(Part one of a seven-part series about careers in Emergency Mangement.)

No doubt about it - the emergency management profession (and its counterpart, continuity management) are a growing field.

Take a look at O*NET Online (created for the U.S. Department of Labor) which claims to have "detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers and more."

The detailed report for "Emergency Management Specialists", last updated in 2008, rates this occupation as a 'Bright Outlook' because the projected growth between 2008 and 2018 is expected to be "much faster than average (20% or higher)."

The detailed report for "Business Continuity Planners" is partially updated - and is also rated as a 'Bright Outlook' and projected job openings between 2008 and 2018 is expected to be over 350,000.

If you look at the openings for these kinds of jobs, though, the descriptions and required qualifications are really variable.  I took these few examples from two of the job boards hosted by professional organizations:

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) is, according to their home page, recognized as the "premier international organization of emergency managers." Their career center has postings for emergency management, business continuity and interns.  Here are a few I picked out to illunstrate how much a moving target it really is:

On one end of the spectrum is Elk Grove, CA, looking for an Emergency Operations Manager to plan and coordinate their response to disasters - doesn't mention recovery, continuity or mitigation planning. No educational requirements, but they want lots of knowledge and skills in response-related activities.

On the other end is Fulton County, GA, who wants an EMA Director familiar with all facets of emergency management, but also a good manager with supervisory skills.  Education required is a bachelor's degree in a related field (although a master's degree is preferred) and six years experience managing an emergency management office.

There is beginning to be a lot of crossover between emergency management and business continuity jobs, like this one posted by an employment agency, looking for a Continuity/Emergency Manager in Washington DC.  They are looking for someone heavy on the continuity side of emergency management, with a bachelor's degree as well as three years of experience.

Disaster Recovery International (DRI), the Institute for Continuity Management - please note they've dropped the word 'business' from their title. A lot of their postings are still data-center/disaster-recovery oriented, but that is also changing as the lines between continuity planning and emergency management are becoming very blurry. 

Like this one posted by an employment agency, looking for a Business Continuity Planner / COOP Analyst for the Pentagon in Washington DC.  They really want an emergency maanger familiar with COOP plans (it is the Federal government, after all) and they require a bachelor's degree and five years of professional experience.

Yet, there are also six postings here from the New York Office of Emergency Management, including one for a Regional Plan Manager.  Like the Elk Grove job above, this position is focused on preparedness and planning, except this one requires a master's degree and three years of professional experience.

Then, there is what would be a more 'traditional' posting for a Business Continuity Planning Manager, at Bancorp in St. Paul, MN.  They are looking for someone who can conduct BIA's, establish RTO's and manage the planning cycle.  This position requires a bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience.

This last posting also requires a CBCP (Certified Business Continuity Planner) accreditation, and a lot of the emergency management position descriptions are saying the CEM (Certified Emergency Manager) accreditation is preferred.

Is there a common thread here?  I'd say it was both higher education and experience.

It is going to be hard to follow the traditional path of a lateral move from a response organization such as the military, fire or police into emergency management without that college degree, and hard to get that good first job out of college without some experience.

NEXT:  The Market for Emergency Managers: An Education Equation - AA, BA, MS, Ph.D