system
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human
What are the best career fields for trailing spouses?

Knowing that our life together will always require that we live in college towns, what are some career fields that will make it most likely I'll be able to find a job wherever we move? I'm in my mid-30s and work as an urban/community planner. However, with free tuition for classes at a major research university, I could conceivably get another degree in the next few years. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Any experience?
gpt
This is an excellent question and one that more people should ask directly. Far too many couples end up stuck in some place where the trailing spouse is either unemployable or must give up on a professional career because whatever they have trained for is not in demand anywhere near the partner's school.

The primary question is whether the trailing spouse wants to work in academia (perhaps even at the same school as her/his partner) or in some other sector. If academia appeals, then one might consider training for the sorts of non-faculty jobs that exist at every college: librarians, lab techs, IT staff, student development professionals, counselors, residential life/student life directors, career counselors, academic advisors, fundraising/development officers, physical plant staff, accountants/business office staff, etc.

If work *outside* of academia appeals more, the options will depend quite a bit on location. In some places health care (nursing especially) is a good option. IT is in demand in others. Teachers everywhere, though compensation and working conditions will vary wildly. Public sector employment-- city, county, state --offers a range of options in many locations. Child care, elder care, and veterinary services are needed in every community, as are mechanics and most other trades. (I have faculty colleagues whose spouses are mechanics, electricians, real estate agents, and home inspectors.) Probably the best lines of work are the sorts that allow one to work remotely, i.e. consulting, creative work, anything that allows telecommuting. 

As a department chair involved in many hires over the years, I've come to believe that just about anything *except* another academic will probably be OK. We're not in a metro so if a couple shows up with two Ph.D.s in, say, political science, one of them will never be employed in the field in our area. But barring that, most careers that are in demand in one region will be in similar demand in most others-- portability and high demand are the  most important factors.

OPs background in planning might suggest GIS as a path for this "extra" degree. Both public  agencies and private companies are still adopting GIS and demand has been high in our area. The combination of planning and serious GIS skills could be marketed in many different ways, or potentially even leveraged into some sort of research/teaching position at the right school.