Careers to count on
Looking for a job that is a sure bet? Well, don't assume that security equals drudgery. Professions in which jobs are projected to be plentiful for years to come are surprisingly diverse and satisfying. They include speech-language pathologists who help kids in school and truck drivers who tinker with onboard laptops. Here are eight of the nation's most secure career tracks:
FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT
SHERLOCK HOLMES, MEET ENRON
Not since gangster Al Capone was nabbed for tax evasion have forensic accountants been so squarely in the public eye. The bloodhounds of bookkeeping sniff out fraud and criminal transactions in corporate financial records. And they're now blessed with expanded opportunities. Business losses in a slow economy and the recent spate of corporate collapses--think Enron--have executives scurrying to hire forensic accountants to prevent and investigate money-sucking crimes, and prepare for court cases. Nearly 40 percent of the top 100 accounting firms are expanding their forensics and fraud services, according to Accounting Today, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has grown from just 5,500 members in 1992 to 25,000 in 2002. It's not a job for dullards in green eyeshades, either. Timothy Anglim, president of the Forensic Group LLC, says the "thrill of the hunt" excites accountants, as does "regenerating an enterprise that may have been written off. . . . You can turn an enterprise around single-handedly." Superman CPA, maybe?
PAY AND PERKS: $30,000 to $110,000 and up. Gumshoe gumption can lead to high-level careers at law firms, corporations, and government agencies such as the FBI.
TRAINING: B.S. in accounting, plus two to four years of accounting experience. A Certified Public Accountant license is almost always required. -Samantha Levine
SPEECH PATHOLOGIST
LEARNING THE LILT OF LANGUAGE
Wendy Wingard-Gay, a speech-language pathologist in York, S.C., plays the guitar and sings to her students. Carol Ecke breaks out the crayons in her Great Falls, Mont., classrooms. Both women recognize that working with young children requires imagination. "All the kids like to be entertained," says Ecke. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) diagnose and treat speech disorders, swallowing disorders, and language disorders (picture toddlers who fail to develop language or stroke victims with impaired speech). Roughly half are based in schools, where they often carry heavy workloads: Ecke works in three public schools. Other SLPs toil in hospitals, nursing homes, or private practice.
The demand for speech therapy is anticipated to grow along with rising school enrollments and the burgeoning elderly population. Many schools already face a pressing shortage of bilingual SLPs. Medical advances also ensure that more premature babies and stroke and trauma victims will survive, many of whom are at risk for speech or language problems. And disability laws oblige schools to provide speech-language therapy to kids who need it.
PAY AND PERKS: Median salaries: $42,500 for schools, $45,000 for private practice. Surveys show high job satisfaction.
TRAINING: Some 230 schools offer accredited master's or doctoral programs. A master's degree and clinical fellowship are required for certification. -Holly J. Morris
TRAFFIC ENGINEER
UNDAM THAT TRAFFIC JAM
For millions of Americans, girding for gridlock is a teeth-grinding daily ritual. And with more cars on the road every day, engineers and other professionals trained to reduce traffic congestion are finding plenty of job opportunities. One enticement: Transportation engineers can quickly produce results, on city streets and interstate freeways. "I wanted to find a way I could physically make the world better," says 24-year-old rookie traffic engineer Britt Thesen. Her work in San Francisco--planning bus lanes, putting speed humps on residential streets, and timing traffic signals--sounds disarmingly simple, but to harried commuters and concerned civic leaders it can provide overdue relief. As the population density of cities and suburbs increases, traffic gridlock is likely to generate new jobs for sociology and political science graduates, too. They will work with engineers on behalf of neighborhood groups seeking solutions to sprawl and congestion.
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