Where the Hiring Is the Hottest
Here are some sweet spots in the job market
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Most truckers earn an hourly rate, a rate per mile, or a percentage of their loads' revenue. Annual salaries can fluctuate greatly depending on the amount of time worked and the types of loads carried. Median salaries range from $13.76 per hour for light service trucking to $21.93 per hour for more specialized and long-distance haulers.
EDUCATION
Special-Education Teacher
CAREER OUTLOOK: Special-ed teachers have some of the toughest jobs in school, but they can also be the most rewarding. More and more children are being tested for special needs at earlier ages, sparking a growing demand for teachers trained to educate them. The Labor Department forecasts that special-education positions will be the fastest-growing jobs in education, increasing by between 18 and 26 percent through 2014.
PREREQUISITES: Every state has its own requirements for licensing special-education teachers. Normally, this means a bachelor's degree with a certain number of education credits and supervised classroom teaching experience. Most teachers must also pass a professional certification test.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Average salaries for special-ed teachers vary by region, state, and school district but usually fall in the $35,000-to-$55,000 range. Most teachers belong to unions and can also earn money by coaching athletic programs or running extracurricular activities. Long summer vacations also allow for part-time jobs.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Hazardous Materials Removal Specialist
CAREER OUTLOOK: The job outlook for workers who remove hazardous materials is excellent. The desire for a cleaner environment is high, and projects like lead and asbestos abatement abound. The inherent danger of the job creates a high turnover rate, and local municipalities increasingly outsource such jobs to private companies. So, plenty of positions are expected to be available. The federal government foresees an increase of 27 percent or more in employment of hazardous materials removal workers through 2014.
PREREQUISITES: There are no formal education requirements beyond a high school diploma for landing a job as a hazardous waste removal worker, though certification ordinarily calls for a 32-to-40-hour course. Physical strength and manual dexterity are important assets. Employers generally provide on-the-job training. Larger projects, such as decommissioning and decontamination of nuclear sites, demand a more extensive certification regime, usually around three months' worth of classes.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Hazardous materials removal workers earned an average of $16 per hour in May 2004, the most recent statistics available. Workers with more advanced training can earn upwards of $27.25 per hour.
Information Technology
Computer Software Engineer
CAREER OUTLOOK: Employment in software publishing has more than doubled in the past 15 years. Granted, it's not the scorching-hot job market created by the dot-com boom, but as the price of computer hardware falls and more-menial tasks are outsourced, the need for creative software designers is expected to grow. The ever evolving nature of the Internet and the host of applications that customers want to run on their personal computers mean that demand for software engineers will continue to grow, according to the Labor Department.
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