What industry do you work in, and do you feel it's stable?

Question

Howdy all! I'm a software programmer working for a government contract. Our small contract will be merged into a large one next year, so the folks in our office need to start looking now. I love working with Air Force data, but funding has been cut in recent years so it feels like it may be time to move to a different industry.

The medical field and working for colleges seem the next best bet; I'd really like to hear from people in those fields and others. Let me know how safe you feel about where you work, please. :)

Thanks so much for your time!

Answer 1

I work for a financial services company and I feel that my job is fairly stable.  However the problem is that most jobs are unstable, but people just don't realize it.  Yes, there are industries that would be stable like medical and education (we'll always need doctors and teachers) but remember that within every industry the different companies may be unstable.  Being unstable doesn't just mean that you may lose your job because the company might close its doors, but maybe they will outsource the department you work in, or the department you work in isn't as profitable as they like so they close it down or sell it off.  Maybe your company that's doing really well is doing so well that another company wants to buy it, and then will that new company really need their current programmers along with you and your department, probably not.