What Career or Job Are You Interested In?

One of the hardest parts of your career is choosing a profession and then figuring out how to get where you want to be. There are many things to factor in when deciding on a career that would best fit the kind of lifestyle you desire. Of course, the first thing that everyone thinks of is how much money they will earn, but there are other important factors to consider as well, such as:

Here, we will explore some of the more common career options, what it will take to pursue them, how much they pay (best paying jobs without a degree, best paying jobs with a bachelors), how many job openings will there be in the near future, and more. This should help give you an idea of what opportunities are available to you so you can decide what you want to be.

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Business is a general category of work that mostly refers to anything you do in an office. You can obtain a business position by getting a business degree, getting experience in sales right out of high school, or working retail and moving up to managerial positions. While you don’t necessarily need a degree for many of these positions, eventually you’ll hit a wall in salary growth and promotion unless you have some sort of degree. You might want to earn an MBA before or after you hit this point to allow you access to the highest levels of business employment, the C-suites.

This is a general subject with a variety of highly specialized components. While there are a number of highly reputable computer science degree options out there, this is a growing field, which means experience in new technologies holds a lot of weight with employers. Have you taught yourself how to create phone apps with dev software? Working on your own small programs in your spare time? You may be able to get an entry-level position in this field with on-the-job training without ever stepping foot in a classroom. However, many of the higher-level positions require management skills as well as computer skills, and the number of available learning programs continues to grow, so it would be wise to start taking a few courses here and there, even if you land a position without them.

There are many careers that are in high demand for cyber security graduates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is expected to grow by about 33% between 2020 and 2030, which is much faster than the average growth of other fields. Recent strives in technology have created a need to ensure online data is secure and protected. Cyber security professionals help aid with keeping this data safe and they must have a strong knowledge of computer science. It's essential to learn the various languages used in cybersecurity and be adept at using software tools and forensics tools. In order to be successful in cybersecurity, typically cybersecurity positions require at least a bachelor's degree.

If you want to teach, you will have to get the degree first. Even Head Start teachers, who work with pre-K children almost all have to hold an associate’s degree. To teach early childhood classes, you’ll need a bachelor's degree. For some classes in that range you might even need to double major or at least complete a minor in the subject you plan to teach (Foreign Language, Sciences, etc). If you want to move to the college level, you’ll have to earn a master’s degree or even a doctorate. And for all of these positions, you will need to be licensed by the state, with a clean background check, criminal record and typically have a degree in education.

Engineering is another education-heavy occupation. While you can get into small electrical engineering or motors on your own through experience with electronics and mechanics work, most full engineering positions require you to have a much greater knowledge of mathematics, materials, and energy than tinkering will afford you. You’ll at least want to complete a degree in engineering, and you can use that time to also choose and learn about a specialization such as: Mechanical, Electrical, Biomedical, etc.

Green careers can include any position whose main priority is the sustainability, impact, or “green” factor of the company or industry they work within. Some of these careers are focused on improving existing industries, such as the energy or automotive industries. Some of them are focused on the introduction of brand new products that provide a greener future, or on creating policy within which all other industries can be moved toward a more forward-thinking approach to how they do business. Whichever industry you’re interested in, there is a green position for you.

This sector is a tricky one. There are many facets to healthcare, from the doctors, to the nurses, to the administrators and data workers who keep everything running in the background. If you want to work in a hospital as a general worker, you won’t need a degree. If you want to be a part of administration, you might be able to find an entry position with a high school diploma, GED, or associate’s in healthcare depending on how competitive your area is. However, high-level administration and healthcare information work will likely require a healthcare degree. Nurses take specialized courses which can take anywhere from 18 months to 4 years. Doctors, as we all know, spend years in school learning everything they need to know about the human body to save lives.

Another varied sector. Humanities careers cover the spectrum: Technical Writer, Actor, Event Organizer, Artist, Travel Agent, Editor, Interpreter/Translator, etc. Humanities jobs are defined as those dealing with music, literature, language, and art. Many of these positions are created by the person who holds them. Editors and writers work freelance, create portfolios, build their reputation, and may find a company to employ them long-term. Artists, musicians, and actors create a niche or name for themselves in their community or farther afield and either get their break or don’t. Many translators didn’t go to school planning to become that; they may have learned multiple languages moving around as a child and now they can put that skill to use. However, there are more corporate versions of most of these things. Musicians get a degree and join a symphony, artists and musicians become teachers and show kids how to love the same things they do, students learn a foreign language and move to the country where it’s spoken to teach those students English. Keep your mind open when gaining an online liberal arts degree, as it often has unintended uses.

Legal positions cover everyone involved in the legal system from paralegals and police officers to lawyers and judges. Some need a short, specialized form of training. Police officers go through a training program and then learn on-the-job for a time. Paralegals often receive an associate degree or a certificate showing that they know the language of the law and can perform research for a lawyer. Lawyers and judges spend more time on their education’s, earning an online criminal justice degree, then going through a law school, and finally being required to pass the bar to become licensed. They are also specialized into specific types of law (real estate, criminal, civil, etc). So, you’ll have the choice to obtain a degree through rigorous study or work at a lower, but still very necessary, position.

Psychology and counseling both require a degree. There are facilities in which someone with special knowledge can become an addiction counselor. For example, a past substance abuser might be able to help those going through the process of getting clean without earning a degree. However, these positions are rare and hard to get into. Even gaining a bachelor’s in psychology doesn’t open many options for you. Most research positions, and those that allow you to prescribe medication, require a psychology master’s degree. However, a degree in psychology or a degree in counseling may allow you to be a counselor for individuals or families.

If you are looking for a career that is hands-on, does not require four to twelve years of advanced education, and that can get you into a job in as little as three months, then a trade career might be a good fit for you. There are many different trades that are available to high school or GED graduates that will actually provide you with a good income and working hours. The kind of work (trade) you are interested in will determine the amount of training and education you need to become certified and be able to pursue a career. Some of the fastest-growing and most in-demand positions are in trade jobs. Trade jobs can provide individuals a better than average income and very satisfying positions. Here are a few examples of the most popular fields for online trade schools: building trades, mechanical trades, legal trades, and medical trades.