In a difficult economic climate, it is always a good idea to be flexible about possible career paths. The University of California San Diego Extension has developed a list of the hottest options for recent and mid-career college graduates.

The list was put together by the University's continuing education academic directors, based on enrollment trends, national employment statistics and discussions with internal and external advisors.

Topping their list is casual game development. Every month 200 million consumers play casual games online - simple games that can be played on a web browser or a mobile phone. These people don't tend to consider themselves gamers, but they'll dash off a quick session or two. Developing these increasingly popular games is a field that is expanding constantly.

Also recommended are various data-based careers, including clinical trial design for cancer research and data mining for businesses.
Another field seeing growth is healthcare for the aging U.S.
population. Healthcare has always been in demand, and as the baby boomers slide into retirement, demand in this field will only increase.

Careers in the green economy are also a good choice. President Obama recently committed over $60 billion to green jobs in the stimulus package, which has opened up many career opportunities in the field.