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.
Police Officer
A police officer may assume many roles, including that of a patrol officer, mounted officer, and school resource officer. All of these jobs have different descriptions and duties. However, two parameters remain the same throughout the profession. The first is that of training and the second encompasses purpose. Law enforcement officers must be in excellent physical condition, since physical altercations commonly occur. In addition, they are also required to earn an education before qualifying to become an entry-level officer. The education typically consists of a two-year associate’s degree in criminal justice, although some departments require a four-year Bachelor’s degree, especially if the officer wishes to pursue higher ranked positions. Additionally, they are typically required to attend specialized police academy training upon hire. This ensures their understanding of local laws and the unique practices of their department. Once hired, they will also undergo extensive firearm safety and handling training.
Patrol Officer Job Description
The patrol officer monitors a specific section of a city, while watching for people who break the law. You will perform nay of the duties either in a patrol car or on a motorcycle. This type of officer generally watches for moving violations, such as speeding or drunk driving. These police officers typically write citations and arrest people. Since arrests are a large part of this job, the officer must have thorough knowledge of all the Constitution, to ensure he or she follows all of the constitutionally guaranteed rights provided to citizens.
Patrol officers typically do not investigate serious crimes unless they are working in a small department. Instead, they respond first to a crime scene and then they report to the investigators what they found when they arrived on the scene. This position represents an entry-level position into the criminal justice field. Therefore, many law enforcement personnel who secure a patrol officer job eventually move up to higher ranking positions, such as investigators and detectives.
Mounted Police Officer
A mounted police officer is one of the oldest forms of law enforcement, dating back to the 1700’s, when automobiles did not exist. Some jurisdictions still have mounted officers patrolling their streets during times when cities block off streets due to parades or riots. While this form of policing has become rare, it remains a landmark in New York City, where tourists from all over the world watch officers mounted on horses in the crowded New York streets. Mounted police do not drive patrol cars. Instead, they ride patrol horses throughout their route every day.
School Resource Officer
A school resource officer, or SRO, has become an instrumental part of the law enforcement community. These specially trained officers keep children safe and law abiding. They patrol school grounds every day, all day, to ensure students are getting to and from school in a safe manner. They watch for suspicious behavior from either the students or outsiders who roam near the school premises. In addition, should there be any crime reported at the school, an SRO typically questions the students involved and makes a determination as to how the case should progress. School police officers must have a personality that allows them to communicate with students and build a relationship that promotes trust between students and law enforcement. With this trust in place, the school resource officer will be successful in the job and be effective in keeping the students safe before, during, and after school.
The police officer is the first responder to most crimes that are committed in their jurisdiction. They are responsible for keeping citizens safe and ensuring laws are not broke in any way. Law enforcement officers are here to protect everybody they serve by bringing to justice those who choose to break the law.
