What Are Some of the Best Career Fields to Look Into for 2021?

Introduction

What makes a job “one of the best jobs”? Well, many would consider a well-paying job to be one of the best jobs, but you also have to think about career outlook and job satisfaction. You have to consider the work culture, home-life balance, and whether or not the job challenges you enough, but not so much that it’s too stressful. Everyone’s idea of the perfect job will differ, but here are some of the best career fields to look into, along with some examples of jobs in those fields.

Healthcare

Working in healthcare is one of the most rewarding career paths. Healthcare workers of all types help care for people of all ages on a regular basis, plus, most are richly compensated for their efforts. Of course, the amount of schooling for working in healthcare can vary from two years post-secondary, to eight or more years. However, there are several careers in the healthcare industry to choose from.

Physician Assistant

A physician assistant (PA) is a medical professional that works closely alongside a physician or surgeon. They can assist in surgery, but they also diagnose illnesses, come up with treatment plans, and perform other procedures. The annual median salary for a PA is around $112,000 per year, with an unemployment rate of less than 1%. You can check out My PA Resources’ examples to learn more about how to write a great PA statement.

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are similar to physicians, except that they don’t have as much training as physicians. Their main duties are to perform physical exams, analyze results, and prescribe medications to their patients. Many NPs start off as RNs (registered nurses) before continuing in education. The median salary for an NP is around $109,000 per year, with a 1.2% unemployment rate.

Information Technology (IT)

Careers in IT heavily revolve around computers and other forms of technology, such as our cell phones and other electronic devices.

Software Developer

Software developers are the ones who create all of those amazing applications (apps) that we have on our phones. They also create, troubleshoot, and repair the software systems that we use on our computers. The median annual salary for a software developer is over $107,000, with an unemployment rate of 1.4%.

IT Manager

When a company hires an IT manager, they’re hiring someone to be responsible for coming up with creative solutions for the company’s technology needs. They typically install and upgrade computer systems as needed, protect the network from hackers, and plan upgrades for a company’s software. The median salary for an IT manager is close to $150,000 per year, and their unemployment rate is currently at 1.3%.

The Skilled Trades

Jobs in the skilled trades require a lot of hands-on knowledge in order to produce the desired results for a client. Jobs in the trades are often looked down on because they don’t require extensive schooling, like many other jobs, but they still require a lot of knowledge and they can pay just as well as jobs requiring a Master’s degree.

Construction Manager

Construction managers are also known as project managers or general contractors. They are responsible for the execution of a construction project and they oversee the entire thing from beginning to end. Sometimes a Bachelor’s degree is required to become a construction manager, but not always. A contractor’s license is most often required, but licensing varies by state. The median annual salary for a construction manager is around $95,000m with only a 1.5% unemployment rate.

Electrician

An electrician’s job goes beyond restoring power to homes and even entire towns that have experienced a power outage. They also install, maintain, and repair all types of electrical systems in homes and office buildings. The median salary for an electrician is over $55,000 per year, with an unemployment rate of 2.6%.

All of these career paths are in high demand, and the workers make a pretty decent salary based on the median (half of the people make below this number while the other half earn above this number) annual income. These jobs also have a pretty good number of workers satisfied with their jobs.