Tag Archive for: The 25 Best Jobs Of 2015

mattlemmon via Compfight cc

Median Salary: $146,340
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
Expected Job Openings: 23,300

The best dentists deftly balance patient care with turning a profit — what good is the most nurturing dentist in town if he or she never sees any patients? But before getting to that stage, they endure rigorous technical and practical training in a competitive dental program.

Flickr / COD Newsroom

Median Salary: $92,670
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
Expected Job Openings: 37,100

It’s a nurse practitioner’s array of capabilities, coupled with the fact he or she can work independently of physicians when treating patients, that makes this No. 2 job an attractive career choice.

Courtesy of CareerCast

Median Salary: $92,660
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Expected Job Openings: 139,900

Software developers could work on the applications side, designing software, or on the systems side, building operating systems.

Youtube Screenshot

Median Salary: $186,850
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
Expected Job Openings: 123,300

Physicians are at the top of the health care food chain. Their responsibilities range from diagnosing and treating patients, to instructing on proper diet, hygiene and disease prevention.

Flickr / Herry Lawford

Median Salary: $71,110
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
Expected Job Openings: 64,200

In addition to cleaning teeth, dental hygienists educate patients on proper oral hygiene. Something else of note: Many dental hygienists work part-time, but the average salary for this job eclipses $70,000.

roger_mommaerts/flickr

Median Salary: $81,030
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Expected Job Openings: 73,500

A physical therapist’s job description might include helping someone who is paralyzed regain mobility or a cancer survivor renew his or her strength. The profession should grow 36 percent by 2022, which is much faster than the average of all occupations.

UC Davis College of Engineering/flickr

Median Salary: $81,190
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Expected Job Openings: 127,700

Applicants with a business background will have better chances of finding a position in this field, which involves consulting with organizations on the IT systems they might need and then coordinating the implementation of those systems.

George Frey/Getty Images

Median Salary: $88,590
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Expected Job Openings: 27,400

If you’ve watched the news this year, then you probably have a good idea how important this No. 8 job is for companies and the government. These analysts plan and monitor the security of computer networks, and the occupations should grow 36.5 percent by 2022.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Median Salary: $66,220
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Expected Job Openings: 526,800

Nursing is an indispensable profession in health care; one in which workers are almost always needed. This year is no different, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates 19.4 percent growth in this field by 2022.

Flickr/isafmedia

Median Salary: $92,970
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Expected Job Openings: 33,300

Working under the supervision of doctors, physician assistants interpret X-rays and blood tests, record patients’ progress, conduct routine exams and treat a range of ailments.

Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Median Salary: $63,160
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Expected Job Openings: 28,500

Web developers are responsible for the sleek fonts and clean layout you love on your favorite websites, and the profession is one of the fastest-growing jobs this decade.

Don Richards/Flickr

Median Salary: $66,410
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Expected Job Openings: 27,000

These professionals must have the technical abilities to use medical equipment, as well the social savvy to deliver life-changing news (“It’s a girl!”) to parents and patients.

Ben Sklar/Getty images

Median Salary: $76,940
Unemployment Rate: 0.6%
Expected Job Openings: 32,800

Not all therapy involves evaluating clients reclining on Barcaloungers. Occupational therapists, for instance, help patients with physical, mental and developmental disabilities to assimilate in society.

Flickr/Myfuture.com

Median Salary: $60,800
Unemployment Rate: 3%
Expected Number of Jobs: 131,500

Market research analysts study our habits as consumers and use those observations to counsel companies on how to package, brand and sell products.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Median Salary: $123,220
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Expected Job Openings: 22,900

Marketing managers are behind the advertising campaigns that sway consumers one way or another in “iOS to Android,” “General Motors or Ford” or even “ChapStick or Carmex” decisions.

Justin Sullivan/Getty

Median Salary: $65,080
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Expected Job Openings: 166,700

Whether working with individuals, corporations or nonprofits, accountants must be detail-oriented, organized and skilled with numbers.

BSIP/Contributor/Getty Images

Median Salary: $67,760
Unemployment Rate: 2%
Expected Job Openings: 16,400

This job’s flexibility and potential for upward mobility help it claim the No. 1 spot in our rankings of the Best Social Services Jobs. It’s also the only social services job that landed on this list of the best 25 jobs across all industries.

Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Image

Median Salary: $82,100
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Expected Job Openings: 11,600

This job is a perfect blend of right- and left-brain thinking: These engineers shepherd devices from the theoretical design phase to the technical production phase.

BSIP/Getty Images

Median Salary: $55,270
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Expected Job Openings: 12,900

In this job, you’ll work alongside occupational therapists, assessing patients’ abilities and devising a plan of action to improve their quality of life.

Vancouver Film School/Flickr

Median Salary: $74,630
Unemployment Rate: 3%
Expected Job Openings:19,500

Similar to a market research analyst, this No. 20 job is an advisory position that involves helping businesses and organizations operate more efficiently.

Flickr / Alper Çuğun

Median Salary: $123,950
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Expected Job Openings: 50,900

IT managers are the go-to personnel when your email won’t send or your word processor won’t open. As head of the IT department, they triage the operations of an organization’s technical network.

Flickr/USACEpublicaffairs

Median Salary: $80,770
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Expected Job Openings: 53,700

Part of the payoff to this job is looking around and seeing the fruits of your skills and labor. Civil engineers have a hand in building bridges, retrofitting buildings and damming reservoirs.

Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

Median Salary: $59,460
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Expected Job Openings: 53,000

These professionals coordinate the technical, mechanical and fiscal elements of construction projects. Relative to other U.S. News Best Construction Jobs, cost estimators are typically paid handsomely for their work, pulling in a salary that’s second only to construction managers within the industry.

John Greim/Getty Images

Median Salary: $28,940
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Expected Job Openings: 17,700

While estheticians don’t get paid much compared to other U.S. News Best Health Care Jobs, they do typically enjoy flexible work schedules and the ability to improve people’s appearance.

University of Michigan/Flickr

Median Salary: $75,320
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Expected Job Openings: 60,300

No wonder financial advisors were able to slip into the top 25 jobs: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 27 percent employment bump in the profession between 2012 and 2022, meaning more than 60,000 new jobs to go around. More interested in hiring a financial advisor than being one? Check out the U.S. News Advisor Finder.