1. Financial Analyst
Major: Business Administration
Median Annual Salary: $66,590
Projected Job Growth: 34%
Jobs Created: 75,000
Description: As a financial analyst, you'll work for banks, mutual and pension funds, insurance companies, and other financial businesses, with a goal of helping these firms (or their clients) make smart investment decisions. By studying public records of companies your clients will be dealing with, you'll ferret out the valuation and profitability of their investments, while making sure that the deals adhere to proper government and business standard. You'll summarize your investigations in reports that accurately describe the businesses in question and give your opinion of the investment's potential based on the facts you've uncovered.
2. Computer System Analyst/Network Administrator
Major: Information Sciences and Systems
Median Annual Salary: $69,760
Projected Job Growth: 29%
Jobs Created: 146,000
Description: As a computer systems analyst, your job is to solve complex problems related to computer technology. You'll set up new computer systems, including both hardware and software, and investigate and implement new software applications to make computers and computer networks more productive. You'll also help develop systems for accounting, finance, scientific projects, and other computer networks. One aspect of your job may involve computer network security, protecting your networks against threats from viruses, hackers, and other external attacks. System analysts are also often the network administrators for a company's computer system, maintaining the hardware/software of the network, including the deployment, configuration, maintenance, and monitoring of active network equipment.
4. Computer Software Engineer
Major: Computer Science
Median Annual Salary: $85,370
Projected Job Growth: 28%
Jobs Created: 99,000
Description: Computer software engineers use complex programming ''languages'' to create instructions and programs for computers and computer systems. While many of the programs you'll design will have business, financial, or scientific applications, you'll also write software to protect computer networks and make them more productive. One of the most glamorous areas of computer software engineering is in the production of entertainment software, such as videogames, online social sites, and other types of consumer products. With a yearly expansion that now rivals the movie industry, this exploding field is one of the superstar careers of the 2000's.
5. Accountant
Major: Accounting
Median Annual Salary: $54,630
Projected Job Growth: 18%
Jobs Created: 226,000
Description: As an accountant, your job is to measure and assess financial information and help managers, investors, tax authorities, and other financial decision makers to make informed financial decisions. You'll use computers, formulas, and a strong background in financial transactions to guide your clients to the right choices, and you'll make sure that they stay within accepted federal and business financial practices as well. While you may not be a tax preparer, you'll need to know how to deal with taxes, investments, income, and the proper maintenance of business and financial records.
6. Engineer (Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical)
Major: Engineering
Median Annual Salary: $68,600 to $79,000
Projected Job Growth: 6 to 18%
Jobs Created: 9,600 to 46,000
Description: As an engineer, you'll be responsible for developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems. You apply mathematics, physics, and other types of more specific scientific knowledge to determine the best ways to build tools, structures, chemical formulas, or even machines. In addition, you'll have to make sure that your solutions are both technically feasible as well as economically viable. Engineers often supervise factory production, examine product or component failure, and test materials and manufactured products to make sure they are up to proper quality and safety standards.
6. Marketing Manager
Major: Advertising or Journalism
Median Annual Salary: $98,720
Projected Job Growth: 14%
Jobs Created: 24,000
Description: As a marketing manager, you'll focus on applying psychological and social techniques to determine what sells and who buys it. You'll study consumer demand, market trends, commercial advertising (in all media), and the patterns of sales in your clients' area of commerce. You'll also direct advertising campaigns, market surveys, consumer studies and focus groups, analyze competitors and their products, and forecast possible new business opportunities and new markets.
7. Financial Manager/Advisor
Major: Finance
Median Annual Salary: $90,970
Projected Job Growth: 13%
Jobs Created: 64,000
Description: As a financial adviser, you'll offer investment advice and financial planning services to individuals and businesses. You'll employ stocks, mutual funds, bonds, options, stock futures, notes, and insurance products to help your clients reach financial goals and optimize their investments. You'll often work for a commission based on the financial products you sell, which means your income is only as limited as you want to make it.
8. Grade School Teacher (Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary)
Major: Bachelor's Degree from a Teacher Education Program and a License
Median Annual Salary: $43,580 to $48,690
Projected Job Growth: 12%
Jobs Created: 479,000
Description: As a grade school teacher, you'll be responsible for educating children from early kindergarten all the way to junior high, focusing on developing skills in mathematics, reading, writing, history, social studies, and science. While teaching has always been a rewarding profession, with a recent ''second baby boom'' now in mid-swing, the need for trained grade school teachers is at an all time high, with many school districts aggressively recruiting for new hires. Many districts will even provide tuition reimbursement in exchange for a fulltime commitment to a school faculty after graduation.
Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor
