Job Market Question

[Gauss44]

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How can one tell what the job market is like for one specialty versus another? If some specialties are very difficult to get hired in compared to others, how can I find out which are what? I would prefer to live in Boston.

(I am NOT interested in ANYTHING besides what I asked, especially if it is negative, obvious, or a cliche.)

 

[DownUnderBlunder]

Salary trends. For Boston: salary trends in Boston.

 

[Law2Doc]

You basically asked the same question on the nontrad board. People further down the road than you who have actually been in the job market tend to be a good resource ( although you have to be willing to hear things you don't want to). Looking at the various recruiter and specialty organization job listings can give you a very generalized sense of what places have more openings, although a Minority of people actually get their jobs this way. As I mentioned in the other thread Boston is a very popular draw for young professionals so it's not like someone is going to point to a particular specialty and say "if you specialize in X you'll find a spot". That's true in underserved parts of the country but not the more popular destinations. And IMHO that's not the right way to pick a specialty to end up in a place like this anyhow. You pick a field you like and excel in it -- that will give you a Better shot than doing eg OB because somebody thinks that might be the softest field to crack into by the time you apply.

 

[NickNaylor]

In general, you will be paid less in larger cities and along the coasts (i.e., "desirable areas") than you would be in "less desirable" areas, e.g., the south and midwest outside of large cities.

 

[mimelim]

It depends on how people get jobs. For vascular surgery, the vast majority are through word of mouth. The field is small enough and the total number of positions is small enough that you learn about job openings when talking to people in your field or having your bosses ask around for you. To this end, a lot of recruiting, especially for junior faculty/fresh graduates happens at conferences or local phone calls. Only a very small minority of positions are advertised, unless you are out in the boonies. Thus, to find out about the job market, you have to ask people ahead of you or already in the field and looking around. I keep loose tabs on all of the fellows who graduate. I ask them how their job searches are going, what kind of offers they are getting etc. Something else that matters is whether you are talking academics or private practice. There are a very limited number of academic positions available in each city, private practice not so much.

In short, it is extremely difficult for a pre-med or even medical student to gauge these this, other than the big global trends. A large part of where you practice will be where you do your residency. If you 'need' to be in Boston, you shouldn't be aiming for competitive specialties, regardless of what the job market looks like post-residency.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Closing as essentially cross posted in Non-Trad forum.