But I don't wanna be a trucker!

So I was reading online about the new "spurring" growth of jobs in soooo many industries. So I was curious; if I were to be out of a job in the coming year, or graduating college, what would my best bets be? The results are pathetic. The tops 25 "jobs that are in demand" are either below a living wage for almost every city in this country, or completely out of reach without niche training or years of extra schooling. Let's see..... gee, I could be a Food Service Handler, or a College Professor. hmm no difference in ability level there. but the sad thing is no many kids are put in the position of not having any job opportunities because of their 'field of intelligence'. I could sit around and discuss IR theory all day, talk about east asian history and foreign policy all you want, but for the life of me I will NEVER be able to be a computer software engineer or an accountant. I was pretty good at algebra, but beyond that, I never had a head for numbers. So I'm totally screwed on the "job growth" curve. So even though I went to college, I'm stuck with customer service rep and retail salesperson. blah



1. Retail SalespersonWhat it pays: $22,880Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
2. Registered NurseWhat it pays: $55,680Minimum training needed: Associate degree
3. Postsecondary TeacherWhat it pays: $62,032Minimum training needed: Doctoral degree
4. Customer Service RepWhat it pays: $29,350Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
5. Janitor or Cleaner (except maids and housekeeping cleaners)What it pays: $20,800Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
6. Waiter/WaitressWhat it pays: $15,980Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
7. Combination Food Preparation and Serving WorkerWhat it pays: $17,850Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
8. Home Health AideWhat it pays: $19,200Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
9. Nursing Aid, Orderly, AttendantWhat it pays: $21,890Minimum training needed: Postsecondary vocational
10. General and Operations ManagerWhat it pays: $93,580Minimum training needed: Bachelor's degree plus work
11. Personal and Home Care AideWhat it pays: $17,560Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
12. Elementary School TeacherWhat it pays: $46,350Minimum training needed: BA
13. Accountant and AuditorWhat it pays: $57,160Minimum training needed: BA
14. Office ClerkWhat it pays: $24,440Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
15. Hand Laborer and freight, stock and material moverWhat it pays: $22,190Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
16. Receptionist and Information ClerkWhat it pays: $22,900Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
17. Landscaping and Groundskeeping WorkerWhat it pays: $22,260Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training
18. Truck Driver, Heavy and Tractor TrailerWhat it pays: $34,920Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
19. Computer Applications Software EngineerWhat it pays: $78,570Minimum training needed: Bachelor's degree
20. Maintenance and Repair WorkerWhat it pays: $32,290Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
21. Medical AssistantWhat it pays: $25,860Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
22. Executive Secretary and Administrative AssistantWhat it pays: $37,350Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
23. Sales Representative, Wholesale and ManufacturingWhat it pays: $54,500Minimum training needed: Moderate-term on-the-job training
24. CarpenterWhat it pays: $38,250Minimum training needed: Long-term on-the-job training
25. Teacher AssistantWhat it pays: $20,750Minimum training needed: Short-term on-the-job training