With news about the economy growing more dire each day, you may be wondering how well your job will fare in a recession. Some industries have already been hit hard: real estate agents, mortgage lenders, construction workers, and others in the housing industry are likely to be searching for their next move.

If you’re concerned about your job’s susceptibility to an economic downturn, you might begin searching for similar positions in an industry that will remain strong in a recession. It’s best not to try to start a completely new career in a down economy, but there may be recession-proof careers you haven’t considered.

Following is a listing of the top recession-resistant industries and careers, according to John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement consulting firm, as quoted in an interview with CareerBuilder.com. Although any personality type can find success in any line of work, I’ve also included some notes on which Myers Briggs personality types are most likely to be satisfied with each field.

Education: Teachers, administrators, and educational materials sales. The number of students in school is increasing as more teachers are retiring, creating a demand for educators as well as those that support the industry. Teachers and education administrators are often Extraverted Feeling types; ESFJ, ENFJ, ISFJ, INFJ, ESFP, and ENFP are the types most commonly found working in education.

Energy and the environmental sector: Engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff. A large percentage of the workforce in the oil industry is heading for retirement, just as demand for alternative energy creates new opportunities. Engineers and scientists are often Intuitive Thinking types, particularly INTJ, INTP, and ENTP. ISTPs and ESTPs are often attracted to hands-on, technical professions. However, this field is by no means limited to the scientifically inclined; large energy companies have a need for workers of every inclination, from managerial to administrative. ISTJ, ESTJ, and ENTJ types in particular might find managerial positions in this field satisfying.

Health care: Nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, physical therapists, home health aides, and health information technicians. No matter where the stock market goes, the age of our population is headed steadily upward, creating a huge demand for workers in all areas of health care. Direct care jobs such as nursing are most often chosen by Sensing Feelers, particularly ISFJ, ISFP, ESFP, and ESFJ types. Jobs in the technical and administrative side of health care are more apt to attract ISTJ, ISTP, and ESTJ types.

Security: transportation security, peace officers, immigration officers, and computer programmers. Heightened security concerns have created a demand for tens of thousands of jobs with the U.S. government. Work in security is most likely to appeal to Sensing Thinkers, in particular ISTJ, ISFP, ISTP, ESTP, and ESTJ types. A career in information security as a computer specialist would likely appeal to INTJs, INTPs, and ISTPs.

Recently, Time Magazine published an article about the happiest workers (and unhappiest workers!) in America. The happiest workers? Clergy, followed closely by firefighters. This may seem an odd combo, but consider how fulfilled people in these careers must feel in their work. Connecting to God and a congregation, saving lives in crisis… sounds like a recipe for happiness to me!

Not everyone is going to run off to seminary school, of course. If you’ve been reading about Myers Briggs type you know that for each career, there are a few personality types that gravitate to the field. Following are a few of the “happy” careers from the Time article, along with personality types likely to excel in the field.

Clergy: ISFJ, INFP, INFJ. Introspective, sensitive, and strongly anchored in their values, these types find great satisfaction in religious occupations.

Firefighters: ESTP, ISTP. Dynamic and action-oriented, ESTPs and ISTPs thrive on work that allows them to see immediate, tangible results for their efforts.

Architects: ENTP, INTP, INTJ. All three types have a unique ability to envision possibilities and create innovative concepts based on logical systems.

Actors/Directors: ESFP, ENFP, INFP. Creative and not apt to be tied down, these three types enjoy the self-expression and spontaneity of the performing arts.

Special Education Teachers: ESFJ, ISFJ, INFP. All three of these types are strongly motivated by the desire to help others, and thrive in an environment that lets them see first-hand the positive impact of their work.

Pilots: ESTJ, ISTJ, ESTP. Hands-on, technical work that requires attention to detail appeals to these types. All three types enjoy mastering technology to achieve logical results.

Real Estate Agents: ESTP, ENTP, ESTJ. Assertive, outgoing people with an enterprising spirit tend to enjoy the diverse challenges of this entrepreneurial field.

Dentists: ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ. The practical, hands-on nature of dentistry makes it popular with these types, who excel at detailed, methodical work with a visible result.

In case you’re wondering, the unhappiest workers in America included gas-station attendants, roofers, and maids. For the full report, check out the General Social Survey conducted by the University of Chicago.

Q. I want to help my high school student decide on a college and a career path, but I don’t know where to start. Can your career tests help him figure out what he wants to do?

A. You naturally want your teen to choose a job that he will like and be successful at, but figuring out exactly what this might be can be difficult with a young person who isn’t sure just what he wants to do. Career tests can help your teen become aware of his personality and career interests, and understand the important factors to consider in his career choice. 

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test commonly used with high school students. This test will determine your teen’s personality type and his style of making decisions, processing information, and structuring his life. The MBTI Career Report will provide a ranking of careers based on your teen’s type, so that he can get an idea of what fields have proven satisfying for people similar to himself. 

The Strong Interest Inventory is the world’s most widely used career interests assessment, and will measure your student’s interest level in a variety of job tasks. The assessment matches your teen’s interest profile with the interest profile of successful professionals to determine which careers best fit his preferred work tasks. This test also comes in a Strong College Profile version to assist in the choice of a college major.