You have the best chance of getting hired if you are pursuing any one of these 12 careers in 2022. These are the jobs with the highest demand for hiring and the greatest increase in growth. Many of them pay over $100,000 a year, some require no college degree, some of them have online courses, and some of them allow you to work from home.
The world is back to work and so are you! So, you need to make your steps (or should I say interviews) count. Let’s look at the highest-paying careers that are growing the fastest and careers that will be hiring the most in 2022.
1. Home Health and Personal Care Aide
Over 1 millionnew hires
This career shot up to #1 because it has the highest projected hiringvolume out of all careers, hiring 1,129,900 new Home Health and Personal Care Aides in the next 8 years.
If want to do meaningful work helping others, Home Health or Personal Care Aide might be your cup of tea.
For this purposeful job, you will travel to people’s homes, group homes, and other settings toprovide daily care to patients. You will administer medication and check patient pulse rates, temperature, and blood pressure readings.
Starting pay is about $27,280 a year and think about how your work will be helping people, saving lives, and joining the ranks of medical heroes.
These are some online classes to start your journey as a Home Health Aide.
No student loan money is required. But, if you’re working for a certified home health or hospice agency, you might need to complete some training and sharpen your pencil for a standardized test.
If you dream of earning more per year, use this career as a stepping stone while you earn a degree and eventually make over $100,000 a year working as a nurse practitioner - which happens to be next!
2. Nurse Practitioner
Projected 52% increase in hiring
It’s no surprise this “hero career” has jumped up to #2 for 2022. You can expect to bring home about $111,680 per year and be honored as a person saving lives.
Nurse Practitioners,Nurse Anesthetists, andNurse-Midwivesare all commonly referred to as advanced practice registered nurses orAPRNs. They coordinate patient care and may provide primary and even specialty healthcare.
Once you get your Master’s degree get ready for the companies to start pursuing you for hire. But, you will need to complete one more step – a state license and national APRN certification.
Here is a video showing you what it is like to be a Nurse Practioner:
3. Software Developer Quality Assurance Analyst
409,500 New jobs being added
This fast-growing career allows you to work from home on your laptop earning $110,000 per year.
Maybe as a user,you are always finding bugs in apps, now you get paid to fix them. You will need a Bachelors degree, but you will be designing and running software tests to find problems and keep the world efficient.
You will be involved in the entire process of creating a software program. Developers start by asking the customer how they plan to use the software to identify the core functionality the user needs.
You will help determine security requirements. Then, you design the program and work closely with a programmer, who writes the computer code. However, some developers write code themselves.
4. Market Research Analyst
163,600 new jobs being added
If you saw something and thought “that product is going to be popular”, you might consider being a Market Research Analyst.
But, you have to also like data and charts and graphs because you’ll be doing research on market conditions and helping companies determine how a product or service will sell, who wants them, and for what price.
You need a bachelor’s degree but you can get an online marketing degree and in the end, they will pay you $65,810 a year to do this.
If you are considering being a Market Research Analyst, make sure you have a work personality that is:
- Analytical
- Strong communication skills
- Strong in Critical-thinking
- Detail Oriented
You can take a career test to find out if your work personality fits this job.
5. Wind Turbine Technicians
Projected 68% increase in hiring |4,700 new jobs through 2030
It’s not a surprise this career has stayed at the top one for the last 2 years. Renewable energy is the trend as the world is more concerned about global warming. Since last year, the Biden administration has not only voiced strong support for alternative energies but has proposed trillions of dollars in spending for renewable energy sources.
If you like a little adventure, this is the gig for you because you need to enjoy working outdoors and not be afraid of heights or working in small spaces. You will be stuffing yourself inside a turbine housing to build it, fix it, or run routine maintenance.
But, being referred to as a “Wind Tech” and helping to save the planet carries some worthy conversational weight.
According to the American Clean Power, clean energy provides more than 415,000 jobs in the USA and there are over 55,000 wind turbines jobs and growing.
A potential drawback to this job is you may have to move to a state where they will be installing or already have wind turbines. However, you’re going to be earning as much as $59,900 a year in salary.
Skills needed to be awind turbine technician (Wind Tech):
You will need to be a hands-on, tool-loving person.
Similar to installing solar panels, many companies offer on-the-job training or you can find some online courses for technical training on how to become a wind turbine technician.
Thisvideoshows what it's like to work asa Wind Turbine Technician:
6. Solar Photovoltaic Installer
Projected 51% increase in hiring!
If you like to work outside and you like working with your hands and tools, this job could be perfect for you. Your main task is to install solar panels on roofs.
The good news is your starting pay is about $44,890 a year.
But the potential bad news is – you can’t be afraid of heights to have this career.
What kind of education or training does a solar installation expert need?
More good news! It’s one of those high-paying jobs thatdoesn’t require a college degreeand most companies will train you. Companies offer on-the-job training that could take up to a year.
Now if you want to look impressive and want a better chance of landing the gig, some technical schools and community colleges offer online solar energy training coursesthat will help get you started in your solar career.
7. Chef
28,000 New Chefs will be hired.
If you already love to cook for people, it’s time to make that pay. The best part is - No College Degree Required!
Most Chefs learn their skills through work experience. However, you can get training from select community colleges, technical schools, culinary arts schools, or 4-year colleges.
Your job is to choose the dishes to serve, oversee the daily food preparation, and direct the kitchen staff to handle any food-related concerns.
You get to work around food all day and earn (on average)about $53,380 per year! Hold on to your big dreams of hitting it "big-time" because ChefGordon Ramsay reportedly earned about $63 million dollars in 2019.
8. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
39% Increase in hiring
All that binge-watching during covid has created an army of people wanting to get back into shape and now there is a serious demand for Exercise Trainers and Fitness Instructors. If you were one of the smart ones that kept your workout routine going, it's time to make it pay off for you. Why not get paid$59,000 per year to help someone be as healthy as you are!
As a Fitness Trainer, you will mostly meetclients and groups at health clubs, recreations centers, yoga studios, gyms, and even clients' homes. You teach everything you do at the gym now: cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and stretching.
A high school diploma is your only requirement but some organizations prefer an associate's or bachelor's degree.Your knowledge needs to include nutritional advice and it would be a good idea to getcertified inemergency first aid.
TheNational Commission for Certifying Agencies(NCCA) accreditscertifying organizationsin the fitness and wellness industry. Some evenoffer personal trainercertification.
If Yoga is more of your specialty,theYoga Alliancerequires 200 and 500 hours of training, depending on the credential.
9. Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures
46% Increase
If you love negotiating and dreamed of representing someone famous behind the scenes, your time has come. This career is predicted to rocket up in growth over the next 8 years.
Besides negotiations, your day-to-day involves recruiting new talent, marketing, and promotion.You will need to develop a good relationship with your clients and teams to get a better understanding of the needs of both. It’s important not to take the spotlight away from the player, so plan on working behind the scenes.
There is no degree to become an agent for artists or asportsagent or manager but most of the top agents have a master’s degree and many have a law degree. A law degree is valuable because you are negotiating contracts for your clients. You will be earning about $190,500 per year on average to helptake care of the law school bill.
10. Athletes and Sports Competitors
38% increase
Our hunger for the games is growing and so is the need for more professional athletes and sports competitors. There is only one way to get into thisoccupation...you have to be very talented in a sport, but if you ever wanted to try your dream of “going pro” this is the time because there is a predicted 38% increase in demand.
There are currently between 16,000 and 17,000 professional athletes in the USA. The majority of the professional athletes are self-employed, meaning they acquire their own sponsorship or are sponsored by an existing team.
Most athletes start in high school and college and are discovered by a scout from a professional team or by attending a tryout. Notre Dame holds the record for producing more professional football players than any other college with a whopping 495 athletes that went on to play in the NFL.
Most of us think this occupation pays millions of dollars a year but in reality, the majority of athletes that go pro make on average about $50,850 per year, which isn't bad for getting to play your favorite sport for a living.
The training is long and challenging and the injuries in this profession are much higher than normal. Most do it for the love of the game and a shot at a multi-million dollar contract.
Learn more about the life of a professional athlete by watching this video:
11. Makeup Artist
37% increase
This is another “behind the scenes” career that is growing fast. If you enjoy helping people look good on camera or in character you could be earning up to 6 figures. Make-up artists in the motion picture industry earn as much as $111,950 per year and no formal college degree is required!
Pack your travel bag because if you’re freelance you will likely be traveling to the production locations.
You will be working closely with talent, literally in their face close, as you spend hours designing and applying their makeup. You are an artist that will sometimes get to enjoy the feel of a part-time therapist when the talent takes a moment in your makeup chair to talk about their day.
You will consult with the director, writing staff, and performers to create the perfect effect.
There are makeup artists schools in every state.
Some states, like California, require you to have an aesthetics license. California requires you to be at least 16 years old and have completed the 10th grade and you will need to pass the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology’s (NIC) practical and written esthetics examinations for licensure.
Watch this video to learn more about the life of a Makeup Artist.
12. Occupational Therapy Assistant
Projected 36% increase in hiring
This is another medical career that has taken a jump in demand. Enjoy working on your feet and helping people improve the quality of their lives?
As an occupational therapist, you will help patients develop the skills they need to do a range of daily activities from getting dressed to working, learning, and playing.
One of the neat things about this inspiring career is how dynamic it is. Love kids? Perfect! You could work with premature babies at a pediatric hospital or in schools with children who have developmental, learning, or behavioral disorders. You could also work in nursing homes helping patients recover from strokes or manage Alzheimer’s Disease. Many occupational therapists even help accident victims regain the skills they need to live their best lives.
The average occupational therapist salary is $62,500, but you’ll need a master’s degree in the field to do this work. Complete one of these accredited master’s degree programs and you’ll have a pretty solid career in growing demand.
How do you know which of these is the best career for you?
Don’t just choose one of these careers because it pays well or your parents think it’s a good fit for you. There is a way you can find out if your personality fits one of these careers.Take a career test for your work personality, learn about your personality strengths in a working environment, and see the list of careers that fit you best. This will help guide you to the best career for you.
This is your life and the career you will be investing in for years to come. Make the right career choice that brings energy and joy to who you are.After all, if you enjoy your work, you will never work a day in your life.
Learn more about CareerFitter.com. Take the career test or learn more about the career test.
