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.
How to Become a Guidance Counselor
Counselors assist people with life’s problems. There are many areas of emphasis within this career, including mental health, school, family, vocational, community, relationship, substance abuse, and guidance counseling. In fact, one of the attractions for those who want to become a guidance counselor is its versatility. Those who choose this career path are often people who like helping other people, who are concerned for the feelings of others, and who have a talent for listening and solving problems. Like any worthwhile career, how to become a guidance counselor takes dedication and hard work. This career is in demand in almost every area of the world and is one that will provide financial stability and security. For those who enjoy such work, this career will bring many years of fulfillment.
A guidance counselor typically deals with students, helping them at critical junctures in their life when they make important decisions regarding education, relationships, and finances. Guidance counselors help students become better decision makers and problem solvers. They listen, give advice, and provide useful information and suggestions that the students may not have thought of on their own. Every level of schooling requires the employment of guidance counselors, from elementary school to graduate school. Each position deals with different sets of problems. How to become a guidance counselor brings with it significant rewarding moments, which have, made counseling a very popular career path.
Use Your Resources
You may be asking yourself how to become a guidance counselor. It may seem like a lofty goal for many, but in today’s technological age, it does not have to be. For those who cannot make it to a university setting or who have been unable to finish their schooling, you have the power to bring the campus to you. Online education has allowed thousands of people to earn their degrees and start in the careers of their dreams. Earning a degree online has significant benefits, including complete flexibility and low costs. This could be your calling in life, do not let anything stop you from achieving it. Finish school and do it at your own pace.
What Do I need To Become a Guidance Counselor?
Although each state has their own standards and licensing requirements on how to become a guidance counselor, there are certain universal steps you must take. For a more detailed analysis of what requirements you will need to meet, a good resource is the American School Counselor Association website, which maintains counselor education requirements by state.
To become a guidance counselor, you must get a bachelor’s degree in either psychology or science. Some states require you to take certain classes as part of your undergraduate degree; they may include things like counseling theories, research and human behavior, or human growth and development. Remember, although this may appear daunting, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited online university will give you the flexibility to do this from your home.
You must complete a master’s degree in counseling. Most counselors hold a master’s degree. Some states only require an undergraduate degree to be a school counselor. You may attain a master’s degree from an accredited online university. Note that the difference between a psychologist and a counselor is the type of post-graduate work accomplished. A psychologist must have a doctorate in psychology, which typically requires an additional 2-3 years of work.
How to become a guidance counselor includes completing a certain number of counseling work supervision hours after you finish your degree. Each state has its own requirements. In order to become a nationally certified counselor, you must complete 3,000 hours of counseling work and 1,000 hours of counseling supervision. Most counselors find that their work experience lasts about 2 years.
After you have finished your course work and working hours, you are ready to be certified. You may take either the national certification test or a state certification test, again depending on state requirements. Some states require you to certify as a teacher. After certification, you must get a license from your home state or the state of your employment. The license packet typically requires a portfolio of all of the previous steps. For example, you must have a description of your coursework, proof that you completed education hours, and exam results.
If you want to know how to become a guidance counselor, you should know it is a rewarding endeavor in many ways, and is worth your effort. Your journey on this career path will give you new opportunities and experiences that will change your life. By earning an online degree, which offer flexibility and financial grants and scholarships, you will accomplish your career goals.
