After last week's news on the continually shrinking job market, I thought we would start a new week off fresh looking at those industries that actually are hiring. This weekend's New York Times reports that the Federal Aviation Administration is looking to replace air traffic controllers. The industry is facing a retirement bubble as many workers are reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Because of this retirement bubble, the F.A.A. is in the midst of a hiring surge that began in 2005; its Air Traffic Control Workforce plan has set a goal of hiring 17,000 controllers by 2017.

About 15,000 air traffic controllers are now employed in the United States, including about 6,000 who have been hired since 2005, said Hank Krakowski, chief operating officer for the F.A.A.’s air traffic organization. The agency’s workforce plan calls for 1,900 to be hired this year; 500 are now in training at the F.A.A. Academy.

The position requires a fairly extensive selection process, but those who make it through receive free training and a starting salary of $37,300. The salary reaches about $95,000 after 5 years of employment, and continues to rise from there.

In Forbes, over the weekend, we find that the Nursing industry is on a hiring spree as well. Forbes reports that an average of 30,000 new nurses enter the growing field each year as an "aging population will require more and more health care, and retiring baby boomers will leave thousands of vacancies in the field over the next 10 years."

Salaries range from $45,000/$50,000 up to $80,000 for new nurses, depending on the demands of the location.  There are also a number of flexible programs for schooling and training, some that allow students to work full time while enrolled.

The Wall Street Journal discusses what matters more, job security in a thriving industry or career satisfaction? Air Traffic Control, Nursing or even accounting may have a need for warm bodies, but should you sacrifice your long-term happiness for the security that comes with these careers? My answer would be, of course not.

But, this Journal article points out an important aspect to take into account. If you are still in college and just starting down a particular road, don't be so sure that you hate what you are pursuing. Take the time to learn about the topic. But, as you learn more and gain experience, if you find the field is not right for you, then it may be time to re-examine your situation and pursue the path of career satisfaction.

Find more helpful career advice with this batch of The Links ...

The Thin Pink Line Offers: Valuable resources for the job hunt. "The Job Search Intelligence site is absolutely the best site I’ve seen ─ the quality of the datasets, the specificity of the information required and the excellence of the report it generates ─ lead me to recommend it without hesitation." Tough to beat a rec like that.

Modite Thinks: It's OK to burn your bridges. "You shouldn’t just walk out. You should give notice and finish your projects and be polite (if for no other reason than your own sense of pride and accomplishment). But there’s no point in continuing a negative relationship once you’re out the door. The advice to not burn bridges is outdated."

The Creative Career Has: Some advice for you graduating seniors still looking for jobs. Graduation is just over a month away, but don't panic, there is still hope. You will need to be flexible though, maybe take an internship, or move back in with the parents.

Seth Godin Instructs: On the underrated art of the profile pic. Seth says the profile pic is one of the most important aspects of your social network profile and has 10 helpful hints on how to mazimize its effectiveness (you know, like make sure it's actually YOU in the picture).

"Air Traffic Control Tower" photo courtesy of kudumomo via Flickr Creative Commons.