A week ago I posted a few stories about which industries are still hiring despite the recession. Among these were Air Traffic Control, Accounting and Nursing. Well, as Freddy Mercury once said, another one bites the dust. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that the Nursing field is seeing a decline in available positions.

As of last summer, the nation had a shortage of roughly 125,000 nurses, based on vacancies at hospitals and in long-term care. That is still expected to balloon to 300,000 to more than one million nursing vacancies by 2020. But thanks to the recession, the nursing shortage appears to be waning, at least temporarily

.A recent survey of 658 hospitals by the American Hospital Association found more than half had negative profit margins in the fourth quarter, raising concerns that more layoffs are on the way. SMDC Health System in Duluth, Minn., a large health-care provider in the region, for instance, has laid off 55 workers this year, including about a dozen nurses last month, from its staff of 7,000.

Now, if you are currently in Nursing school or planning to attend, don't get too worried. There is, as the above quote points out, still a future in nursing. Those vacancies will come. But, for right now, it appears hospitals (like almost everything else) aren't doing so well. If you were looking to move into the field immediately, you may need to exercise some patience.

Never one to exercise patience myself, it's time we moved on to The Links ...

PC Mag Lists: The best iPhone Apps for the unemployed (via Cheezhead). Of course, if you can afford an iPhone, you probably already have a job. But just in case ... it's a good list.

Gradspot Offers: Social Skills you need to develop as a recent grad. Networking will become more and more important in your life once you are through with college. The post has some good insight on developing communications and relationship building skills.

Alison's Job Searching Blog Advises: Look at the job search from the employer's point of view. "It's important to know where companies are posting jobs and how they are recruiting on and off the job boards. If you're aware of where companies are seeking applicants, you can position yourself to increase your chances of getting found by hiring managers. It makes good sense to be sure you're focusing your efforts on the same job sites that companies are using."

George's Employment Blawg Provides: Tips on how to draw attention to your resume. As I've said a number of times, you face increased competition in this job market. One tip that caught my eye, is the advice to focus your search and apply to a limited number of jobs that you are qualified for. I'm not sure I agree with this, as the author's defense is simply that it is a waste of time. That phrase, in my opinion, shouldn't enter the discussion during your job search. If applying to 20 jobs a week lands you a gig, it wasn't a waste of time. Something to think about.

Inside Higher Ed Reports: Student credit card debt is rising. I don't get this. You are starting your career with (in most cases) a blank slate in terms of money, or already behind the 8-ball with student loan debt. Why would you possibly want to exacerbate the situation? I didn't get a credit card (or a cell phone for that matter) until after graduation, and recommend the same for any other student.

Inside Higher Ed Reports: On a new study that says Facebook is effecting students' grades. Apparently an Ohio State researcher found that the difference is about a letter grade between those who spend more time on Facebook than others.

"Nurse Joker cosplay" photo courtesy christyxcore via Flckr Creative Commons

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.