American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Recession-proof Your Career

During tough economic times, everyone needs a little security boost. Here are three ways to recession-proof your career as a physical education, fitness or health professional:

1. Stay positive: Worry is a natural reaction to feeling insecure about the future of your employment. Keep anxiety at bay while at the workplace by focusing on the positive aspects of your job and resist the urge to join in on any dooms-day gossip. Stay positive, productive and focused on the quality of your work. Higher-ups are often impressed by employees who can work with equanimity even in financially stressful times.

2. Build a career network: Not just a career network, but a safety net. Align yourself with contacts from other districts and organizations. Utilize social media platforms. Most importantly, build relationships with the people that you see regularly: students or parents of students, co-workers, clients, and mentors. Take good care of these relationships and know that, if you should find yourself out of work, you'll be back on your feet in no time when you have an entire network to support you.

3. Deal with your recession fears: Action is the best remedy for anxiety. Cut down on sleepless nights and create a career security plan for yourself by putting action steps in place that will cushion the blow of unemployment or underemployment. When times are good, take preventative measures such as adjusting your monthly spending and allocating more money to a savings account, adding another source of income, or prioritizing on paying off the premium on your car or house. Often, a little tweaking to your current financial patterns can go a long way towards career confidence.