If you've recently been laid off, you've probably had someone tap you on the shoulder and tell you something like: "Out of crisis comes opportunity," or "When one door closes, another opens." It probably feels a little pat, but the truth is that many workers will use the downturn to switch out of a slow-growth career—and into work with a much more promising future.

The financial crisis and economic recession have made quick work of an expected gradual evolution in our economy. In the next few years, it could look very different—a shrunken Wall Street will force bankers to find jobs in other industries, a massive green-energy effort could create jobs that are barely on the map today, and an expanding healthcare sector could offer new opportunities for a broad swath of workers. So whether you're out of work or you're gainfully employed, you should keep on eye on the changing nature of our job market.

U.S. News has plowed through hundreds of careers, looking for the jobs with the best outlook in this recessionary economy (and beyond), the highest rates of job satisfaction, the least difficult training necessary, the most prestige, and the highest pay. These careers have staying power: They're smart moves now, and they'll be smart moves for years to come.

The aging of the baby boomer generation promises to place major demands on the healthcare system. There will be more need for physical therapistsas active seniors work their way back from hip and knee replacements. A couple of national surveys also found that physical therapists rank high in job satisfaction. Registered nurses, biomedical equipment technicians, and physician assistants will also be in hot demand. Equipment technicians install, train, calibrate, and maintain a cadre of fast-evolving medical equipment, such as PET/CT scanners and robotic radiosurgery units. Computer systems know-how is increasingly useful, and you can be an everyday hospital hero after only a two-year associate's degree. Physician assistants need two or three years of postgraduate education. Then they can do about 80 percent of what physicians do, and their salaries can reach six figures.

It's also important to consider the effect of an Obama presidency on the labor market. The president-elect has indicated that healthcare reform will be a priority for his administration. Overhauling our existing system to make way for universal healthcare will require the hard work of many health policy specialists,who will be called upon to examine, analyze, or advise on everything from economic approaches to ethical outcomes of policy changes. Schools like Harvard, Penn, and Johns Hopkins offer interdisciplinary health policy programs, but there will be good job opportunities for people with primary expertise in economics, politics, medicine, accounting, management, and ethics, as well.

Some best careers may surprise you. Did you know that hair stylists rank among the most satisfied with their jobs? (No need to fear that your work will be outsourced, either.) Pharmacists are increasingly in demand as medical advisers, thanks to soaring physicians' costs and appointment delays. Firefighter is among the most prestigious careers, as ranked by the public in a Harris poll. It ranks behind scientist and physician—two careers that require much bigger investments in higher education. The veterinarian career—long a favorite for kids who love pets—is a surprisingly smart adult choice, with plenty of opportunities in the field, a variety of work environments, and, although it can be stressful, great reward for your labor.

Some careers fly well under the radar, so competition is less intense, even if job satisfaction runs high. Have you ever thought of a job as an audiologist? Probably not, but this career lets you work closely with the rapidly improving technology of hearing aids, and you spend lots of time out of the office—working one-on-one with patients in clinics or hospitals.

Workers who crave job security may find their last bastion of hope in the federal government. Government can always raise taxes or print more money—and it still offers full-time, well-paying positions with generous benefits, including ample holidays, sick days, and vacation days. More good news: There will be plenty of jobs to choose from, as a big chunk of federal employees become eligible for retirement over the next decade. Opportunities for a government manager abound—in everything from human resources to finance, research to public relations, and technology to art, with jobs throughout the United States and the world.

Our full list of Best Careers 2009 :

* Audiologist

* Biomedical equipment technician

* Clergy

* Curriculum/training specialist

* Engineer

* Firefighter

* Fundraiser

* Genetic counselor

* Ghostwriter

* Government manager

* Hairstylist/Cosmetologist

* Health policy specialist

* Higher education administrator

* Landscape architect

* Librarian

* Locksmith/Security system technician

* Management consultant

* Mediator

* Occupational therapist

* Optometrist

* Pharmacist

* Physical therapist

* Physician assistant

* Politician/Elected official

* Registered nurse

* School psychologist

* Systems analyst

* Urban planner

* Usability/User experience specialist

* Veterinarian

如果你最近被解雇，可能會有人敲你的肩膀告訴你“危機過后就是機會”，或者說“當一扇門關閉，就會有另一扇們打開之類的話。”這樣的話讓人覺點有點幸災樂禍，但事實上許多員正試圖從增長緩慢并開始沒落的夕陽產業中走出，步入了一些更有前景的產業。

眼下的金融危機和經濟衰退加速推動了我們所預期的經濟格局變化。接下來幾年的形勢將看上去會大為不同，一個正萎縮的華爾街將會驅使他的銀行家們去其他行業去尋找工作，能創造許多工作崗位的一個龐大的綠色能源成就在今天看來只不過是紙上談兵，日益擴大的醫療保障覆蓋面可以提供給廣大工人們以更多的機會。所以無論你是失業還是擁有不錯報酬的工作，你都應該時刻關注著人才市場上性質的變化。

《美國新聞與環球報道》從上百種職業中篩選，尋找在當前經濟疲軟（或者更以后）環境中那些相比之下前景更好的工作，它們的標準是擁有最高的工作滿足度，最低的培訓困難度，最好的名聲當然還有最高的報酬。這些工作都有持久的生命力：他們現在能夠靈活的轉變，在接下來的幾年中也會。

嬰兒潮（美國1946年至1964年18年間嬰兒潮人口高達7800萬人，春江注）時代的人老齡化勢必對醫療體系產生重大需求。這將需要更多的物理治療師，他們作為資深治療師，重新從事于置換髖關節和膝蓋骨的工作。一組全國性調查的數據還發現，在工作滿足度的排行榜上，物理治療師是排名很高的。注冊護士、生物醫學設備的技術人員、和醫師助理也是擁有很大的需求量。像設備的技術安裝，培訓，調整，保持醫療設備維護隊伍的快速發展，如PET / CT顯像掃描儀和機器人放射單位。計算機系統專門技術越來越有用，即使是擁有一張兩年制大學的畢業證書，你也可以可以天天都成為醫院的英雄。醫師助理需要兩年或三年的研究生教育，接著他們就能承擔到80%一名醫生能做到，而且他們的薪水將達到6位數。

同樣重要的是奧巴馬總統任期內對人才市場的影響。這位當選總統已表示，在他的政府，醫療改革將是一個管理的優先事項。修訂我們現行的系統普及醫療保險將會需要艱辛工作的大量衛生政策專家，他們將會參與檢查、分析、建議等等一切工作服務于政策變化以讓經濟貼合道德成果，而且對于在經濟學、政治學、醫藥學、會計學、企業管理還有倫理學等擁有初等技能的人來說是很好的工作機會。

還有一些眼下最好的職業可能讓你意想不到。你知道發型師也在工作滿足度的排行榜前列嗎？（也不用擔心您的工作會排除在外）緣于飛漲的醫生費用和那些總是推遲的醫療約定，將會需求越來越多的藥劑師來扮演醫療咨詢師的角色。消防員是最崇高的職業之一，在harris公眾調查中排行前列，它僅僅拍在科學家和醫生——兩個要求更多投入在高等教育的職業的后面，這是也個一個刺激的牛人選擇，在作戰中擁有大量機會，而且有著不同的工作環境，同時它也是充滿壓力的，對于你的這項工作也有豐厚的報酬。

盡管有些工作滿足感高，但由于不為眾人所知，所以，該領域的競爭就沒那么激烈！你曾經聽說過一個稱為“聽覺病矯治專家”的職業嗎？大概沒有，但是這項職業可以讓你幾乎等同于一個高科技的助聽器，你將需要很多時間在辦公室外，也就是在診所或者在醫院跟病人一對一的工作。

渴求職業安全的工人們可能會發現他們的心理防線的最后希望是在聯邦政府。政府可以隨時增加稅收或發行更多的鈔票，而且它仍然提供全職、高薪職位的大量福利，包括充足的假期，病假天，休假日。更多的利好消息是：未來十年，相當大數量的聯邦雇員會步入圖退休，介時會有大量的工作崗位。成為一名政府管理人員的機會非常多，幾乎是在包括在財政人力資源、公眾關系研究、從藝術到技術的各個層面，就業就在美國乃至全世界！

我們的2009最佳職業榜

1、聽覺病矯治專家

2、生物醫學裝備技術人員

3、牧師

4、培訓專家

5、工程師

6、消防員

7、基金募集者

8、遺傳學顧問

9、政府管理者

10、發型師/美容師

11、衛生政策專家

12、園藝師

13、圖書管理員

14、鎖匠/安全系統專家

15、經營業務顧問

16、仲裁人

17、職能治療師

19、驗光師

20、藥劑師

21、物理治療師

22、醫生助理

23、公務員

24、注冊護士

25、系統分析員

26、城市規劃人員

27、用戶體驗專家

28、獸醫

29、高等教育管理人員

30、注冊心理師