Seven Bright New Careers for '07 and Beyond

It's another new year, and industry analysts are busy gazing into their crystal balls. Will 2007 be the year of telecom? Will terrorism bring homeland security to the fore? The Department of Labor predicts wildfire growth in healthcare, information systems, security, and postsecondary education. About three out of every ten new jobs created in the U.S. economy will be in the healthcare, social assistance, or postsecondary education sectors.

But what does this all mean for you? Before you strike out into this vast career territory, take a look into your own crystal ball. Here are seven visions of career success in 2007 and beyond.

1. Physician Assistant

Physician assistant is one of the nation's fastest growing professions, and it's no wonder. Physician assistants are effectively replacing doctors as primary care providers, enjoying the same job satisfaction and a comfortable salary with a fraction of the training requirements.

If you're up for an intellectual challenge and enjoy helping those in need, this promising career may be in your future. Physician assistants play a direct and crucial role in their patients' wellbeing--they perform medical examinations, diagnose illness, prescribe medication, and assist in surgery.

A two-year physician assistant degree is the first step toward a career in this growing field. Since this is a graduate level course, you'll also need a bachelor's degree with course work in science.

Physician assistants can expect a bright career future, thanks to their role in streamlining an over-burdened medical system. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 49.6 percent job growth through 2014.

2. Marketing

This isn't your grandma's advertising. Today's marketers are developing business strategies in a rapidly changing media environment. To keep up with the media revolution, many businesses are hiring 'new media marketing coordinators' and 'marketing media strategists.'

Marketing will appeal to anyone who enjoys charting business tactics in a rapidly evolving high-tech environment. Google, YouTube, and mobile device technology are changing the landscape of marketing communications daily. As a media strategist, you can help determine how best to leverage these outlets to communicate your company's message.

Aspiring marketing professionals can stand out in this new business environment with a degree in business or marketing. Look for a program that emphasizes new media technology and Web-based communications.

Demand for Internet and technology-savvy marketers should be strong in 2007. Sean Bisceglia, president of Aquent Marketing Staffing, comments: "There's a lot of pressure to find experience in Internet marketing," as companies recruit the next generation of marketers.

3. Video Game Design

Video game development has evolved into a $9.9 billion industry and rivals Hollywood for blockbuster budgets and long production schedules. The video game industry expects to double employment over the next few years. The industry reported 144,000 jobs in 2004; that number should reach 265,000 by 2009.

This is good news for anyone with a vivid imagination, visual art skills, and/or storytelling abilities. With a degree in video game design from a technical institute, you can translate talent into a lucrative career as a video game producer, tester, programmer, or sound engineer. For the more artistically-inclined, there are several opportunities in graphic design, image modeling, and animation.

The ability to collaborate with a large creative team is also important. Akira Yamaoka, who worked on Silent Hill, notes: "The skill to communicate with others is very valuable, because you have to cooperate with a lot of people to finish a project."

4. Network Systems Analyst

This rapidly-evolving career tops the Department of Labor's list of fastest-growing careers, with 54.6 percent job growth predicted through 2014. A systems analyst is responsible for structuring and upgrading a company's computer network to ensure optimal performance, inter-office communication, and access to data.

You might find your calling as a systems analyst if you enjoy the analytical challenge of matching available technology to business needs. A talented systems analyst is a tech-savvy people person with great communication skills. U.S. News & World Report's career coach Marty Nemko observes: "Strange as it may sound, creative liberal arts types with computer expertise usually make better systems analysts than pure techies."

If you have your sights set on a system analyst career, look for a well-rounded degree program emphasizing both technology and communications.

5. Data Analyst

Systems analysts are big-picture consultants; if you're more apt to focus on the details, you may be better suited to a career as a data analyst. In an era where a company's success depends on its ability to control and access information, data analysts perform a crucial role.

Data analysts may design methods of collecting and analyzing data, or they may develop strategies for keeping data secure. Data analysis spans a wide range of specialty areas--law, science, cyber security, and more. If you have a science background, for example, you'll find booming opportunities in bioinformatics. Bioinformaticians, or computational biologists, use computer modeling software to predict drug performance. In the legal field, data analysts perform computer forensics and recover deleted information, or they can manage searchable databases of legal data.

Data analysts are specialists; to succeed in this field, you'll need a degree targeted to your job function. Many leading technical institutes have developed specific programs in fields such as cyber security and healthcare information technology.

Information is only useful if it can be mobilized to a specific purpose. In today's data-saturated business environment, analysts help companies make the most of their information assets.

6. Higher Education Administration

Higher education administration offers a unique mix of policy-making, financial and business strategy, and program development. In addition to the intellectual challenge of their careers, education administrators enjoy the satisfaction of working toward a good cause: improving the quality of college education.

Higher education administration is a promising career for those who enjoy collaborative problem-solving and community service. Many college administrators find the environment intellectually stimulating--colleagues may be experts in any number of academic disciplines, and lifelong learning opportunities abound. The quality of life is also a selling point for many since the hours are generally more moderate than 'bottom line'-driven businesses.

Education requirements are high, but so are the returns in this promising field, ranked among U.S. News & World Report's 'Best Careers 2007.' Many universities offer graduate degrees in education administration to give aspiring administrators a leg up in the job market.

7. Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapy has received a great deal of publicity since the Bureau of Labor Statistics included occupational therapist on its list of 'fastest growing occupations.' With 34 percent growth predicted in this healthcare field, occupational therapy is a good career bet.

But is it right for you? It takes a compassionate and practical individual to excel in occupational therapy. Occupational therapists help people with physical or mental challenges achieve independence in their daily lives. Thirty percent of occupational therapists help autistic children adapt socially. Many others develop strategies and tools for older adults to ensure mobility and mental acuity.

An associate's degree is all it takes to launch a career as an occupational therapy assistant or aide. Aspiring occupational therapists prepare for greater responsibility by continuing on to a master's degree.

Lucky Number Seven

Each of these seven career profiles are equally crucial to today's economy. Where do you fit in? Whether you're an artist, a techie, a people person, or a business whiz, there's a place for your unique abilities in the new job market. For 2007, make it your resolution to forge your own path in an up-to-the-minute, in-demand career.

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