If you are serving in the military and thinking of soon getting out, or a veteran looking for a career change, then this new information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will be of interest to you. Recently the BLS came out with employment numbers projected out through 2030 for the top 30 fields based on two points of data: projected number of workers needed and salary. The chart below shows the comparison of these two data points by profession.
Demand and Salary
As you can see by the chart, in many of the cases there is a wide spread between the number of projected job openings and the annual median salary for the job. But in a few cases, both numbers are about equal … meaning not only is there going to be a high anticipated demand in these jobs, but they also pay well.
top four jobs
Here are the top four jobs with a demand over 100,000 projected openings and annual median salaries over $120,000.
1. Financial Managers
- Projected Number: 118,200
- Annual Median Salary: $131,710
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
2. Nurse Practitioners
- Projected Number: 114,900
- Annual Median Salary: $120,680
- Education Required: Master’s Degree
3. Medical Health Services Manager
- Projected Number: 139,600
- Annual Median Salary: $101,340
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
4. Management Analyst
- Projected Number: 124,400
- Annual Median Salary: $93,000
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
Top Four Jobs by Compensation Only
If jobs that pay the most are what interest you, then these are the top four professions with annual median salaries over $125,000.
1. Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Projected Number: 52,700
- Annual Median Salary: $159,010
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
2. Marketing Managers
- Projected Number: 29,400
- Annual Median Salary: $135,030
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
3. Financial Manager
- Projected Number: 118,200
- Annual Median Salary: $131,710
- Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree
4. Lawyer
- Projected Number: 71,500
- Annual Median Salary:127,990
- Education Required: Doctoral or Professional Degree
It is also interesting to note that many professions in this list are direct crossovers from military jobs. Particular jobs that crossover are Logistician, Truck Driver, Computer fields, and Human Resource Specialist. To meet the education requirement, veterans can use their Post 9/11 GI Bill to gain the education needed in addition to their experience.
Any of the 30 professions in this list are good choices for careers that will be in high demand at least for the next eight years (and probably beyond) and that pay well … with 10 of them topping out with an annual median salary of over $100,000 per year.
