The U.S. Department of Labor analyzes employer practices, the economy, and many other factors to develop a list of the top careers. This is the list of the top 20 careers, based on anticipated job growth, through 2018.
Choosing a New Career
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Top 20 Careers through 2018
| Occupation | Anticipated Growth | Average Salary * | Requirements |
| Registered Nurse | + 582,000 jobs | $62,450/yr or $30/hr |
Associate Degree |
| Home Health Aides | + 461,000 jobs | $21,620/yr or $10.39/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Customer Service Rep | + 400,000 jobs | $29,860/yr or $14.50/hr |
On-the-job training (moderate) |
| Food Preparation Workers | + 394,000 jobs | $17,222/yr or $8.79/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Personal & Home Care Aides | + 376,000 jobs | $19,860/yr or $9.50/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Retail Salespersons | + 375,000 jobs | $24,630/yr or $11.80/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Accountants & Auditors | + 279,000 jobs | $59,430/yr or $28.57/hr |
Bachelor’s Degree |
| Nursing Aides, Orderlies, & Attendants | + 276,000 jobs | $24,980/yr or $12/hr |
Vocational training after high school |
| Postsecondary Teachers | + 257,000 jobs | $58,830/yr or $28.28/hr |
Doctoral Degree |
| Construction Laborers | + 256,000 jobs | $24,980/yr or $12/hr |
On-the-job training (moderate) |
| Elementary School Teachers | + 244,000 jobs | $50,510/yr or $24.28/hr |
Bachelor’s Degree |
| Truck Drivers (18-wheelers) | + 233,000 jobs | $39,260/yr or $18.87/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers | + 217,000 jobs | $25,340/yr or $12.18/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, & Auditing Clerks | + 212,000 jobs | $34,750/yr or $16.71/hr |
On-the-job training (moderate) |
| Executive Secretaries & Administrative Assistants | + 204,000 jobs | $44,000/yr or $21.16/hr |
Work experience in a related occupation |
| Management Analysts | + 178,000 jobs | $84,650/yr or $40.70/hr |
Bachelor’s Degree or higher plus work experience |
| Computer Software Engineers (Application) | + 175,000 jobs | $90,170/yr or $46.45/hr |
Bachelor’s Degree |
| Receptionists & Information Clerks | + 173,000 jobs | $26,010/yr or $12.50/hr |
On-the-job training (short) |
| Carpenters | + 165,000 jobs | $43,640/yr or $20.98/hr |
On-the-job training (long-term) |
| Medical Assistants | + 164,000 jobs | $29,450/yr or $14.16/hr |
On-the-job training (moderate) |
* Remember that salaries vary by location and employer, so these are not guarantees or minimums, they are what all employers across the country pay, on average.
For full-time jobs (40 hours a week), the over-time rate is 50% higher than the normal hourly rate. So if the normal hourly rate is $10, the “over-time” rate is $15 per hour. If you work 45 hours in a week, your salary would be $475: $400 (40 hours x $10/hr) plus $75 (5 hours x $15/hr).
Important Criteria:
1. Take the time to carefully consider what you enjoy doing.
Because a job you don’t enjoy is probably one you won’t do well. And, if you don’t do it well, you’ll be miserable and probably doing another career change or job search too soon.
If you don’t know exactly what you enjoy doing, read “What Color Is Your Parachute” and do all the exercises. It’s probably at your public library, your local bookstore, and – of course – all the online bookstores.
2. Don’t undervalue something you do well just because it’s easy for you.
So often, we seem to think that something we seem to naturally do well doesn’t have any value. Think of your hobbies and your natural abilities – cooking, driving, writing, mowing, knitting, analyzing a column of numbers, or understanding how to arrange flowers attractively or keep a car engine running smoothly. We seem to think that something needs to be difficult for us to do in order to have value.
Unfortunately, doing something well doesn’t guarantee that you can “make a living” doing it, but maybe you can. Think of all the people who have turned their hobbies into successful Websites, YouTube videos, or books.
3. Don’t let salary be your only criteria for a job.
Just because a job may pay well, doesn’t mean you would be happy or successful doing it. For example, people who are attorneys are among the best paid, but the rate of job satisfaction is often quite low. However, the good news is that the education and experience that an attorney has is a great foundation for many, many different careers.
Bottom Line:
If you feel you’ve run into a career “dead end,” don’t be discouraged. We all change careers many times during our lives. The key is to make the best-informed and best-considered change you can make for your next career.
For More Information:
See Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide to Careers for detailed data on over 200 different careers, including descriptions of what the jobs involve, and, often, videos with additional information. Also read the articles on Career Change written by Job-Hunt’s Career Change Expert Randi Bussin.
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About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce, USMC veteran, has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @JobHuntOrg.
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