Lifestyle
Top 15 Jobs in 2017
Our world economy almost imploded in 2008. Since then, we have been trying to gett back as close to normal as possible. That means jobs in several industries were hit hard by the collapse — as well as jobs in new or growing industries. If you’re about to enter college, graduate from college or are looking for a new job, this list will give you a good idea of the top 15 jobs in 2017! The rankings and numbers were found in this article from NBC, by the way.
15. Nurse Practitioner
Job score: 4.3
Job satisfaction rating: 3.5
Number of job openings: 15,634
Median base salary: $100,000
A few jobs on this list are hot right now but could change in the near future. IT jobs are typically highly specialized and unless an IT worker continues to learn the ever-changing types of coding languages/technology, they essentially end up being outdated within 10-15 years and often without work. The first job on this list is pretty much the antithesis of that, regardless of what happens with healthcare in Washington, D.C. There will always be a need for nurses. Nurse practitioner is the highest level a nurse can reach — they can prescribe medication. If ObamaCare survives Trump, there’ll be a need for nurse practitioners. So, if you like helping people and blood splatters — or needles… ugh — don’t gross you out, this may be the gig for you! It pays great and you can make a difference. At least more so than other jobs on this list!
14. Electrical Engineer
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7
Number of job openings: 3,643
Median base salary: $78,000
If you’re a Millennial you may be familiar with the current situation where a lot of Millennials essentially followed the path of “success” by going to a 4-year school and obtaining a BA in… whatever, with the hopes to land a great job. But while doing that we’ve ignored an entire set of industries/jobs that used to be overwhelmed with candidates. Those gigs are “blue collar” or technical jobs that require a two-year degree at a tech school. Because of that discrepancy, these gigs end up paying a lot more than whatever job you were/are able to get with your Philosophy degree. The most in demand job in the technical field is electrical engineer. Essentially, an electrician! If you were good at taking apart — and hopefully putting back together — your toys as a kid and aren’t afraid of cutting the red-wire, then this job may be for you! It’s less school and it pays a lot, so, if you’re thinking that college just isn’t for you, check out your local tech school — some are even giving away free tuition to fill classes.
13. Audit Manager
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8
Number of job openings: 1,887
Median base salary: $98,000
Working closely with the number four job on this list, an audit manager is actually pretty similar to a tax manager, with one exception. The tax manager would technically oversee the audit manager as the latter’s work has a very narrow focus. The goal is to improve processes and practices — and also double check that money is where it’s supposed to be — while recommending changes and enhancements to existing policies to ensure a company is running smoothly. Audit managers oversee an entire department of auditors, so it does take management experience and skills, and that’s an entire job by itself. If you like looking for mistakes and dealing with similar people, then you may want to become an audit manager!
12. Occupational Therapist
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7
Number of job openings: 14,897
Median base salary: $72,000
Occupational Therapists are interesting people. They’re professional life coaches who help others find the type of gigs best suited for them. They can also help their clients manage their lives more efficiently. They could be writing an article like this one! Occupational therapists work towards finding a “purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional outcomes which promote health, prevent injury or disability and which develop, improve, sustain or restore the highest possible level of independence.” So, they help people find jobs that’ll bring them happiness and fulfillment. Working in that capacity can take a lot of patience and people skills. If that sounds like you, then go for it. Get ready to hustle, though. You have to go out and find clients on your own — or work for a company.
11. Marketing Manager
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7
Number of job openings: 3,875
Median base salary: $90,000
Besides the IT Department, the marketing department may be the most important in every company — depending, some really need help from the HR Department. Companies can analyze things all day, but if they’re unable to get customers, then there’s no data to analyze in the first place, let alone money to keep things going. That’s where the marketing department comes in. Marketing managers are responsible for creating/maintaining/expanding and advertising a companies brand. They also bring in as many customers as possible. If you’re the creative type that likes to influence others and create media — especially new media — this may be the job for you.
10. Solutions Architect
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7
Number of job openings: 2,232
Median base salary: $125,000
Every company has a website these days. The larger the site the more people are needed to ensure that that website continues to function properly. According to Wikipedia, a solutions architect’s responsibilities can include:
A breakdown of the system into components, the component interactions and interfaces (including with the environment, especially the user), and the technologies and resources to be used in the design.
Solution architects are typically high up in the IT structure within a company and thus typically work for large organizations. This is one of the more technical and qualified positions on this site as people in this position need a general knowledge of hardware and software and systems that are similar. It’s a hard gig, but if you can land it, you’ll get paid handsomely.
9. UX Designer
Job score: 4.4
Job satisfaction rating: 4.0
Number of job openings: 1,691
Median base salary: $92,500
This probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise but there is a large demand for people with specific IT skills in the job market — something that does change but is always in demand. UX designers essentially work with a lot of the top-10 jobs in this list. They attempt to find a way to create sitemaps/prototypes/wireframes based on the research they do. Where a lot of the top-10 jobs rely on internal numbers and data, UX designers look externally, using things like general psychology to interview customers — while creating surveys — to find the data they need to improve the company they work for while working for every number above it on this list.
8. Strategy Manager
Job score: 4.5
Job satisfaction rating: 4.3
Number of job openings: 1,184
Median base salary: $130,000
As you’ll also see, a lot of the jobs on this list have to do with finding/creating a way to analyze business performance from a statistical perspective. That includes a lot of IT work (databases) and analyst positions (data scientists)— and now Strategy managers. They are also called strategic planning managers and are responsible for directing/planning companies short, strategic and long-term goals. This is an internal position, so you’re looking at ways for your company to improve. If the term “operational effectiveness” doesn’t scare you, then this job might be for you! Especially if you like organizing things and identifying weaknesses and strengths.
7. Database Administrator
Job score: 4.5
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8
Number of job openings: 2,877
Median base salary: $93,000
As you’ll see, a lot of the top gigs here have something to do with databases. From the people who analyze those databases, help build and interpret them or use them to grow businesses without actually working on them, databases are the core of every large business — people love data — and that trend will continue in the future. Database administrators are in charge of the databases that companies use to track… everything! Including customers in the company loyalty program, sales for that quarter, the stock price, etc. A lot of these databases have to interact with one another for reports to be made and for analysts to do their gig. So if you’re into IT and want to help build the massive databases that companies need to figure out who is buying what, and why, then this gig is for you!
6. HR Manager
Job score: 4.6
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8
Number of job openings: 4,339
Median base salary: $85,000
Most companies with over 50 employees have an HR department — Human Resources. The HR department focuses on creating and implementing company policy, personnel policy, for example. You know the stuff you sign when you get a new job? The rules on how to interact with your coworkers or even act as a human being at work? That’s from HR. People in the HR department end up doing a lot more than just punishing employees. They do the hiring; the government compliance associated with hiring — affirmative action/equal opportunity/federal contracting; and even payroll. So, if you like a job, where every day is different and you wear multiple hats, this would be the gig for you! Especially if you are the type to sign up to be the hall-monitor in school!
5. Analytics Manager
Job score: 4.6
Job satisfaction rating: 4.1
Number of job openings: 1,958
Median base salary: $112,000
As you’ll see, a lot of these jobs — especially at the top — are pretty similar and could even overlap with one another. That means you’ll learn a lot about other types of jobs, which will help broaden your skill-set and guarantee you’ll end up getting paid even more in the future. Must be nice, eh? Analytics managers rely on people to analyze that data created by those jobs. Data analysts must be great with numbers but also able to be creative. They have to look at numbers and find ways to take advantage of that data. This job also requires a touch of perfectionism; analytics managers are always looking at ways to improve the data collection process, where a lot of the overlap happens. This gig actually pays better than some of the others it relies on, so it’s a good one if you can get it. Plus, it requires less coding/IT knowledge: a plus if you’re really not that much into coding.
4. Tax Manager
Job score: 4.7
Job satisfaction rating: 4.0
Number of job openings: 3,317
Median base salary: $110,000
Large corporations don’t outsource their tax department(s) to H & R Block or Deloitte and Touche; they have internal tax managers who handle everything tax related. Tax managers are responsible for delivering a wide scope of tax services that are up to date and compliant with laws and regulations. That requires a deep knowledge of those regulations but also the ability to be flexible as things change over time. This job is more personal than some of the other top gigs; it requires building relationships within one’s company or with clients — if you do end up working for a third party tax manager. You must be organized, good with numbers and flexible. You’ll be greatly rewarded with a gig that, like death, deals with one of the few guarantees in life!
3. Data Engineer
Job score: 4.7
Job satisfaction rating: 4.3
Number of job openings: 2,599
Median base salary: $106,000
Some of the gigs require knowledge of databases. So where do those databases come from? Data engineers, of course! Data engineers work on programs/languages that create large amounts of data. This job is highly technical and requires someone who knows how to develop, build and test the architectures needed to maintain databases and large-scale data processing systems. It requires a deep knowledge of coding languages and database software — MySQL, for example. And because it works so closely with some of the other gigs on this list, it requires people skills as well.
2. DevOps Engineer
Job score: 4.7
Job satisfaction rating: 4.2
Number of job openings: 2,725
Median base salary: $110,000
Like many gigs on this list, DevOps Engineers are highly specialized technical positions. Most companies are utilizing cloud based services in their day-to-day business. DevOps Engineers are a huge part of that. It’s a specific, high-level kind of coding gig, so knowledge of Linux/Unix and cloud-based services is a must if you’re going down this path. Knowledge of multiple coding languages — PHP, Python, Perl/Ruby, etc. — as well as database knowledge — SQL, MySQL, etc. — are required. If you can master these skills, you’ll be in high demand for years to come.
1. Data Scientist
Job score: 4.8
Job satisfaction rating: 4.4
Number of job openings: 4,184
Median base salary: $110,000
The top job on this list goes to those that are data scientists. What’s a data scientist, you ask? Good question! A data scientist, essentially, is a person who looks at data and makes a “value” out of it. They interpret a lot of the work from like three (or four) positions on this list! That value makes their company better. So, you’ll look at data from a certain department and then analyze it to find ways in which the company can be more efficient or profitable. This job is highly technical and requires the ability to create artificial intelligence programs that’ll automate those improvements. There are multiple kinds of data scientist jobs that require different skills and experiences. Google this one if you’re interested in learning more!
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