Best Careers for 2012
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Guidance Counselor Job Description
Are you thinking of becoming a school guidance counselor, but first want to know what is involved in the guidance counselor job description? Guidance counselors work in a variety of educational institutions and help students figure out what they wish to do with their futures. On a given day, a guidance counselor may help students analyze their own strengths and weaknesses, find appropriate career choices, or help students deal with a variety of emotional or personal issues. School districts need these caring, dedicated professionals now more than ever, as today’s students face more challenges and stress than in any other generation. If you would like to take your place in this rewarding field, go back to college today and get your career training as a guidance counselor.
Guidance Counselor Job Description
School districts employ guidance counselors to work closely with students. This may involve helping students iron out problems with errant behavior, violent tendencies, stress, or depression. In many cases, you will be giving guidance and advice to students who are not sure what direction they want to take their lives. This often includes career counseling and analysis as well as guidance in student class scheduling. A further responsibility is to help students identify substance abuse issues and help them get treatment to overcome their addictions. In short, the guidance counselor job description includes providing any guidance or services necessary to help students grow into healthy, happy, and functional adults.
Education and Training for Guidance Counselors
If you are interested in fulfilling the duties of the guidance counselor job description, the first step is to complete your bachelor’s degree program in psychology or an education-related field. You must then earn a master’s degree in counseling, with an emphasis on school counseling.
While you earn your degree, you will take myriad psychology courses. Since so much of the guidance counselor job description deals with helping students understand themselves, this is a necessity. At the undergraduate level, classes focus on practical techniques that help form an educational foundation. Graduate level courses, however, take that knowledge to the next level, which helps students learn to effectively communicate with and assist young adults. Master’s courses also include counseling methods, career guidance, and group counseling. Graduate programs also culminate in a counseling practicum that provides hands-on experience in a high school setting.
Once you complete your education, you will be required in many states to obtain licensure before you may begin working as a guidance counselor. The requirements are state specific, but generally require that candidates hold a graduate degree in counseling. You may also be required to have some teaching experience and pass a state licensing examination. In most states, you will be required to earn continuing education credits to keep your license.
Salary and Work Environment
The demands of a guidance counselor are many and often require working well past regular hours. In addition, counselors may have to travel often to attend training sessions and conferences. Many schools and districts pay for such training, while others offer tuition reimbursement or time off.
There are many opportunities for guidance counselors to advance their careers. This may simply mean moving to a bigger or better school district or it could involve becoming the administrator of a district’s guidance program. To be successful in fulfilling the duties of a guidance counselor job description, individuals must organize, maintain training, and have excellent communication skills. It is also useful to have high levels of physical and emotional energy and to be able to deal with large amounts of stress. The work is quite demanding and around 60% of guidance counselors leave the profession within the first two years. Those who remain, however, report some of the highest job satisfaction levels of any career.
School guidance counselors enjoy working in a clean, comfortable environment as part of a team of professionals. For their services, they earn an average salary of around $52,000 per year. They also often earn great employment benefits, including medical and dental insurance, retirement plans, regular raises, holiday pay, and sick leave.
By getting the necessary education to fulfill the duties of a guidance counselor job description, you are making a choice to enter one of the best careers. This wonderful career offers you everything you could wish for in a profession: comfortable environment, excellent financial rewards, and an intense level of personal satisfaction. Find an accredited school and start working toward your counseling degree today, so you can take your place in this respected profession.
