If you find yourself currently looking for a job but unsure of which career you’d like to pursue next, look no further—US News just released its full list of the top career choices of 2021.
Take a peep below to see some of the top 10 jobs you may be interested in. And above all—good luck!
Median Salary: $112,260
Projected Jobs: 39,300
Physician assistants help doctors diagnosis illnesses as well as figure out treatment plans. They also help doctors carry out surgeries. Should you be interested in a career in health, this could be the perfect job for you. Plus, it’s also rated by US News to be the best STEM job around!
Median Salary: $107,510
Projected Jobs: 316,000
Like computers? Like being able to fix bugs yourself instead taking things to the Apple store? Do you rage with the machine as opposed to against it? Then maybe it’s time you explore the possibility of becoming a software developer. This job combines the technical with the creative and, of course, certainly regularly comes in handy in this technology-driven world.
Median Salary: $109,820
Projected Jobs: 110,700
Similar to a physician, nurse practitioners are able to perform physical exams as well as prescribe medicine for a variety of ailments. You’ll often find them working with pediatric or geriatric health patients, so if you find yourself particularly great at working with kids or the elderly, this could be the job for you!
Median Salary: $100,980
Projected Jobs: 133,200
This type of job is kind of like being the backstage manager of a theater—they plan, direct, and coordinate the goings-on of hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities in order to ensure they run like a well-oiled machine. There’s a huge demand for these types of professionals, especially now that more baby boomers are looking into healthcare facilities as they age.
Median Salary: $206,500
Projected Jobs: 18,500
Physicians pretty much run the gamut when it comes to handling any type of medical ailment. Have a sinus infection? Call up the physician. Need to schedule your yearly pap smear? Call a physician. The job is obviously not an easy one, but it is fulfilling and also incredibly stable with a 0.3 percent unemployment rate.
Median Salary: $91,160
Projected Jobs: 14,800
If you find yourself blessed with a love of and a competency in data, then perhaps you’re a natural born statistician. These are the professionals that take a look at a dataset and, almost magically, translate it into useful information. It doesn’t have to be boring data, either, but could be, say, audience information for an advertising firm—the numbers are your oyster.
Median Salary: $79,120
Projected Jobs: 40,500
Many people are plagued by speech and language impediments. A speech pathologist helps with that—these medical professionals aid a broad range of individuals, including but certainly not limited to people who stutter or have trouble swallowing. Pathologists also treat anyone babies to adults, allowing for a deeper connection between patients and pathologists.
Median Salary: $94,280
Projected Jobs: 10,300
Not unlike a statistician, a data scientist takes a set of data and converts it into digestible insights. While statisticians typically use data to formulate actionable strategies, data scientists provide insights in order to tell a greater narrative. Hence, communication is also key when it comes to being a data scientist, as you have to translate those numbers into words a wider audience can understand.
Median Salary: $155,600
Projected Jobs: 3,700
Dentists for whatever reason have a bad rep (thanks, “Marathon Man”) but they undoubtedly provide humanity a great service. There’s nothing worse than having a toothache, and nothing that feels quite as good as having your teeth professionally cleaned. Dentists provide those services as well as many more and, plus, there’s always a free toothbrush at the end of your annual checkup!
Median Salary: $95,460
Projected Jobs: 14,200
A job as a veterinarian is a job for animal lovers of any kind. Vets examine our furry, feathered, and scaled friends, and also perform surgery or recommend treatments. There’s also the chance one could pursue a veterinarian career specializing in more exotic animals such as tigers which, seriously, how cool would that be?
