might change his mind too now :(

G

I took a gamble on that project G because it was OK money for working at home. It was the bank that pulled the funds and nothing really to do with the oil industry, numerous platforms are making £30 million /day for the operators ;)

I have been offered work in dubai but don't really fancy it. I was meant to be in mexico now too but they cant pull the funds together to finish the platform.

@ Glypo: the percentage contributed by the manufacturing industry may have fallen, but this could well mean that others have contributed more rather than that one declining?

[chrispattinson]

become an accountant.


I am an accountant :lol:, chartered accountant and vba prgrammer / financial modeller. Was management acocuntant for Northern Rock, something went wrong there, now assistant financial controller for JCI making seats for most of the cars on the road, but the automotive industry is heading south aswell. I think I might look at public sector!!!

Some really good points being made in this thread, us ooplers are an informed bunch, or an opinionated bunch :lol:

[Danny McGee]

Aerospace is pretty safe. We've just got a 7 year contract with Airbus so im a happy man :)

[jordi15]

If I was a kid again (I bloody wish!!) I would definately train to be a Farrier.
We have 5 horses that need shoeing every 6 weeks (minimum) and even at 'mates rates' thats £350 and he will only be with us for 2-3 hours! ..... our farrier has to work 7 days a week such is the demand for good ones, he even manages a couple of evenings a week as Farrier on call at the local race track....

He used to race 1:8 onroad at a high level but reckons he cant afford to these days!!:cry:

[Lee]

He must own a range rover then :lol:

[rich_cree]

How about f1? Solid as a rock, a rock lying on top of a pile of quick sand that is........:-(

[Northy]

:( not good times Cree - is your job at risk? :eh?:

G

[N7ELA]

Thing is though chris when you left northern rock, they were still doing business and your job was not threatened. Now your in the motor trade and thats slowed down, however you still go to work every day and you still get paid. Have you personally seen any effect from this credit crunch....??? I haven't. Ive got the same quality of life now as always.

In 1994 nissan stopped production for 12 weeks. At that time they made primera and micra. People were resigned to the fact that they would be made redundant. However now they're still there... The volumes then were less than a quarter of that now. They currently make 5 models and have significantly reduced orders.

In the first 6 months of this financial year nissan made 650 million profit. However this was no where near the 950 million target. There was hell on as they were 300 million short.

Best industry to be in is not cars. Its energy. Electricity, oil and gas. Anything that people need to survive will always be there. And if people need it then they cant afford not to have it...

Look at shell and essos profits chris. They make northern rock look small time....

[chris68nufc]

How about being a poor sparky? Am i alright?

[N7ELA]

Pinky you've got the newest car at the club, all the new gear and your always wearing new pink clothes... So you must still be doin well....

[Answer-RC-Pete]

Id steer away from the RC trade! ;-)

[Darren Boyle]

Id steer away from the RC trade! ;-)
I was waiting for the first person to post that one, Pete :D
(we dont want everyone coming in and taking a share of the millions we (dont) make!) LOL

[tjf]

oops

[Alfonzo]

I don't know about the best industry to get into, but do this country a favour - don't get into the public sector. The last thing we need is another civil servant..

[JBL]

How about network marketing? My wife runs her own business selling Aloe Vera products and only works 10 hours a week to provide some extra cash. Our aim is to grow her business, so I can leave the motor industry and spend more time at home.

Check out her website www.auroraforyou.co.uk (http://www.auroraforyou.co.uk) or contact her if your interested.

[SlowOne]

My father worked for the same company for 40 years and told me that would not happen to me. His advice was to find what I was good at, and then find a company that could use my skills. In choosing that skill, he told me to make sure it was something I enjoyed doing.

He was right in all respects, and he told me these things 40 years ago. He's still around at 94, and his choice enabled him to enjoy a long and happy retirement. In those 40 years I've learnt the following:

Choose a skill, develop it, and see how far it takes you. If it doesn't work out - you don't enjoy it or it doesn't take you far enough - try something else.

Careers that have width, not height, are more satisfying and get more satisfying as you get older.

Skills in the fundamentals of every Company - selling, buying, finance and product development - are the most rewarding, both personally and financially. The better an educational qualification you can get in your chosen skill, the better a job you can do.

Despite the attempts of the last 20 years to turn every tertiary college into a University, the only degrees worth the name come from the 27 Universities there used to be before that mayhem started. Do whatever it takes to get into one of them, and do a degree in one of the fundamental skills.

If you have a qualification, key skills in one of the fundamentals and some experience, then you can switch industries as they ebb and flow. If you choose an industry, then you ebb and flow with them.

Hope that helps. :)

[chris_dono]

I am an accountant :lol:, chartered accountant and vba prgrammer / financial modeller. Was management acocuntant for Northern Rock, something went wrong there, now assistant financial controller for JCI making seats for most of the cars on the road, but the automotive industry is heading south aswell. I think I might look at public sector!!!

Some really good points being made in this thread, us ooplers are an informed bunch, or an opinionated bunch :lol:

I'm a database developer/programmer myself. I suggested accountants because whether companies/individuals are making or losing money they still need to have their books done :D