I remember a couple of years back I wrote a story for the New York Times about how jobs in the mortgage sector were booming and companies were scrambling to find enough workers. In that same story I addressed the negative side of jobs that are created because of some bigger economic reason..they don’t always last.

Sure enough, mortgage lender Countrywide announced late last week it was cutting as many as 12,000 jobs. Yikes.

It’s one of the major downfalls when you ride the job wave in a particular industry. People ask me how they can avoid this, but unfortunately, that’s a tough one.

If positions are created because of a major outside factor then you take your chances joining a firm that’s just trying to stay ahead of the trend. Think about the company and the industry you’re going into. Go back and read about what happened in the sector before when such an explosion of jobs occurred. Even though this housing boom in many ways was unprecedented, it is part of a pattern that has happened over and over again in this industry.
You can just decide that you don’t mind making some bucks while the going is good. Or you might want to bypass that company for something that can give you some more stability. Nothing is forever, but you’re definitely taking your chances with the firm just wanting bodies to keep up with demand.

One factor that’s typically a positive and can lead to a longer term gig, is if the company is growing by leaps and bounds, because it’s found a niche that’s exploding. That’s a good sign, and probably not a temporary job wave.

For those poor people at Countrywide, I wanted to send along some positive Karma. You’ll find work soon. I promise. Be positive and play up all you learned in the rough and tumble mortgage world.