Best Social Services Jobs
School Psychologist
School psychologists wear a variety of hats, including counselor, administrator and researcher. Occasionally, they might even dabble in social outreach. And fortunately, this is a growing field for the qualified: Schools aiming to address the learning and emotional needs of students are on the hunt for school psychologists, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 11.3 percent uptick in the occupation by 2022.
Speech-Language Pathologist
These professionals, also known as speech therapists, assess and diagnose people with disorders and challenges related to verbal communication. They work frequently with social workers, doctors and teachers to improve clients’ speech.
Elementary School Teacher
Elementary school teachers do more than educate. They also advocate for, boost the morale of, entertain and befriend our children. We can expect 167,900 more job openings for grade school teachers by the year 2022, with the most job opportunities in southern and western states.
High School Teacher
High school teachers work with the most tempestuous of student – the teenager. But the work is rewarding – educating, advising and preparing a classroom for the first forays into adulthood. The BLS predicts that there will be 52,900 new high-school teaching positions to fill by 2022.
Middle School Teacher
Middle school teachers have a tall task: educating adolescents while contending with their helter-skelter hormones. Increased enrollment in schools should translate to approximately 76,000 new teaching positions, and the BLS predicts the most openings for teachers in the South and West.
Nail Technician
Our No. 6 job is a gig you can feel good doing, because – come on – who isn’t happy when getting a manicure and/or pedicure? The statistics company Statista reports that the U.S. market for nail services saw revenues of nearly $8.3 billion in 2013, and those who work in this profession are poised to reap the rewards of this thriving industry. There should be 13,500 new nail technician positions across the U.S. before 2022.
Lawyer
Working in law holds a particular appeal for us Americans – to date, 25 of our U.S. presidents have been lawyers – and it’s a good thing, because demand in this profession is strong. There will be about 74,800 new openings for professionals with Juris Doctor degrees by the year 2022.
Maintenance and Repair Worker
You might think of them as handymen, jacks-of-all-trades or Mr. – and Ms. – Fix-Its. But those in the field refer to maintenance workers as "doctors for the home." And the BLS predicts we’ll need more than 125,000 new ones by 2022.
Hairdresser
Don’t we all secretly wish we could advise our peers on their personal appearance? Hairdressers get paid to do just that. Those who shampoo, cut, style and color hair also often get to make their own hours and, possibly, be their own boss. The BLS predicts 77,600 new positions in the next decade.
Patrol Officer
Even if they’re writing incident reports or filing records, patrol officers’ No. 1 goal is to keep their communities safe. The BLS projects nearly 6 percent employment growth for this job by 2022.
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The 20 jobs on our list with average salaries of $80,000 or more.
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The medical field is classified by good salaries and great job security.
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Growing jobs from the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math.
Eleven well-paying jobs with high job prospects.
