Finding a new job or changing industries is a natural desire, especially after the start of a new year. But don’t leap too quickly. Before you start imagining your amazing new job in the dream career you never had, you should research the hiring climate in your industry of choice. You don’t want to put a lot of money and effort into education, training and searching for a new job only to find out you’re battling 40 other candidates at every interview. Here are five of the industries you might not want to find yourself hoping for a job in this year:

Law

In the last year, it has become clear that going to law school is a risky investment. More and more experts agree that law students face a tough job marketupon graduation. The worst in 30 years, in fact. Hiring in the legal industry has dropped every year since 2008 and is at its lowest since the '90s. The good news is that there's a wide variety of job types and specialties in the legal field and, once you are licensed to practice in your state, you don’t have to be hired by a firm to practice law. You can open a firm and find clients who need expertise in your chosen specialty. The key there will be networking and managing your business, not spending months searching for a job.

Publishing/Journalism

The publishing industry has experienced a great deal of turmoil since the rise in popularity of getting news from the Internet and having it delivered on mobile devices. Magazines and newspapers are going out of print. Companies are being bought and sold. Employees are getting laid off or being asked to do more with less. As publishing and broadcast media navigate the changes in the digital age, a lot of industry positions are up in the air. This doesn’t mean journalism is a lost art. Companies need content for public-facing websites, as well as for corporate communications. Finding freelance and contract work is easy on the Internet, so you just have to keep in mind that the jobs you may have heard about in college are not necessarily the jobs that are currently the most available.

Electrical Contracting

Despite the predicted increase in the housing market and what that will mean for home construction, the industry will still be tough for electricians. After the burst of the housing bubble and the recession across the board, there was a severe drop in the need for electrical contractors. The industry will grow to meet the needs of housing construction, but business still isn’t growing that fast, so it will still be a while before a high number of electrical contractors are needed for large-scale corporate construction.

Data Processing and Hosting Services

While many jobs in the tech industry and I.T. services and security will likely grow in 2013, positions that require more basic skills don’t offer much hope. Many of the more entry-level-type jobs in information technology are being shipped overseas. If you’re interested in an I.T. job, work toward getting specific skills. Systems engineers and software and development experts will be in demand, but data processing has drastically fewer positions available. Again, in this industry researching possible jobs beforehand is vital. You’ll be able to target your training to ensure you have the best chance of being hired quickly.

Religion and Nonprofit

Jobs in religious organizations and nonprofits are not likely to benefit from the improved economy for a long time. As the recession took hold, people had less and less money to set aside for their churches and other religious or nonprofit organizations. That meant belt tightening at all levels for jobs in religion and charitable organizations. These types of jobs are highly dependent on private donations, and those fell for the fourth year in a row in 2012. If you find yourself called to nonprofit work, marketing and fund-raising are better ways to go. All nonprofits need people who are skilled at furthering their mission. Just make sure you carefully research the kind of salary you can expect.

More From WDOS-WDLA-WCHN CNY News