A future career is a huge decision. Many degrees take years of school and thousands of dollars in tuition before you can even attempt to find a job. Even finding a job can be a trying experience with an unemployment rate of 7.5% in the United States. Choosing an educational tract that will actually land you a job is more important than ever. Here are a few degrees that will increase your chances of locating a job after you complete your post secondary education.
Information Technology
The first degree that you might want to consider is an information technology degree. As long as you enjoy working on computers, an IT degree will lead you to career success. An information technology degree will give you access to a healthy job. Graduates will be able to choose which of the 8 different professions available with the IT job market they want pursue. Whatever field they choose, they are looking at a substantial number of jobs available. As of 2010 there were:
- * 363,100 Computer Programming jobs available.
- * 347,200 Network and Computer Systems Administrator jobs available.
- * 913,100 Software Developer jobs available.
In order to put this number in perspective, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that there were only 127,200 Editing jobs available for English and Journalists majors.
People who pursue IT degrees will also enjoy being a part of a rapidly building field. By 2020 the Bureau has predicted that there will be a:
- * 12% growth in Computer Programming jobs available (average).
- * 28% growth in Network and Computer Systems Administrator jobs available (faster than average).
- * 30% growth in Software Developer jobs available (much faster than average).
- * 1% growth in Editor jobs available (English Major; little change)
The growth in the various IT jobs available will give IT majors the flexibility required to switch jobs within the field, move locations when necessary, and find employment in an establishment that will meet their needs. English major may not be able to afford to be so picky.
Accounting
Like an information technology major, an accounting major will have a healthy job market to enter into. After graduating an accounting degrees will allow the individual to choose 1 of 7 different professions. The number of accounting jobs available to graduates with accounting degrees in 2010 was fairly high:
- * 62,100 Budget Jobs available.
- * 236,000 Financial Analyst jobs available.
- * 185,400 Cost Estimator jobs available.
While these numbers do not come close to matching the number of IT jobs available. Math savvy people who decide to get an accounting degree will still have fairly good odds of locating a job. This good fortune will continue to grow. By 2020 the Bureau predicts a:
- * 10% growth in Budget jobs available (average).
- * 23% growth in Financial Analyst jobs available (faster than average).
- * 36% growth in Cost Estimator jobs available (much faster than average).
While this change might not provide them with as much flexibility as the IT profession, a skilled accountant should be able to switch between jobs fairly easily. It’s a level of freedom that many other people will not be able to afford.
The prospect of switching careers or locating your first career can cause anxiety, especially with the fairly high unemployment rates. The idea of not being able to locate a job can add stress to an already stressful situation. While the availability of jobs should not be the only factor to consider, it is a very appealing factor. Hopefully you’ll be one of those lucky few that love fiddling with computers or compiling math problems. For the rest of us out there, we’ll need to make a choice. Do we take a chance on a less healthy job market? If you can’t take a chance with a less healthy market and you can’t see yourself as an accountant or an IT guy or gal, I would research other fruitful job fields. You’re bound to find an up and coming career that you are willing to do.