Best and Worst Jobs for 2013
The unemployment situation over the past few years in the United States has had many people concerned. Perhaps especially those individuals who have recently graduated, are starting college or already looking for a job in the hopes of making a career change.
Decisions must be made, but which way to go? With the jobs outlook dismal in many industries, choosing which direction is an important consideration. In addition, many of the available jobs are already currently in high demand with a lot of competition from other applicants.
A recent study released by CareerCast.com, an employment website, has provided job seekers some direction, publishing a list of what is perceived as the best and worst jobs for 2013. The company's annual jobs rated report includes information gathered from many different sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The annual survey takesseveral factors into consideration, including environment, salary, outlook, stress and what it calls its "overall ranking". There are also several subsets of these categories, and many of these relate to future growth.
Best jobs in 2013
• Actuary
This career path shows projected growth of 27 percent; the job's average salary is about $88,000 per year. People working in this type of position work in the insurance industry. To succeed in an actuary job, must one be skilled in math and statistics.
• Biomedical engineer
This career path is looking at substantial growth over the next few years, a whopping 62 percent. This job's median salary is $81,540 a year. According toDeseret News, biomedical engineers work closely with physicians, researchers, manufacturers, and sales associates; this field offers many different types of opportunities.
• Software engineer
Another solid career path in today's technology age, software engineers make over $90,000 per year on average. Projected growth is a strong 30 percent. As the consumer and business markets demand more technology, the field is always changing with new opportunities emerging.
• Audiologist
CareerCast forecasts audiologists to be one of the up and coming jobs over the next few years. Individuals working in this job will earn about $67,000 per year on average. The projected job growth is a healthy 37 percent. According to the projection, as technology develops, additional opportunities are likely to emerge in this field.
• Financial planner
Jobs in accounting and finance are usually pretty consistent as the need for dealing with money matters never goes out of style. In the future, financial planning is anticipated to see a 32 percent rate of growth. Average salary is about $65,000 per year.
Worst jobs in 2013
• Newspaper reporter
As the print industry in general struggles due to the explosion of online use, the forecast for newspaper reporters is dismal. Many outlets are either collapsing or consolidating and the rise of online web news/blogs, along with citizen journalism, has created competition. Job growth is in the negative, at -6 percent, and forecast to drop even more over the next few years, so new opportunities are unlikely. Average salary is about $36,000.
• Lumberjack
With an average salary of about $33,000 per year, this career path is not anticipating strong growth, only 4 percent. Aside from the dismal outlook of opportunity, there are a lot of dangerous aspects to doing this job, making it an unattractive job choice, according to CareerCast.
• Enlisted military personnel
Often the military has been considered to be a solid career, but not according to this survey. Enlisted military members earn on average $42,000 a year (after 8 years or more of experience). This job is considered to be both dangerous and stressful in today's volatile global situations.
• Actor
Acting has always been a tough field to break into, and it appears this is not going to change this year. Growth is only anticipated to be about 4 percent with an average salary between $17 and $18 per hour.
• Oil rig worker
Considered a dangerous and stressful job, this job ranked in at the 5th worst job in 2013. Aside from the relatively small job growth (8 percent), sustainable and green energy poses a threat to the industry and less need may be the future. Rig workers earn about $37,000 a year.
Whether entering the job market for the first time, or looking to change careers mid-stream, it's a good idea to look at various forecasts in order to make a decision. Ideally, you want to find a job that you will enjoy, but also want to ensure there's a future in it. College students should also take both interests and forecasts into consideration when selecting degree programs.
The above is only the top five best and worst jobs, for the full list, please visitCareerCast's website.
