Fresh Advice: High-Demand Jobs for High School & College Grads

Published on 2008-07-02

Rising tuition costs and increased competition for jobs in high-paying professions have made career planning more important than ever before. One way to get ahead of the competition is to look for career opportunities that are expected to be in high demand in the years ahead. To help you find jobs that match your experience, skill set and educational background, we've used statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor to compile a list of high-growth industries and the occupations within them that are projected to offer the most new jobs for either high school or college graduates.

Automotive

For high school graduates, automotive service technician and mechanic is the leading occupation in terms of projected employment growth. About 265,000 mechanic jobs will need to be filled by 2016. Currently, just over 60% of mechanics have an education level of high school or less. The median hourly wage is $16.

For college graduates, auto sales jobs, particularly in management, will provide the best opportunities. Almost 70% of auto sales managers have a college degree, and the median wage is about $33 an hour.

Education

Child care jobs are projected to increase by 46%, adding over 115,000 positions to the education workforce. About half of all current child care workers possess a high school degree and around 40% have some college education. Average pay is about $10.50 an hour.

Approximately 170,000 new teaching jobs at elementary schools are projected to come available for college graduates, who make up 95% of that employment category. The median salary of elementary school teachers is about $45,000.

Healthcare

Job opportunities are expected to be excellent for personal and home care aides. Nearly 60% of all caregiver jobs are held by workers who have no more than a high school education. The median hourly wage is between $8 and $9 an hour.

The nursing shortage in the U.S. has already received a great deal of media attention, but it's likely to get worse. Almost 600,000 new nursing jobs will be created by 2016. The median annual salary of registered nurses is slightly more than $57,000. Nearly 60% of all RNs are college graduates and the remainder has at least some college training.

Hospitality

The service-oriented nature of the hospitality industry makes its leading job category unique: waiter and waitress jobs are expected to provide the greatest number of employment opportunities within the hospitality industry for both high school and college graduates. Nearly 850,000 new waitress/waiter jobs will be created, paying an hourly wage of between $6.50 and $9 an hour - but don't forget about the tips.

Information Technology

Employment in the information technology industry is heavily weighted towards college graduates. Computer engineering jobs will be the biggest growth sector in IT employment, with nearly 325,000 new jobs created. The median earnings of software engineers are currently about $80,000, and 85% of all computer software engineers possess a college degree.

Retail

Sales workers are always in demand in the retail industry. Retail sales jobs are projected to grow by 12%, yielding over 550,000 new jobs. The education level of retail salespeople is varied, but close to 40% of workers have only a high school degree. Median earnings are currently around $10.

For college graduates interested in the retail sector, sales manager jobs will provide the greatest number of opportunities. Nearly 70% of all retail managers possess a college degree. Current median earnings are in the mid-$30K range.

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