Top 20 Best Careers in 21st Century

Top 20 Best Careers in 21st Century

To make informed career decisions you must have reliable information about opportunities in the future. Career opportunities result from the relationships between the population, labor force, and the demand for goods and services.

The growth or decline in population ultimately impacts the size of the labor force—individuals working or looking for work—which constrains how much can be produced. Demand for different types of goods and services determines employment available in the industries providing them. Career employment opportunities result, therefore, from demand for skills needed within specific industries. Opportunities for medical assistants and other healthcare occupations, for example, have increased in response to rapid growth in demand for health services, due to the aging population.

Once you have determined your choosen career field, you must determine which is the best career training program. Career training diplomas and college degree programs are available through distance learning. You can now get much of the training and education that you need for many of these occupations entirely online.

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that for the period 2004-2014 the 20 fastest growing occupations will be:

1. Home health aides
2. Network systems and data communication analysts
3. Medical assistants
4. Physician assistants
5. Computer software engineers, applications
6. Physical therapist assistants
7. Dental hygienists
8. Computer software engineers, systems software
9. Dental assistants
10. Personal and home care aides
11. Network and computer system administrators
12. Database administrators
13. Physical therapists
14. Forensic science technicians
15. Veterinary technologists and technicians
16. Diagnostic medical sonographers
17. Physical therapist aides
18. Occupational therapist assistants
19. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
20. Occupational therapists

While these may be among the top 20 best careers in 21st century, other occupations are growing as well. Professional and related occupations will grow the fastest over the next 10 years and add more new jobs than any other major occupational group. During the 2004-14 period, a 21.2-percent increase in the number of professional jobs is projected, which translates into 6 million new jobs. Professionals perform a wide variety of duties, and are employed throughout private industry and government. Nearly three-quarters of the expected job growth will come from three groups of professional occupations—computer and mathematical occupations, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, and education, training, and library occupations—which will add 4.5 million jobs combined.

Employment in service occupations is projected to increase by 19 percent, or 5.3 million. That equates to the second largest numerical gain and second highest rate of growth among the major occupational groups. Food preparation and serving related careers are expected to add the most jobs among the service occupation sector, 1.7 million by 2014. However, healthcare support occupations are expected to grow the fastest over the period by about 33.3 percent, adding 1.2 million new jobs.

Management, business and financial occupations are expected to grow faster than the average. Accountants and auditors and management analysts will add the most jobs, 386,000 combined, in the business and financial sector, while employment, recruitment, and placement specialists and personal financial advisors will be the fastest growing occupations in the group, with job increases of 30.5 percent and 25.9 percent, respectively.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-2007 Edition

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