For recent high school grads, undergraduate, and graduate students alike, choosing a career path and major are difficult decisions to make. Most of us want to have a career that will be enjoyable and satisfying to the mind and soul; most of us also want to have a job, though.
Keeping in mind current and expected job trends is a smart way to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that, whatever career you choose, there will be a job available by the time you complete your education. The U.S. Department of Labor has a report of job predictions within between 2010 and 2020, which means that the time is ripe for current students to find out which careers are on the rise and which are on the decline. Based on that report, here are 5 career suggestions for jobs in growing fields:
By 2020, the Department of Labor projects that about 162,900 new jobs will be created for medical assistants, meaning a 31% growth rate. If you would like to work in the medical industry but don’t plan on going to medical school, preparing for a career as a medical assistant could be the perfect answer. You’ll get to work with patients, track patient medical history, take vital signs, give basic injections, and more.
Medical assistants take vitals, schedule appointments, keep medical records, and assist doctors.
Image: Shutterstock
This allows doctors to see more patients, which is essential in a time when the Baby Boomer generation is beginning to decline in health. And best yet, there’s not usually any formal education required—so you can learn on the job and avoid hefty student loans.
If you are fascinated by market growth and trends, a job as a market research analyst wouldn’t be a bad choice. There will be a predicted 116,600 new jobs in this field by 2020, as more companies hire on analysts to help monitor and forecast marketing trends. A bachelor’s degree in market research or another field is the first step toward this career.
Cost estimators are projected to grow by 36%, or 67,500 new jobs by 2020. This career requires a degree in construction management, building science, or something similar. Cost estimators typically work with construction sites and factories to help estimate the cost of a project or product manufacture.
Like medical assistants, dental hygienists are able to work in the medical field without nearly as much formal training as doctors. Hygienists will need an associate’s degree and a license in dental hygiene. Your job would be to advise patients on oral health, perform oral examinations, and clean teeth. More than 68,500 new jobs will be created in the field by 2020.
The last red-hot career suggestion is software development. It’s expected to grow 30 percent in the coming years, and there’s no evidence that growth will slow down after that. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software development, or a similar field—and then you can begin developing programs and software.
