It seems like you can't get through a single day lately without hearing the 'R' word. Don't let it scare you. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of falling gross domestic product. It doesn't mean the economy is closing up shop. In fact, it means that IT professionals are needed more than ever. Where else can you find cost savings in essential products? How else can you wring out unnecessary costs without cutting services?

IT professionals who maneuver to get themselves on the right projects before a recession are, in fact, in a great position to ride out the downturn. "The best thing you can do is find a way to get on cost-cutting projects, and be as central to helping your business survive as possible," Forrester analyst Alex Cullen told eWeek. There's going to be a great need for people who know how legacy systems work and their knowledge base will be needed to help transfer the knowledge to new users, Cullen said.

For more on the value of IT professionals:
- See this eWeek article