The outlook for paramedic and other emergency medical services jobs throughout the nation is a positive one, with available positions expected to grow faster than the average for all industries. According to Salary.com, the median salary for paramedic workers in the Atlanta area is between $32,873 per year and $41,764 per year.

Another plus - Georgia's education and health services industry continues to prosper, despite the current economic recession. The industry employed 485,000 workers during November 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 482,400 workers during October and a 2.9 percent increase from November 2008.

As you can see, paramedic jobs have a lot to offer, but before you can even consider such a career, you have to obtain the proper training. Luckily, according to Education-Portal.com, there are several schools throughout Georgia that offer the training you need.

Atlanta Technical College offers one of the best paramedic training courses. The school's paramedic technology program provides emergency medical technician and paramedic training, but anyone enrolling in the school must already be a licensed EMT.

The school prides itself on preparing students and helping them find a job. If any employer finds a graduate from the program is not prepared to do the job, Atlanta Technical College will retrain the student for free.

The medical and health professions division at both Medix Schools and Gainesville State College offer an EMT and paramedic training course through each school's medical diagnostic and treatment professions program.

The Peachtree City Fire Department recently announced that it will offer online training courses for its 142 career and volunteer personnel. The department won approval from the City Council to shift $11,261 from other training programs under this year's budget to fund the online training.

That funding came as a result of the elimination of out-of-town training for water rescue, as the city made a deal with Fayette County and the training now takes place at Lake Horton, which is located nearby. That initiative saved the department $4,736, with the remainder of the funding coming from $6,525 that was saved from training on the department's software program.

While the department will continue to offer live hands-on training and drills, the online training offers a good alternative to the department's mix of full-time members and part-time members, many of who work full-time for other departments.

According to an article by The Citizen Online, the training courses are Web-based and available 24-hours per day. The program allows each department member's training record to be tracked to ensure they are receiving the necessary information.

Last year, the department conducted a three-month pilot program using the training. During that time, more than 3,300 hours of instruction was offered online. The content included fire, EMS, driving, hazardous material response, leadership and other training.

The courses have been approved for continuing education credit by state and federal agencies, including the National Fire Protection Association. Fire department officials have said they plan to use the online training for years to come for both paid and volunteer personnel.

During September, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area saw its unemployment rate increase from 10.3 percent to 10.5 percent, following a decrease from 10.6 percent during July. The current rate is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,270,000 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 2,280,000 workers during August and a 5.9 percent decrease from last year.

Despite the bleak picture the local economy paints, Atlanta has a lot to offer when it comes to finding work. Atlanta is one of only eight American cities classified as a "beta world city" by a 2008 study at Loughborough University.

The State of Georgia as a whole is home to 29 Fortune 500 companies. The majority of those companies are located in Atlanta, which ranks third in the nation for number of Fortune 500 companies, behind New York City and Houston. One of those companies, Delta Air Lines, is the largest in Atlanta and the third-largest in the metropolitan area.

Atlanta itself is home to 19 Fortune 500 companies, including:

• Home Depot
• United Parcel Service
• Coca-Cola
• Delta Air Lines
• Coca-Cola Enterprises
• Southern
• SunTrust Banks
• Genuine Parts
• Newell Rubbermaid
• Mirant
• Georgia Gulf
• AGL Resources
• BlueLinx Holdings
• Spectrum Brands
• Acuity Brands
• Beazer Homes USA
• Equifax
• Mueller Water Products
• Wendy's/Arby's Group

Atlanta has a strong financial industry and a somewhat strong automobile manufacturing industry. The area also is a major cable television programming center and is home to Turner Broadcasting, The Weather Channel and Cox Enterprises.

Nearby DeKalb County is home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to a new report from the Associated General Contractors of America, during September, the State of Georgia as a whole saw its construction industry decline by 38,800 jobs, or 19 percent, to 201,200 jobs when compared to last year.

During the same month, the metro Atlanta area saw employment its construction industry decrease by 27,800 jobs, or 22 percent, to 125,900 jobs. Of the 337 metro areas throughout the country, Atlanta ranked 310 for construction jobs.

All but 12 communities throughout the nation saw a decline in construction employment from September 2008 to September 2009. Phoenix experienced the biggest drop, as the city lost 35,100 of its construction jobs during the 12-month period. The Reno-Sparks area in Nevada saw the largest percentage decline, losing 35 percent of its construction jobs.

Other major cities that saw large employment declines in construction include: Kokomo, Ind., by 31 percent; Redding, Calif., by 29 percent; El Centro, Calif., by 29 percent; and Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, Wash., by 28 percent.

Columbus, Ind., was the only community that saw a double-digit increase in construction employment, as the industry increased by 15 percent. Only eight cities were able to add construction jobs on a yearly basis during September, but even those increases only amounted to 2,100 jobs.

Those cities include: Anderson, Ind., by 6 percent; Bismarck, N.D., by 3 percent; Tulsa, Okla., by 3 percent; and Baton Rouge, La., by 1 percent.

During September, Georgia's unemployment rate remained at 10.1 percent, which is slightly higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. This is a change from August, when the state's unemployment rate decreased from 10.3 percent to 10.1 percent.

Georgia had a total non-farm employment of 3,838,100 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 3,853,600 workers during August and a 6 percent decrease from last year.

Two industries saw an increase in employment from August to September, including financial activities by 2,400 jobs and education and health services by 700 jobs. The mining and logging industry employed 9,800 workers during August and September.

The education and health services industry was the only one able to add jobs when compared to last year, seeing a 3.2 percent increase in employment. The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year, seeing a 19.1 percent decrease in jobs.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• mining and logging by 3.9 percent
• manufacturing by 13.8 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 6.9 percent
• information by 6.3 percent
• financial activities by 5.5 percent
• professional and business services by 8.6 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 3.5 percent
• other services by 5 percent
• government by 2.5 percent