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Top 5 Careers for Millennials
Good news and bad news, millennials. Bad news first: As you may know, the U.S. economy is still not seeing healthy wage growth. Minimum wage, for example, only went up by .03 cents
The good news? February saw a 295,000 increase in jobs, bringing unemployment to its lowest percentage post-2008.
Of course, not every field is a growing field. If you wish to embark on a career path in a growing industry, here are five of the most promising fields:
- Health Care
It’s all about supply and demand, and there is no lack of demand for health services. The health care field is populated by a wide variety of professions – doctors, nurses, PAs, RNs, occupational and physical therapists, home health aides, dentists, dental hygienists – all of which are projected for high growth.
In fact, check any list of the fastest-growing jobs and you’ll find that 25 to 50 percent of the careers on that list fall into the health care category. Adjacent fields such as psychiatry, psychology and veterinary sciences are growing as well.
With a variety of career options, health care is a viable field for individuals along a wide array of education levels and interests. A career as a doctor requires long years of schooling and residency, while home health aides can enter a training program with only a high school diploma. This field appeals to the scientific and social, to caregivers and critical thinkers alike.
Of course, the wide salary range – $28,000 to $250,000 – doesn’t hurt either. Dental hygienists, for example, have a median salary of $71,000 even though 50 percent only work part time.
- Software Development
By now it is a given that we live in a technological society. Children as young as 1 or 2 easily intuit how to use iPads and other devices. With technology playing such a large role in our lives, is it any wonder that software development’s growth is predicted as very high?
Like the health care field, software development can cover a wide variety of creative and technological career paths. Are you a visionary? A problem solver? A self-starter? You could be designing the next big app or working out the kinks in the newest social media platform.
Higher education is good, but a solid resume of coding experience is better. Expect a median salary of $85,000.
- Energy/Environment
Did you grow up wishing you could defeat outlandish villains alongside “Captain Planet and the Planeteers?” While environmental issues and needs are not as easily defeated as wild villains, there is a high demand for heroes in environmental and energy fields.
Millennials are already more in tune with the idea of going green than other generations, making them a great fit for fast-growing fields like recycling, clean car engineering or alternative energy sources.
Educational requirements are as varied as the job possibilities and salaries range from $28,000 to $250,000.
- Information Security
Tired of receiving “we were hacked … again” emails from retailers? Data security is a real problem, so why not be part of the solution?
As technology advances, there will be an ever-increasing demand for creative individuals with a keen knack for problem solving. It’s the information security version of chess and the job market is ready to receive talented individuals capable of thinking five steps ahead of hackers.
In 2008, the average salary for an information security specialist fell between $87,000 and $125,000, not including performance bonuses. A bachelor’s degree in a computer science field is encouraged, but field experience will also get your foot in the door.
- Service
Make all the English major/barista jokes you want, but the fact is the service industry has been a core segment of the U.S. economy since the 1980s.
The job and pay range are extremely varied. On one end of the spectrum you have low earners like fast food workers, hotel maids or baristas. On the other end you find top-paying service jobs such as estate managers, who may make between $75,000 and $150,000. In between there are plenty of exciting, high-earning career paths for every interest. Take event planning for example, you make upwards of $50,000 and get to attend all of the awesome parties you throw.
Required skills and education vary as much as the pay range. A keen business mind is just as valuable to the service industry as a discerning palate or a nurturing soul.
So don’t let pessimistic baby boomers get you down. Whether you are left-brained or right-brained, a solitary soul or socially savvy, there is a growing industry suited to your skills and interests.
Growth and salary information from http://www.careerprofiles.info/
