Deciding how to get started in your new career? Deciding which career is the best fit for you? Wondering what kind of skills and schooling you’ll need to prepare for your new career? Our mission is to help you identify the career that’s right for you, then help you learn about the steps you’ll need to take to get there, including schools, colleges, or universities you’ll need to attend, skills and experience you’ll need to obtain, internships you’ll need to take, and more. Our “How to Become” series is the core. You’ll also find helpful resources where you can explore the highest paying jobs in a given career field.

Careers in the Healthcare Industry

healthcare careers

With a growing and aging population comes growth in career opportunities in the healthcare industry. As one of the largest industries in the U.S., healthcare has kinds of career paths, many of them with exceptional stability and excellent growth projected in the coming years. For example, jobs for Dental Assistants are expected to grow 36% by 2018, which is significantly higher than the average growth rate. Jobs for trained and certified Medical Transcriptionists, on the other hand, are expected to see about average growth. Growth in this area is counterbalanced by advances in speech recognition technology and the offshoring of jobs to countries like India and Pakistan. Medical Billing and Coding is another area where growth in jobs is expected. See our article on How to Become a Medical Biller and Coder.

Careers in Business

business career

Assuming one has the right training in computer and software technology, there are many opportunities to play an important supporting role in business. This career area often has many job openings. Jobs are expected to grow at about the average rate through 2018. Jobs for secretaries and administrative assistants are often plentiful, as individuals move from these jobs into higher level positions within the business. Our article on How to Become an Administrative Assistant can help you get started.

Careers in the Building and Construction Industry

construction career

Jobs for construction laborers are expected to grow 20% by 2018, which is much faster than the average. Most of these jobs are concentrated in metropolitan regions, where residential and business growth are typically found. However, there are some drawbacks to this type of job. First, economic troubles can temporarily stall growth in new construction, which can result in fewer jobs for construction laborers during certain time periods. Second, while not all construction jobs fall into this category, some can expose individuals to dangerous situations on a construction site. That said, there are a variety of kinds of jobs within the building and construction industry, and the best jobs in construction are not necessarily the obvious ones. See our list of Top 10 Highest Paying Careers in Building and Construction.

Careers in other Trade and Technical Industries

 aircraft mechanic

For those seeking a career as a mechanic in either the automotive or aircraft industry, postsecondary training and certification is crucial to landing a desirable job. Constant advanced in automotive and aircraft technology also require that mechanics and other technicians update their skills on a regular basis via continued education. This can be a rewarding career are with many high paying jobs to be found. See out article on the Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs for Mechanics.

Gunsmithing is a highly skilled trade career involving machine operation and the manipulation of metal and plastic parts in serving existing firearms and building new ones. If you would like to become a gunsmith, check out our article explaining all the details on How to Become a Gunsmith.

Careers in the Service Industries

hospitality careers

Jobs prospects for chefs, kitchen supervisors and other management level individuals are expected to be good, though growth in the of jobs is expected to be low. There are many types of jobs within the food service industry, and many individuals begin their food service careers as kitchen assistants or chef assistants, attend school to get the needed formal training and certification, then move into higher paying jobs with more responsibility. If you are interested in this area, see our article on How to Become a Chef.

There are many areas of the hospitality industry that offer the potential of landing a high paying job. For instance, casino managers, regional chefs, heads of housekeeping, and event planners can make excellent salaries. As in all areas, career advancement is dependent on the right formal training and on-the-job training. Higher paying jobs are most often found in larger metropolitan areas, especially cities like Las Vegas that focus heavily on hospitality as an economic base. See our article on The Top 10 Highest Paying Careers in Hospitality.

Data source: http://www.bls.gov

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