CAREERS OF THE FUTURE

GO TO SPECIFIC CAREER:
Advertising Manager
Editor
Engineer
Financial Advisor
Human Resources
Meeting and Convention Planning
Optometry
Pharmacist
Physicians and Surgeons
Registered Nurse
Speech-Language Pathologist
Veterinarian

Looking for a fabulous job that offers a great salary, excellent benefits and lots of fun? On CNNMoney.com, Money Magazine and Salary.com the top 50 best jobs in America complete with salary expectations and job prospects. Each career is graded on stress, flexibility, creativity and difficulty. Average pay, 10-year job growth and a description also accompany each career.

We selected 12 of the top 50 careers we think you’ll enjoy. Ever wonder what a financial advisor makes or what exactly a speech-language pathologist does? Well, now you can read about them. If it’s not for you, skip to the next job description. For information on each career, we visited The Princeton Review and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Check out www.review.com or bls.gov for more details and statistics on your favorite potential future career. Happy job hunting.

Advertising Manager

With the average American viewing hundreds of commercials a day, it is no wonder why advertising holds a spot as one of the best jobs within the U.S. Advertising managers oversee the promotion of company products and services. An advertising manager may work strictly for one company, or he or she may apply their craft to several clients while running a private firm. As companies access the need for advertising, they select certain types of media channels to communicate through, such as radio, television, billboards, catalogs, Internet and so on. They may also work with a creative director who oversees the artwork, copy, creative design and other associated areas.

Expect long hours with occasional weekends and evenings based on client scheduling. Living deadline to deadline is the way of life. Despite all the hard work, however, advertising management provides the instant gratification when all is said and done. When an ad is aired or published, not only does it hope to earn a client or company a great profit, but also enhance brand and product awareness.

Paying Your Dues: Because of the numerous possibilities in advertising, a wide range of educational background is a plus. Many employers prefer those with experience in job-related tasks, plus a broad liberal arts background. Employers prefer a bachelor’s degree in advertising, journalism or communications. Course studies range from consumer behavior and marketing to design. Computer skills are a necessity in this profession, and it’s very helpful to speak a foreign language. The ability to speak another language may open up opportunities for new business or employment.

Advertising managers must be highly motivated, decisive, resistant to stress and maintain a sense of humor in order to succeed in the advertising profession. They must be able to be persuasive orally and in writing. The ability to establish effective personal relationships with fellow employees and clients is vital as well.

The job opportunities are still on the rise today. Premier events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four tournament, American Idol and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade are providing a more competitive market for product advertising each year. Opportunities are lurking everywhere for the creative mind.

Editor

Penmanship is the quality of a great mind. This has held true in the human civilization that has always put those who could write at the top of society. Perhaps this is why editors hold a top spot in the job force.

Editors communicate through the art of writing. They select material and revise a writer’s work for publication or broadcast. Editors may also compose original writing. In the book publishing industry, editors hold the primary responsibility to review proposals for books and decide whether to purchase the rights of the publication. Magazines and newspapers employ several types of editors from assignment editors who determine which reporters cover a given story to copy editors who review and edit copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style.

Advancement in electronic communications has changed the work environment of today. Laptops, wireless networks and other advancements are allowing editors to work on the road or from home. However, long hours are still to be expected as an editor lives from deadline to deadline, which especially applies to those who work for newspapers.

Paying Your Dues: Employers prefer applicants with broad liberal arts backgrounds, as well as a degree in communications, journalism or English. Internships are valuable for learning experience. Writing short pieces and conducting interviews are tasks that educate the potential editor about the publishing and broadcasting industry, as well as researching the topic they are writing about. Potential writers learn that they must familiarize themselves with their sources and stories in order to write a good piece. Internships prove to be more valuable than school newspapers or news station work.

Of course, excellent written communication skills are to be expected from editors, along with a vast knowledge of grammar. Editors are usually creative, full of fresh ideas and are always mentally exploring new areas to write about. Editors must also be open to criticism about their work. They must understand that it takes experience to build greater writing skills and have the understanding that it may take some time. In other words, don’t take it personal. You can’t become a professional overnight!

Editors are enjoying a lifestyle of fame and a bit of fortune as today’s society is providing more and more opportunities for acknowledgement. The growing popularity of blogs is providing more opportunities for entry-level editors and writers to display their work, while magazines and other periodicals are developing materials for readers with special interests. In 2004, editors held 320,000 jobs proving just how well we have mastered the art of words.

Engineer

Today’s Engineers use the principles of math and science to solve some of the world’s most technical problems. Their economical solutions link together the social and commercial societies. Most engineers specialize in areas such as aerospace, agriculture, biomedical, transportation (civil), computer hardware and product safety engineering.

All engineers use the same steps of procedure no matter which specialty area they are involved with. Engineers make sure their work specifies its functional demands and requirements. They design and test the features of their potential product and then incorporate the features into final design. Finally, engineers test the effectiveness of their product. Computers are typically used to monitor the efficiency and progress of an engineer’s product.

The lifestyle of an engineer varies upon the specialty. Engineers may work in office buildings, industrial plants or laboratories. Those working with the construction of roads, bridges, tunnels and other types of civil engineering work outdoors.

Paying Your Dues: A bachelor’s degree in engineering is required for most entry-level jobs. Applicants for an undergraduate engineering school usually have demonstrated solid math and science backgrounds with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, biology and physics. The first two years of engineering school are accumulative with courses in math, basic science, introductory engineering, humanities and the social sciences. The last two years consist of mostly engineering courses with a concentration on a specialty such as electronic, mechanic or civil engineering. Two tests are required for an engineering license. These are The Initial Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and The Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam. The Initial Fundamentals of Engineering Exam is taken toward the end of an academic engineering career, while The Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam is taken after an internship or other form of engineering practice.

Engineers must be creative, practical, analytical and attentive to details. They almost always work in a team so an engineer must be a team player no matter which specialty he or she chooses to enter.

Today’s engineering is extremely diverse and opportunistic with unlimited specialty areas to enter. These areas combined created a massive 1.4 million jobs in 2004. Modern technology has no doubt opened doors for new specialty areas, allowing options for potential engineers to practically chose the workplace where they would best thrive.

Financial Advisor

Financial advisors have personal relationships with their clients as opposed to financial analysts. Financial advisors assess the financial needs of individuals, while offering them a wide range of choices. They work with and monitor the personal finances of an individual and his or her family. A personal finance advisor tends to the financial aspects of marriages, estate planning, college funding, general investments and retirements. In addition to personal financing, advisors may find themselves teaching night classes or pursuing an additional related occupation.

Paying Your Dues: Personal financial advisors have less strict academic requirements. A bachelor’s degree is needed in varying subjects such as accounting, economics and law. Employers look for motivated self-starters, time managers, those with the ability to establish firm relationships and, of course, those with precise mathematic abilities. Whichever direction you chose, be prepared to work with budgets, costs and credits.

With more money flowing through the economy, more and more job opportunities are opening up for financial advisors. The increasing amounts of success found in today’s companies would not be where they are without a financial team, and their CEO’s are certainly not going without personal financial assistance. Think Donald Trump. He sure didn’t get to where he is today alone. With that said, it is no wonder that financial advising is one of the Top 50 Best Jobs in America.

Human Resources

Human Resources has moved from being behind-the-scenes and doing the underdog work to holding a leadership role in major enterprises. This occurr through assisting employees, suggestions and policy changes. By hiring and overseeing a staff, the Human Resources department may be held accountable for a company’s achievement of maximum output.

Most entry-level employees learn the profession by performing office-type tasks. These duties range from compiling employee handbooks to performing research for a supervisor. They may later move up to one of the following departments.

• Training and Development—This area is for the development of skills, productivity enhancement, improving of quality of work, building loyalty to the firm and overall increasing employee performance for the best business results possible. This area provides training classes for new employees, depending on their educational background. Classes are usually held in a classroom or on company property.

• Recruiting—They travel the most of any Human Resource worker. They visit colleges in search of bright, freshly educated potential employees. Recruiters screen, interview and occasionally test applicants.

• Employee Assistance—These workers tend to more personal problems of employees, such as child care, elder care, emotional disorders, alcoholism, martial family, consumer, legal and financial problems—you name it, they do it. This area proves to be a very interesting department in Human Resources.

Paying Your Dues: A college graduate can become part of the Human Resources department after receiving a major in human relations, administration or industrial relations. Employers look for grads with an overall well-rounded education filled with business, technology and liberal arts backgrounds. Courses from industrial psychology, social science and engineering are always helpful. Advanced-level positions are filled with those of experience. Most have either worked in a lower position or have experience in the field by way of an internship or work-study.

A Human Resource worker loves working with people and helping them get the most out of their job. They must be able to cope with conflicting points of view, function under pressure and be able to demonstrate reliability and discretion. Human Resource work is not for everyone. It is for those who are interested in getting the most out of a hard day’s work for personal and company benefit. They are the heart of the company, as they train and educate their fellow team members on how they can individually make the company more successful.

Meeting and Convention Planning

We are in an age where social and business gatherings are of high importance. The human mind and eye is easily entertained by today’s top-notch technology and lavish décor. Why not put the two together as a meeting and convention planner?

A meeting and convention planner’s soul purpose is bringing groups together to accomplish their goals in the most effective way possible. Planners do this by creating stimulating environments that enhance learning, success and accomplishment.

The first step in meeting and convention planning is to find out what motivates a team or organization. They may do this by poll or survey and then plan the event around the results. The most important job of a planner is selecting a site location. They must negotiate an agreement with the location based on the number of attendees, meeting agenda and, of course, a price. Another major task for a planner is overseeing the event’s finances and budget. Planners must forecast every element of the event and its cost.

A meeting and convention planner may be found responsible for finding speakers, attendee lodging, entertainment, food and drink, telecommunications, audio visual requirements and transportation. Planners may work for nonprofit organizations, hotels, the government, professional firms or private firms with individual clients.

Paying Your Dues: A bachelor’s degree is certainly recommended, along with coursework in hotel hospitality, marketing, communications and public relations. Excellent written and verbal skills are vital, and bargaining and negotiation skills are an additional plus. The ability to multitask is also important. A planner should be stimulated by the thought of gaining several responsibilities at once.

Most event planners live life with a great amount of autonomy. This is because they generally meet all kinds of people from around the world and may have opportunities to visit exotic locations where potential meetings may be held. Opportunity’s door is knocking with a greater need for event planning, especially since government agencies, private securities and insurance companies are holding professional meetings more than ever before.

Optometry

With cataracts, diabetes and hypertension on the rise, more and more groups are likely to visit optometrists. These groups include the elderly population and the middle-aged baby boomers.

Optometrists examine people’s eyes for general health, vision problems and eye diseases. They check for eye coordination and the ability to focus, as well as visual acuity, depth and color perception.

Optometrists may prescribe different types of eyeglasses and contact lenses. They often care for preperative and postoperative patients who are undergoing laser treatment or other types of eye surgery. Some specialize in work for the elderly, children or the partially sighted who need special visual devices. Sports optometry is also on the rise, sparking the interest of potential optometrists.

Most optometrists are private practitioners who also handle the business aspects of their practice while in the office. They develop a patient database, hire employees, make records and keep their medicalsupplies in stock.

Paying Your Dues: The Doctor of Optometry Degree requires the completion of an accredited optometry school. Applicants optometry school. Applicants must have at least three years of preoptometric study with an accredited college or university. However, most applicants complete undergraduate school with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or biology. An exam for licensure is usually taken during the optometry school academic calendar.

Most optometrists begin by working as assistants in another optometrist’s office and eventually branching off with their own practice. Business ability, self-discipline and the ability to deal with diverse patients are important for success. The work of optometrists requires attention to detail and manual dexterity.

Today, many are finding that optometry is really paying off, literally. With medical responsibilities and half the academic career, many medicine-prone students are finding optometry to be the happy medium and many are setting their sights on it.

Pharmacist

Pharmacists are taking on a more active role in their patients’ lives than ever before. Not only are they distributing medication in bottles, but they are also educating drug therapy patients about the use of their medication and regularlychecking on the progress of their health.

Today pharmaceutical companies, in dosage and delivery form, produce most drugs. In effect, this has made the actual compounding and creation of drugs by pharmacists less necessary. Pharmacists now have more time to check on the progress of their patients and their responses to drug therapy to ensure a safe and effective use of medicine. Pharmacists are now able to work in a variety of locations instead of the more traditional, private and chain pharmacies. These diverse locations include hospitals, nursing care facilities, mail-order pharmacies, home-care health agencies and possibly the federal government.

More exploratory areas of drug therapy are opening up for research. Pharmacists now have the opportunity to research nutrition support, oncology, nuclear pharmacy, geriatric pharmacy and psychopharmacotherapy. The pharmacy industry is working as a whole to cure these malfunctions, such as cancer and mental disorders, with drug therapy.

Paying Your Dues: Pharmacy school enrollment is on the rise due to tempting jobs with high salary prospects. Courses in pharmacy school teach the different aspects of drug therapy, patient communication, public health and how to run medication distribution systems. Pharmacy programs grant the Degree of Pharmacy (Pharm D), which requires six years of postsecondary study and passing a State Board of Pharmacy’s Licensure Examination. Pharm D is a four-year program with two years of college prior to admittance. Most students, however, have had three years college experience prior to admittance, and most complete their licensure in more than one state.

Characteristics of pharmacists tend to be those of scientific aptitude, have good communication skills, a desire to help others and conscientious attention to detail. Pharmacists must always remember that their decisions affect human lives. Potential pharmacists must keep in mind that travel may be necessary for work, as well as long hours on their feet. They may often work extended hours on weekends or nights and pay unplanned visits to patients who are in immediate need of pharmaceutical care.

As previously mentioned, the need for pharmacists is increasing by the day. Hospitals are changing for the better with a reduction in inpatient stays, downsizing, increasing outpatient surgeries and increasing drug purchases outside the hospital. The increasingly aging population is creating a need for pharmacists in the major areas of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home-care settings. With flexibility in work location and substantial pay, the pharmacy occupation is growing almost as fast as the growing need for it.

Physicians and Surgeons

Believe it or not, physicians and surgeons are still holding strong as one of the most popular jobs in the U.S.. These are the people who hold the utmost responsibility for a patient’s state of health. Physicians have been granted the authority to examine, research and prescribe medical treatment to those in need of their services.

Instead of trying to conquer the entire medical field, physicians generally choose specialty areas. Some common specialties of physicians are anesthesiology, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, psychiatry and surgery. Surgeons are physicians who specialize in the areas of injury, disease and deformity through inpatient or outpatient operations. Many surgeons choose to specialize in specific areas such as neurological surgery, cardiovascular surgery, otlargology (treatment of the ear, nose and throat) and, becoming more and more popular in the United States, plastic or reconstructive surgery.

Physicians usually work in small private offices or clinics that are often assisted by a small staff of nurses and other administrative personnel, and the most common work locations for surgeons are hospitals or outpatient care centers. The one thing to think about if you own your own practice is that health insurance and retirement must be self-provided.

Paying Your Dues: Physicians and surgeons hold a lengthy academic prerequisite for their career path. Four years of undergraduate school is required, as well as four years of medical school. Students usually volunteer at local hospitals to become acquainted with the health professions. Three to eight years of residency are usually required depending on the specialty area of the potential physician or surgeon. Following medical school, almost all medicine doctors enter a residency. A residency is a graduate medical education in a specialty area that takes the form of paid on-the-job training. Most serve a 12- month internship after graduation and before entering a residency, which may last anywhere from two to six years. In other words, residency pays the future physician or surgeon to learn.

Desirable characteristics of a physician or surgeon are the aspiration to serve patients, self-motivated, ability to withstand the long hours of medical education, emotionally stable and the ability to make decisions in a crisis. Communication skills are key because they must relay good and bad news to their patient’s loved ones. They must be aware of their presence and able to keep patients and their families as calm as possible.

Increasing electronic tests and prescription orders, billing and scheduling will improve the future physician’s productivity. Plastic surgery has also soared with reality shows booming. Reality shows like Nip/Tuck and Extreme Makeover are opening the eyes of potential physicians and surgeons to the world of plastic surgery. In general, they are facing flexible decisions of where, what and how to practice. A career in medicine and surgery looks very promising, as there is a vast amount of people to care for.

Registered Nurse

The registered nursing occupation is in a league of its own as the second largest profession in the world because of the wide range of specialties and flexible scheduling that are offered to today’s registered nurses.

Registered nurses perform basic tasks, while treating and educating patients about their medical conditions. They are also responsible for providing a level of support and relaying information to their patients’ families. Registered nurses as a whole care for the home needs of their patients, physical therapy administration and advise patients about diet and exercise programs. Everyday tasks include treatment administration, medication administration and operating medical machinery.

Almost all nurses are trained in specialty areas. These range from nurse practitioners to nurse midwives to anesthetist nurses. Nurse practitioners are the most common of all registered nurses. They provide patients with the endless varieties of preventive healthcare. These are the nurses who tend to the basic and everyday needs of patients. Nurse midwives specialize in women’s health. They provide women with gynecological exams, prenatal care, labor and delivery assistance, neonatal care and family planning. Anesthetist nurses have more critical responsibilities. They administer anesthesia, monitor patients’ vital signs during surgery and provide patients under anesthesia with “wake up” care. All three types of nurses make decisions that affect people’s lives on a daily basis. Despite their stressful impressions, these three specialty areas are proving to be most popular in the registered nurse occupation.

Paying Your Dues: A bachelor’s degree of science in nursing is required or an associate degree in nursing with diploma. Most receive a bachelor’s degree after taking courses in anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, physiology, nutrition, psychology and, of course, nursing. Potential registered nurses attend a four-year program that requires a four-year program that requires one to two years of clinical experience for admission. Many registered nurses start their careers as licensed practical nurses and then return to school for a registered nurse degree.

Most registered nurses work in hospitals, but other work may possibly be found in public health departments, home health agencies and ambulatory clinics. Registered nursing requires emotional stability, leadership, compassion, a desire to help others and good judgment.

With today’s need for preventive health care for the swelling elderly population, registered nurses are more necessary than ever. The newest medical technological advances are also providing more job opportunities as they require medical staff to oversee them. The notorious horrific work hours for nurses are also diminishing. Because of the industry’s growth, a large sum of money may be offered to those nurses who are willing to work longer hours or graveyard shifts. Some facilities with Internet scheduling find these hours to be hot bid items as work hours may be tradable online. Flexibility is what seems to be keeping the registered nurse occupation pumping.

Speech Language Pathologist

With communication being vital in today’s world, it is an exciting time to pay attention to the science of speech. Speechlanguage pathologists conduct therapy for those with varying speech disorders. They distribute diagnostic tests, diagnose and propose treatment and therapy for patients.

There is never a dull moment because the variety of problems a speech-language pathologist encounters is endless. The disabilities range from injury, deterioration, developmental delays, disorders, learning disabilities, mental retardation and hearing loss. Speech-language pathologists in all specialties are prepared to work with the different aspects of speech, such as child language, fluency, phonology, voice and swallowing.

Speech-language pathologists diagnosethe nature and extent of the speech disability by way of standardized testing and special instruments. They develop individual plans for different patients that are tailored to their personal needs. They often work in schools with teachers and special educators of students with different disabilities. They provide private counseling, group activities and classroom activities for these students. In return, the growth of disabled student enrollment in elementary and secondary schools is providing these challenged students with more opportunities for assistance due to more and more pathologists employed on staff.

Travel is sometimes required—patients’ homes, schools or even hospitals. Some speech-language pathologists are contracted with hospitals and work inspecial departments or even at bedsides.

Paying Your Dues: A credential for most employers is a speech-language pathology degree. Potential therapists will take a lot of science courses. Expect intensive psychology and human sociology courses also. The most important characteristic of a speechlanguage pathologist is compassion. They must not get frustrated with their patients at any time and must realize they have no control over their disability. Pathologists must show eagerness to help others and demonstrate emotional stability, as well as clear communication skills.

With new federal policies for therapy to be distributed to those who are eligible, job openings are constantly opening for speech-language pathologists. Increasing amounts of people are wishing to work with children and the disabled and have found that speech-language pathology is a great vehicle for this. This promising occupation with financial and spiritual benefits has proved to be one of the best jobs in America.

Veterinarian

Children have grown up visiting the zoo, finding a love for pets and perhaps even taken riding lessons. Some people simply just love animals and see their pets as members of the family. It is no wonder why a large amount of children have grown up to be veterinarians.

Zoo and aquarium veterinarians are usually private practitioners who are contracted with the exhibit holders to provide their services on a part-time basis. Large zoos and aquariums may even have a personal vet on hand.

With over 50 percent of veterinarians working in private practices, a fourth of them are caring for birds, cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles and other animals that are kept in the American household. In addition, there are several mixed practices, which take care of pigs, sheep and goats. Large animal veterinarians are in high demand as well. With today’s booming horse and cattle industries, more vets are needed to visit farms and ranches all over the country.

Paying Your Dues: Unfortunately, there are only 28 veterinary science programs in the United States, making them rather difficult to get into with roughly a third acceptance rate. Experience with animal care is a huge boost for the résumé, as well as time spent with animals on a farmor stable in general. The applicant must show great desire and enthusiasm to work with animals.

A bachelor’s degree is not required to get into vet school, but admittance is rarely seen without one. Vet school prerequisites include courses in cellular biology, zoology, statistics, animal nutrition, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and more.

Admittance into veterinary school may be difficult, but a negative correlation falls between the two. As admittance falls, job opportunities grow. This is because there isonly a limited number of vet school graduates each year who begin the workforce. Veterinarians must be academically committed, demonstrate a love for animals, display compassion and attention to detail and be able to communicate well with clients who love their animals.

As pets are now considered part of the family, pet owners are more willing to spend money on advanced animal care. Paris Hilton put up a $5,000 reward when her beloved teacup Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, went missing. There are even stores that sell animal couture, such as LA’s ultra swanky Fifiand Romeo pet boutique. If more and more loving pet owners are willing to spend $200 on a canine sweater, there is no telling how much they are willing to spend on advanced veterinary care.