Since the unemployment rate dipped to 5% in October, it should be easy to find a great job, right? Well, most of us know that there are jobs and then there are jobs, like in the '90s, that paid pretty well. For long-term job seekers or those just starting out, this list of Best Jobs of the Future might give searchers an edge.
And, it might give credit unions pause as they consider private student loans, the degrees they will fund and the odds those loans will be repaid.
CU Times sister site ThinkAdvisor used Kiplinger and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find some of America's most promising careers. Kiplinger said it narrowed a list of 784 occupations to 10 choices by focusing on fields that not only have been adding to their ranks over the past decade but also are projected to continue to expand well into the next decade. In addition, the personal finance site focused on jobs with strong hiring demand in recent months.
Pay, of course, is a major factor, and all of these jobs pay well above salaries for the average job. And one bonus, Kiplinger said, is that most of the jobs require just an associate's or bachelor's degree.
One difference in this years's list was that stress was no longer a factor used to rate jobs, according to Stacy Rapacon, online editor for Kiplinger. That led to changes in the Top 10, with only four jobs from last year's list making the cut this year.
10. Registered Nurse
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 16.6% (All jobs: 11.1%)
Total number of jobs: 2.7 million
Job growth, 2004-2014: 15.8% (All jobs: 5.2%)
Median annual salary: $66,060 (All jobs: $41,683)
Typical education: Associate's degree
"This frequently shows up on these lists," Rapacon said. "The aging population is a driver of future prospects" for this occupation.
9. Health Services Manager
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 18.1%
Total number of jobs: 318,703
Job growth, 2004-2014: 19.8%
Median annual salary: $89,835
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
"As doctors and hospitals transfer records from paper to computers the need for people who manage the process is increasing," Rapacon said.
8. Speech Language Pathologist
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 18.9%
Total number of jobs: 134,677
Job growth, 2004-2014: 19.5%
Median annual salary: $70,512
Typical education: Master's degree
"As the population ages, more people need help recovering from problems like strokes," Rapacon said. "On the other end of the spectrum, there is greater attention to helping children with problems such as stuttering."
7. Community Service Manager
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 19.7%
Total number of jobs: 143,332
Job growth, 2004-2014: 24.7%
Median annual salary: $60,528
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
"As boomers age, the number of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities is growing making the need for community services mangers rise," Rapacon said.
6. Computer Systems Analyst
6. Computer Systems AnalystProjected job growth, 2014-2024: 23.3%
Total number of jobs: 554,524
Job growth, 2004-2014: 23.4%
Median annual salary: $80,059
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
"As everything, even coffeemakers, becomes more and more computerized, you need more people who can design these programs and manage them," Rapacon noted. "The growth in this job has slowed as normalization has occurred, but it's still strong."
5. App Developer
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 23.4%
Total number of jobs: 691,295
Job growth, 2004-2014: 26.6%
Median annual salary: $92,081
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
"The huge growth in mobile devices drives this job," Rapacon said. "With everybody doing everything from their smartphones, tablets and now their smart watches, app developers will be in demand."
4. Nurse Practitioner
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 26.4%
Total number of jobs: 118,473
Job growth, 2004-2014: 29.0%
Median annual salary: $92,768
Typical education: Master's degree
"The fact that a nurse practitioners must have a master's degree and can handle tasks traditionally performed by doctors means they stand to earn a lot more than RNs," Rapacon said. "The increasing number of medical facilities allows nurse practitioners to work all over."
3. Physical Therapist
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 27.2%
Total number of jobs: 213,900
Job growth, 2004-2014: 34.1%
Median annual salary: $80,433
Typical education: Doctorate degree
"Again, the aging population is driving the need. Also, people are more often surviving accidents and need physical therapy. People are surviving accidents more often and need physical therapy to recover," Rapacon said.
2. Information Security Analyst
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 32.7%
Total number of jobs: 82,400
Job growth, 2004-2014: 31.7%
Median annual salary: $88,587
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
"Unfortunately, there are a lot more hackers out there increasing the need for businesses and individuals to secure all the information that's out there," Rapacon said.
1. Medical Sonographer
Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 34.3%
Total number of jobs: 60,815
Job growth, 2004-2014: 38.0%
Median annual salary: $66,560
Typical education: Associate's degree
"When most people think of sonograms they think of pregnancy and those first pictures of the baby," Rapacon said. "But sonography is being used more and more by doctors for other procedures that are less invasive."
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