Best Paid Careers
With the high unemployment rate, you may be considering going back to school to get your degree. If you are not sure what degree to choose, you might want to consider one of the best paid careers for your major in school. If you get your degree in one of these fields, you have a better chance of getting a high paying job when you finish your degree. Additionally, if you choose one of the best paid science careers, you may find that your new career is more fulfilling than your old one. The benefit of a higher salary will only make things better.
Best Paid Science Careers
There is several science fields listed in any list of best paid careers. You need to decide what science field interests you the most before you decide what career field to study. When you choose something that interests you, you may find that you enjoy your new career as much as you enjoy the higher salary you get from having your degree. If you have a thirst to help those in law enforcement, you may find that you can get a degree in one of the science fields and add a degree in forensic technology.
If you choose to go to school for a two year degree, you may decide that you want to go for web design. Graduates in this field may start out with a lower salary, but after you have experience, the average salary is around $47,000 a year. Because it is less expensive to get a two-year degree, you may find that not having to pay a student loan balances out any lower pay you may get as a web designer as opposed to the next field.
One of the best paid science careers in computers is a computer science degree. Most computer science degrees cover computer programming, where you may be able to find a job with a big software company right out of college. With a beginning salary of around $58,000, computer scientists make quite a bit more than a web designer, but they pay for it with the extra school and possibly more student loans.
Many of the best paid science careers are more electronics or computer oriented. For example, you may choose to get a degree in electrical and communications engineering. A four year degree in this field may start out at an average of $57,000. This job would include anything from power and control systems to telecommunications. Though you may think that electrical engineering would simply be concerned with power and electricity, there are many other applications that you would learn about if you chose to study this field.
Civil engineering is also one of the best paid science careers. With an average starting salary of around $51,000, civil engineers get a chance to work on projects that will stay around for our children and grandchildren. A civil engineer helped design the Golden Gate Bridge. Civil engineering deals with designing and constructing things like canals, bridges, dams, and buildings. Especially with the stimulus money coming, you may find that civil engineers are in even higher demand as we need to renovate and repair our roadways and bridges.
Though you might think that a chemical engineer would work for the pharmacy companies, you would find that chemical engineers also work in nanotechnology and with developing fuel cells. Therefore, as the car companies are working toward fuel cell vehicles, they will be employing chemical engineers to help them work on this new technology. With an average starting salary of around $65,000 chemical engineering is the highest of the best paid science careers.
Best Paid Careers in Healthcare
There are always jobs in healthcare that will fall under the best paid careers. These careers are in high demand, and will be even more needed as our population ages. Though you may think that these jobs would pay less than technology or science related jobs, a graduate of one these fields would make the same or almost the same as someone with a technology degree.
A dental hygienist averages about the same as the starting pay for a computer scientist, so do not think that healthcare jobs pay less than technology jobs. Additionally, dental hygienists may have a chance at flexible hours for their high paying salary. However, there is a written and clinical exam, dental hygienists are the ones who take the x-rays when you go to the dentist, and they are the ones who clean your teeth, allowing the dentist time to deal with cavities and fillings.
There are both two-year and four-year degrees in nursing. Graduates with these degrees may make anywhere from $46,000 to $52,000 a year depending on which degree they choose. As our population ages, the need for nurses is increasing, not only in nursing homes, but as home health nurses, allowing our older citizens to stay in their homes longer.
Best Paid Careers in Other Fields
The bank CEO’s aside, there can be a lot of money if you choose to get your bachelors degree in accounting. You need to have a head for numbers, but you can start out earning an average of $48,000 a year. An attention to detail is also a must for this exacting field, whether you work for a large business or start your own accounting business. If you start your own business, you should probably expect to be extremely busy for the first four months of the year.
Though it can be a tough field to break into, fashion design can be one of the best paid careers with an associate’s degree. With an average salary of around $62,000 a year, fashion designers may find their job fun, but it can be cut throat and stressful. You need only look to shows on television to get an idea of how cut throat this career field is. However, if you manage to get yourself in the door, you will find a career you can really love where you can be creative.
To find information on a variety of careers, salaries, and job requirements, visit the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook at:
http://www.bls.gov/OCO/.
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