High Salary Careers For 4-Year College Graduates
The promise of a middle-class income with a four-year college degree has been fulfilled in a select number of industries. College graduates looking for high salary careers should focus on information technology, medical, marketing, and business administration jobs as they choose their careers.
Information Technology Jobs
The business world is still catching up with the latest developments in information technology (IT). The rapid obsolescence of security programs, office software, and hardware means that every business needs a fully staffed IT department. Graduates with four-year degrees in computer science can find work as database administrators and network analysts at major corporations.
A database administrator is tasked with turning raw numbers and client information into a searchable and easily accessible digital database. Successful companies may be dealing with hundreds of clients past and present along with addresses, preferences, and appointments for hundreds of future clients. The Occupational Outlook Handbook places the median salary for a database administrator at $60,650 with a Bachelors of Science in computer science.
Network analysts are focused on maintaining business communication networks including wireless laptops, voicemail synching with email, and 100% function for office data lines. While the stress of maintaining the hardware for increasingly complex office networks is intense, the average network analyst makes $60,600 per year. This high salary career may have higher potential in the future than database administrators, as employers realize the increased education and certification required to stay updated on network requirements.
Marketing And Advertising
The rise of the Internet as a commoditized space in the last decade has led to a commensurate change in marketing and advertising. Marketing departments, advertising firms, and freelance consultants have flocked to social networking websites as the next horizon for creative customer outreach. The position of the typical marketing manager is one of the highest salary careers available for four-year graduates.
The typical marketing manager earns $100,020 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After completing a BA in marketing or business administration, an aspiring manager can rise from intern to account executive to marketing manager. Marketing managers benefit from the increased competition among small, mid-sized, and large businesses in the relatively level playing field of the Internet. A successful marketing manager will earn his annual salary by finding ways to use the Internet to draw in viewers and close sales quickly.
Medical Careers
College students and recent graduates with Bachelors of Science degrees can find work in the medical industry with a little bit of preparation. Physician assistants earn $69,140 per year on average for performing exams, patient tests, and histories in lieu of practicing physicians. Every state has different licensing requirements for physician assistants, but additional schooling is not needed for these positions. Young four-year graduates should be attracted to physician assistant positions because they will be needed in the future as physicians struggle to keep up with patient demand.
As the baby boom generation enters retirement, the need for physical therapy will increase dramatically. New entrants into the medical field can become physical therapists with BS degrees, as well as state licensing on approved therapeutic methods. A physical therapist can help older patients deal with arthritis and other health problems through stretching, exercise, and simple treatments. The average salary of a physical therapist is $60,180, making it a rewarding field in many ways for young professionals.
The pharmaceutical industry relies on young graduates with an interest in research to assist with clinical trials. Whether it is developing a new painkiller or testing out heart medicines, clinical research assistants ensure that scientific methods are followed to prevent unsafe products from reaching the market. A clinical research assistant with a BS in biology or physiology can earn up to $61,300 after a few years of experience.
Sales And Business Management
The heart of any business is the human resources department, which handles employee recruitment and retention every day. The importance of human resources is reflected in the $40,200 starting salary for human resources managers in the United States. Aspiring HR managers can choose four-year degrees in human resources management or business administration to prepare for the paper work, employee evaluations, and training sessions ahead.
Every big-box store, clothing retailer, and boutique relies on buyers to keep its shelves fully stocked. The average retail buyer earns $47,900 per year because of the stresses of dealing with vendors and individual stores. Retail buyers possess difficult-to-train skills like patience, great communications, and an eye for business trends that warrant such high salaries. The typical educational path for a buyer involves a BA in business with a focus on statistics and retail management to gain insight into the challenges of vendor/retailer relations.
The proliferation of call centers in the United States and beyond comes from the need for exemplary and immediate customer service. As long as computer manufacturers and other retailers offer online sales, call centers will be searching for qualified managers to keep sales representatives on their targets. Call center managers make an average of $53,800 per year to train employees in high-turnover positions, achieve customer response targets, and troubleshoot customer problems. An aspiring call center manager can rise quickly from entry level to management because of the frequent turnover in this industry.
Restaurant general managers offer another opportunity at high salary careers for four-year college graduates. While restaurants set minimum education requirements at high school and tech school degrees, a four-year degree in business administration can help a graduate land a spot in a restaurant management program. In addition to the benefits and perks of restaurant work, a general manager earns an average of $49,800 to help chain restaurants maintain their cleanliness and employment standards day after day.
Resources For High Salary Careers
The primary tool for every professional looking at high salary careers is the Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/OCO). This annual guide to salaries and career projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the exhaustive resource for novice and experienced professionals. The various tables and chapters in the Occupational Outlook Handbook reveal high salary careers available in the United States.
Job searchers looking to combine career and salary inquiries can find wage information on job sites like Monster® (http://www.monster.com) and CareerBuilder® (http://www.careerbuilder.com). An applicant with a minimum annual salary and a career path can find jobs based on this information using the typical job site’s search tool. Legitimate listings on job websites will feature annual salaries, hourly wages, and other compensation information to help applicants find their ideal jobs.
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