Dear Bob ... What's the next big thing? I'm serious. Twenty years ago, IT was the next big thing. If you learned how to program, or if you didn't want to do that, if you learned how to be a business analyst or IT project manager or technical writer, you could count on making a good living somewhere in the field. Now, it appears we're overstocked. I don't really care about having a career anymore. I just want a s Dear Bob …What’s the next big thing?I’m serious. Twenty years ago, IT was the next big thing. If you learned how to program, or if you didn’t want to do that, if you learned how to be a business analyst or IT project manager or technical writer, you could count on making a good living somewhere in the field. Now, it appears we’re overstocked. I don’t really care about having a career anymore. I just want a secure job. Any thoughts?– Wanting workDear Wanting … Well, at least you’re honest. I don’t know if you’ll like the answer, though.Just about the only fields I know of that looks like it’s going to employ a bunch of people for a long time are the compliance-oriented ones: Sarbanes-Oxley has the highest profile. Most industries have other compliance-oriented functions as well.Nor is Sarbanes-Oxley just a “bump.” Companies don’t simply get into compliance and they’re done. They have to stay in compliance, which means it’s going to be built into every publicly-held company’s ongoing compliance processes. Not everyone will be good at this kind of thing; I don’t know that you’ll enjoy it either. But you aren’t looking for a career to give you a sense of professional satisfaction anyway. And if you’ll be happy at a job, and you acquire solid credentials in a compliance kind of function, you should be good to go.– Bob ——– Technology Industry