Everyone wants to know which careers paths are most promising, but sometimes information is confusing or conflicting. Below are five sectors that are expecting significant growth for the remainder of the decade. If you’re considering different career paths, you might want to invest some thought in these profitable, “on the rise” occupational fields.
Biomedical Engineering
If you’re already pursuing a career in engineering, set your sights on the biomedical field, which is expected to have a 62% growth rate over the next decade. This field is perfect if you have an engineering mindset but think spending four years developing a fail-proof rock-paper-scissors robot is beneficial to absolutely no one (thank you, Japan). If you’ve already invested time and money into a different branch of engineering, all the better! Take that electrical engineering degree and design a line of patient-oriented autobots. Bumblebee is out of work after the third Transformers installment, and that empathetic nature of his is ideal for nursing or elderly care.
Construction Laborers
Did you know that men in hardhats and neon vests aren’t just sexy, they can earn salaries of up to $40,000 a year? Jobs in this sector are predicted to have above average growth rates for years to come. No college degrees are required and on the job training is almost always provided. So, if you’ve got the endurance and some background in nuts and bolts, this can be a lucrative and rewarding career path. If construction labor doesn’t pan out, but you got nice and toned in the process, consider repurposing those stained pants and suspenders for a more erotic setting. Either way, it’s money in your pockets.
Event Planners
If you can’t beat them, join them – and if you can’t join them, plan them. Few of us can afford even the occasional soiree these days, so why not apply those hospitality skills to the benefit of others? Ingrained in every meeting and event are opportunities to network, gain exposure, and sneak some fancy hors d’oeuvres into your otherwise impoverished diet. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, this is an excellent path to consider.
Medical Assistant
Until biomedical engineers transform the human race into androids, the medical field will continue to grow and offer many job opportunities without the prerequisite of spending half your life in medical school. Medical assistant programs can be applied to a wide range of sectors, from at home care to physical therapy, and growth in this industry is expected to exceed that of all other occupations between now and 2020. So tell your grandmother you love her, but you can’t pick up her groceries every week only to be paid in cookies and hugs. Be an aid and get paid!
Interpreters and Translators
If you are one of those fortunate members of society who happens to know more languages than English and Internet English, consider a job in translation or interpretation. The average salary in 2010 was $43,300, which translates to $20.82 an hour or “big bucks” in colloquial terms. Job perks include flexible hours, potential for international travel, and the fulfillment of your lifelong “pose as a spy – get all the phone numbers” fantasy. If over the next decade the economy continues to tank and the world approaches a state of catastrophic dystopia, hopefully you’ll know the language and customs of the new rulers. How do you say “I come in peace” in chimpanzee? About Author: Julie Lee is a freelance writer who has focused her writing extensively on career tips and education. Most recently, Julie has written a lot about medical assistant programs as well as other medical and health focused college degree programs.