Best Careers for 2012

  1. Web Designer

    Web designers are crucial in business today making them in high demand. Web designers aren't your typical graphic designer, they design websites that can be viewed by many different devices including phone, televisions, and computers. They design websites in a way that will help businesses represent themselves out on the web. They are responsible for the aesthetics of a site and how the content is presented. Web designers spend a lot of their time using programs like Adobe Photoshop and also coding websites using HTML and CSS. Many web designers also have a basic understanding on how to work with different programming languages. They will also find themselves using javascript libraries such as jQuery.

    Salary Information

    Established Web designers can make around $76,000 per year. Many web designers are self employed and make much more.

  2. Criminal Investigator

    Criminal investigators are all over television and in books. Criminal investigator's lives are usually portrayed as exciting and never boring. But what do real criminal investigators do? Criminal investigators solve crimes with the help of informants, suspects, and witnesses. They take evidence gathered and use it to solve crimes that have been committed. They are in charge of keeping records and background information on criminals. Their main objective is to gather enough evidence to help convict criminals of their crimes. There are many different criminal investigation specialties depending on they types of crimes that are committed. Some of them include burglary, domestic violence, homicide, missing persons, narcotics, computer crimes, and fraud. Each type of investigation requires special skills and experience.

    Salary Information

    Established Criminal Investigators can make around $100,000 per year.

  3. Network Administrator

    With the world becoming more and more connected, there is a need to keep the world connected. Computers, phones, and offices in general need to connect to networks, either wirelessly or through a wired connection. These networks are very important and data stored within the network are stored on servers. Some companies have their own server rooms solely dedicated to storing the company servers. The servers and the networks require network administrators to maintain the hardware and software that run these networks to keep connected to the world. When you become a network administrator, you will be in charge of maintaining these networks, and troubleshooting problems that may arise with the network. Most companies are very dependent on the people who keep their technology running so they can continue to run their businesses.

    Salary Information

    Established Network Adminstrators can make around $106,000 per year.

  4. CPA

    Do you create detailed budgets and stick to them? If you answered yes, you may want to consider switching careers because you would make a great certified public accountant (CPA). Certified public accountants track the spendings and earnings of organizations. They create reports, analyze budgets, and make sure companies adhere to generally accepted accounting principals (GAAP). Certified public accountants keep records, and create reports for, management, the public, and the government. The information in these reports is vital to managers as they make decisions and decide on business strategies. The public needs reports prepared by accountants so they can make wise investment decisions and make the investments that many corporations depend on. Governments need these reports so they know how much a business must pay in taxes.

    Salary Information

    Established Certified Public Accountants can make around $105,000 per year. Many web designers are self employed and make much more.

  5. Environmental Engineer

    Environmental engineers have emerged within the last 20 years or so. Environmental engineering is relatively new. Environmental Engineers typically solve problems that help preserve the environment, natural resources, and wildlife. The results of Environmental Engineers benefit the communities they work in, but their efforts may also have a larger reach into the world community as a whole. Science and engineering play a big part in this career. It is an excellent choice for people who love solving problems, improving areas, and making lives better. Environmental engineers depend on their working knowledge of biology, hazardous waste, statistics, geology, hydrogeology, public health ecology, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering, civil engineering, and so many more subjects.

    Salary Information

    Established Environmental Engineers can make around $116,000 per year.

  6. Forensic Psychologist

    Do you have a passion for the criminal justice system and an interest in the workings of the human mind? Forensic psychologists have interesting careers that combines the criminal justice and psychology fields. This line of work is extremely rewarding because it allows you to help make individual’s lives better and help improve and protect communities. People with this job usually work in the criminal justice system and often act as expert witnesses. Forensic psychologists work with judges and attorneys to help them understand psychological aspects of court cases. To to this, they work in one of three areas: family court, civil court, or criminal court.

    Salary Information

    Established Forensic Psychologists can make around $117,000 per year.

  7. Software Developer

    A software developer is one of the most important people in the creation of the electronic devices you use every day. They may be computers, phones, cameras, electronic books, and a host of other electronic devices, but most likely a day doesn’t go by without you using an electronic device running sophisticated software. To understand the job of a software developer, you need to understand the difference between software and hardware. As a software developer, you will use a variety of tools to create software. Careers in software development use a variety of programming languages such as C++, flash, and Java. There are many different tools out there for you to use as a software developer.

    Salary Information

    Established Software Developers can make around $132,000 per year.

  8. Registered Nurse

    Nursing is the largest occupation in the health care industry, with more than 2.6 million nurses in the United States. Nurses are responsible for treating, educating, and helping patients. One of the reasons that nurses love their careers is because of the high level of interaction with patients, nurses often have more patient interaction than doctors or any other position in the health care industry. The majority of nurses work in hospitals.

    Salary Information

    Established Registered Nurses can make around $94,000 per year.

  9. Special Education Teacher

    Special education teachers have the very rewarding job of teaching children and youth with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities. These educators teach academic, social, and life skills so their students can reach their fullest potential. People with this career work with children who struggle with mental retardation, autism, brain injuries, hearing impairments, visual impairments, health impairments, or one of many other disabilities. Special education teachers can work in preschools, or elementary, middle, or secondary schools. Sometimes these teachers work with children in a classroom that is specifically for children with disabilities and sometimes they work with a child with special needs in a general education classroom. Special education teachers may also work with a general education teacher to teach a class with both general education and special education students. Teachers who work with younger children sometimes even work with children and their parents in their homes.

    Salary Information

    Established Special Education Teachers can make around $84,000 per year.

  10. Massage Therapist

    Massage therapy is an exciting field where a massage therapist uses a variety of massage techniques to help others. If you become a massage therapist then you will reduce your client’s stress, treat injuries and pain. Many people also seek out a massage therapist for relaxation and consider it an essential part of recreation. Careers and opportunities in massage therapy are expected to grow. The demand for massage therapists is expected to increase due to the number and popularity of health spas is increasing. A massage therapist enjoys regular clientele, since people often receive massages on a regular basis. Massage therapy is a great career if you want to help people and you can even start up your own business with a steady client base.

    Salary Information

    Established Massage Therapists can make around $69,000 per year.

Best Careers

Some people know that they want to go back to college to earn a degree and build a better future for themselves and their family. However, the dilemma many aspiring students face is deciding on what type of degree they should earn. They want an education that gives them the best chance for future success. You should make your degree decision after you have determined the best careers for the next ten to twenty years. You have many ways of determining the future growth of prospective careers.

The best careers will be the ones that thrive during an economic downturn. Information technology provides an example of an industry that seems immune for the current recession. You must discern which careers have staying power and which careers succumb to the vagaries of the economy. After you have determined which type of career would suite you best, then it is time to take a personal inventory to see if your traits match the traits required for your chosen career.

Non-Business Careers

Some of the best jobs are not in business or retail. These careers do not rely on sales or profits. Instead, the careers rely on taxes and other forms of financing. These jobs are typically in high demand and most employment experts predict the trend to continue. Some of the best careers outside of the business world include police officer and those in the medical profession.

Aspiring police officers can earn a two or four-year college degree in criminal justice, which is a type of degree program that students can complete online. There are few requirements to become a police officer, but some of the requirements include maintaining excellent physical condition and not having a criminal record. After you have gained experience as a police officer, you will have the opportunity to advance to higher-ranking positions in a number of law enforcement agencies. Many police officers aspire to gain employment in one of the premier jobs in federal law enforcement.

Another one of the best careers that do not rely on the current economy encompasses jobs in the nursing profession. Like law enforcement, nursing jobs are in high demand because the profession does not depend on the state of the economy. In fact, the aging baby boomer population makes a nursing career one of the fastest growing careers over the next thirty years. An online education prepares aspiring nurses for their clinical training opportunities. Nursing students learn the demanding job while working in doctor’s office or hospital setting. Nurses across the board earn a generous salary that includes health insurance benefits.

Best Careers in Technology

Technology forms the centerpiece of the economy. Virtually everybody owns a smart phone or computer, and just about everybody wants the latest wireless communication device. With all of the advancements in technology, any job in the technology field is going to rank as one of the best careers. Technology careers require extensive education and training. Because of much of the work is conducted over the Internet, earning an online degree in a technology related discipline has become the popular method of attending college. Those who hold degrees in web design and video game design will find reliable, steady employment that comes with an above average salary in the technology industry.

When considering which college degree you should earn, you should look into what type of career will best fits your personality and skill set. For instance, if you have the desire to help people, then a career in law enforcement or nursing may be the best jobs for you. However, if you do not feel that you will be successful in this type of work but you do enjoy computers and technology, then you should go for one of the many online degrees that are available in computer science, web design, or video game design. All of these degrees, when earned through a top accredited online university, will provide you with a high quality education that prepares you for one of the best careers

Click to Find a School
that Offers YOUR Degree