It's
not uncommon for students to wait a year or more to decide on a major.
Many college and university students tend to enroll in institutions
that offer a variety of degree programs they might explore. A new
report that forecasts jobs of the future might help contribute to their
decisions.
The
report, “Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements
through 2018,” is intended to help Americans link education and
training choices with employment opportunities. It suggests that some
of the fastest growing jobs requiring at least a bachelor's degree are
to be in healthcare professions and technical occupations,
communication services and arts occupations and education and STEM
(science, technology, engineering and math) occupations. Significant
job openings are expected as early as 2011, according to the report
from the Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce.
In
2018, the report notes, individuals with at least a certificate or an
associate's degree are expected to be needed in information services,
government, private and public education services, financial,
professional and business services and health care services. Bureau of
Labor Statistics forecasts for college-trained individuals and
degree-holders tend to agree, listing more specific occupations
anticipated to see the largest growth into 2018. These positions
include nursing aides, orderlies and attendants; elementary and
post-secondary school teachers; management analysts; computer software
engineers and applications; network systems and data communications
analysts and physicians and surgeons.
Bureau
of Labor Statistics forecasts are along the same lines. This agency
anticipates that the occupations with the largest growth into 2018 are
to include orderlies and attendants; elementary and post-secondary
school teachers; nursing aides and physicians and surgeons. Additional
occupations expected to see the largest growth, according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, are management analysts; computer software
engineers and applications and network systems and data communications
analysts.
Students
might want to keep in mind that salaries might be job dependent. While
Bureau of Labor Statistics information shows that salaries, on average,
tend to rise with the level of college completed, the Georgetown study
reports that occupation makes a difference. Some 27 percent of people
with certificates and 31 percent of those with associate's degrees earn
more than the average bachelor's degree-holder, the study notes.
In
terms of salaries, offers to the class of 2010 increased over those of
2009 for students with bachelor's degrees in accounting, finance,
engineering, computer science and computer-related subjects, according
to responses to a National Association of Colleges and Employers study.
These salary offers ranged from $47,673 to $66,437, according to the
study. Average teacher salaries at traditional public schools for the
2006-2007 academic year increased by 4.5 percent over the previous
year, to about $51,000, according to an American Federation of Teachers
survey. Math, according to National Association of Colleges and
Employers research director Ed Koc, is at the crux of who gets paid.
With these skills, Koc told CNN Money in 2009, college graduates can
become an extremely valuable asset.
Students
in addition to considering their abilities and skills might ponder what
they value in work, according to Dr. Randall Hansen. In a
QuintCareers.com article, Hansen suggests that some students might
enjoy helping others, while others prefer status and that some
individuals might work best alone, while others enjoy working group
settings. He recommends that students be realistic about how their
interests and abilities fit in with their career goals and that they
consider resources such as the college career center.