Are you trying to decide on a college major? Want to pursue a job that pays well, is in high demand, and has great job security? Would you like to choose a career that can support a family, and you won’t have much trouble finding a job upon your college graduation? Here are five jobs that pay well over $50,000 a year, and have a fantastic job outlook for 2012 and beyond.
Pharmacist
As our nation’s baby boomers grow older, the demand for pharmacists will continue to grow. According to payscale.com, the starting salary for pharmacists is at least $80,000/year and can be as high as $120,000/year or more.
Pharmacists must be very detail oriented, and able to notice mistakes quickly. Please read “A Day in the Life of a Pharmacist: What to Consider When Choosing This Career” for advice. Some of the responsibilities of a pharmacist include advising doctors on the dosage and side effects of medication, answering patient’s questions, and helping patients choose over the counter drugs. In essence, a pharmacists brain will serve as a computer for drug interactions, dosage requirements and much more.
To become a pharmacist, you must first go to college, preferably following a pre-phamacy plan with courses in chemistry, biology and more. Most pharmacists, but not all, will earn a bachelor’s degree before going to pharmacy school. While the major of pharmacy students have an undergrad degree in science, there are some that have degrees in unrelated fields such as sociology and English.
Do you think you’d enjoy working with children and adults with special needs? Are you very patient? Do you have great enunciation and communication skills? Are you a people person? A career in speech pathology might be for you.
According to payscale.com, the starting salaries for speech pathologists is about 50k / year, and more experienced speech pathologists can earn $80,000 or more a year. Please read “Speech-Language Pathology: Career Basics” for more insight. You might also read “The Job of a Speech – Language Pathologist.”
A third career option that pays well over 50k per year, and is in demand, is a physical therapist. Physical therapists help people who have been injured regain or improve physical abilities. Physical therapists also work with special needs children and adults to help them build strength, flexibility, motor control and much more. They use different techniques to help patients recover or gain necessary skills. Take a look at “Five Reasons to Become a Physical Therapist” for more insight in the career.
Another job that pays well (over $50,000 to $60,000 a year) is a computer software engineer. The median earnings for computer software engineers in 2008 was $85, 430. Read “Job Description of Computer Software Engineers” for more advice. There are various types of jobs that computer software engineers can do. Another excellent article to read, written by a computer software engineer is “Becoming a Sofware Engineer: Pros and Cons.”
If you are good in math, like computers, and are very patient, a job as a computer software engineer might be for you.
Nurse
As long as there are people, there will always be a demand for nurses. The job outlook for nursing is very well, especially in the next few decades. The salary can depend if you are an RN (requires a four year degree), or a LVN or LPN (requires just a 2 year degree). According to indeed.com, the average salary for RN’s is $74,000/ year.
They key to job happiness is to find something you love and enjoy, and can make money at it. If you don’t love your job, no amount of money is worth it. Best of luck as you make decisions for your future!
