Hot jobs. The curse of my profession. I get asked all the time, "What are the hot jobs?" Sounds like a simple question, but it’s not. I get stymied when asked. I stammer and sputter and wander all around the topic, leaving my poor, innocent questioners completely baffled.

They must wonder how I got into this line of work since obviously I can’t respond intelligently to this most basic of all career-related questions. Let me try to explain. It’s probably futile, but at least give me a chance.

The question implicitly suggests this is a reasonable way to think about the job market. Just tell me where the jobs are and I’ll go there. But this approach blithely skips over some pretty critical issues. Like qualifications, skills, and aptitude. And what about enjoyment? Doesn’t anyone care whether they would enjoy a line of work? Don't they understand there is frequently a connection between enjoyment and success? Those who do well tend to like what they do. Those who don’t almost always fare poorly.

What’s hot today may be less so tomorrow. The economy can play havoc with the whole concept. But so can technology, replacing entire occupations with new ones that we haven't begun to imagine. It happens increasingly,with rapid-fire speed. I’m sure all Web masters will agree with me on this point as will Internet security specialists.

That just strips away a couple of layers of problems with the question. The next point of resistance has to do with definition. By what criteria is a job defined as hot? Maybe the hot jobs are those that are the most abundant. If so, retail salespersons, cashiers, truck drivers and office clerks are right near the top. Each of these occupations accounts for at least 3 million jobs in our society.

But nimble minds see quickly through this proposition, noting that sheer numbers aren’t nearly as important as rate of growth. For these folks the hot jobs are the ones that are multiplying in number, even if they are not currently as voluminous as others. If this is the case, our list of hot jobs has to start off with home health aides and human services workers and personal and home care aides, all of which enjoy a faster rate of growth in our society than computer scientists.

Some questioners persist, sweeping aside that perspective and insisting upon another one. The true hot jobs, they contend, are those that are new and thus, emerging. They may or may not be limited in actual numbers, but the fact that they are just emerging means they represent opportunity. States like Vermont and Texas, even countries like Canada and Australia, have boards, commissions or task forces devoted to identifying emerging occupations.

Thus, it is not too surprising to report this has become a bit of a sticky wicket. You see, these experts have concluded there are actually two types of emerging occupations. One type is truly new, created by changes in technology, regulatory actions, market demand or societal shifts of unknown specification. Web masters, desktop publishing specialists, bankruptcy specialists, job coaches and bus aides fall into this category.

The second type of emerging occupations are those that existed all along but have been substantially modified by the same shadowy influences already cited. Guess what comes out on the top of this list? Administrative assistants, whose work now often involves a somewhat higher level of responsibility than was formerly so. Quality assurance coordinators and volunteer coordinators also can be found in this bracket.

Now you begin to see why I have trouble with this question.

Neil Murray is director of career services at UCSD.