20 Hot Job Tracks When Baby Boomers Retire
EDUCATION: Special-education Teacher If teaching in a regular classroom is not for the faint of heart, working in special education seems to require near superhuman mettle. The stress of teaching students with physical, emotional and mental disabilities partly explains the shortage of qualified instructors. The last time a census was taken, during the 1992-93 school year, 28,000 positions were either vacant or filled by teachers without the appropriate certification. Meanwhile, the number of kids in need is heading higher. Twenty years ago, 3.7 million students attended special-ed classes; by 1994, more than 5.3 million students did.
HOT TRACK SALARIES (AVERAGE) ENTRY LEVEL: $25,200 MIDLEVEL: $38,700 TOP: $51,100
TRAINING. Special-ed teachers must obtain state licensing and a bachelor's degree in education. Licensure varies by state; some require a master's degree in special education.
RUNNER-UP HOT TRACK. Bilingual teacher. As the number of non-English-speaking students rises precipitously, so does the need for teachers fluent in languages.
WHAT EDUCATION JOBS PAY ELEMENTARY TEACHER: $36,400 SECONDARY TEACHER: $37,800 HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR: $42,500 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: $48,310 PROFESSOR: $65,440 ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL: $60,900 HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: $69,300 SUPERINTENDENT: $94,200
Note: Average salaries for 1995-96. Sources: American Association for Employment in Education, American Association of University Professors, American Federation of Teachers, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Educational Research Service, Nat'l. Association of Elementary School Principals, Nat'l. Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, Nat'l. Education Association
ENGINEERING: Chemical Engineer Pharmaceutical companies will spend $12.9 billion in 1996 seeking the next wonder drug--almost twice what they spent in 1990. Overall, private research-and-development budgets hit $99.3 billion last year, up 21.7 percent in five years. Much of that investment pays chemical engineers, who put the right shade of rose in lipstick, the mouthwatering taste in fat-free cheesecake, the air--synthetic rubber--in Air Jordans. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that demand in R&D will grow by 5 percent a year until 2005. At Pfizer Inc., chemical engineers make up 20 percent of the manufacturing work force in this country.
HOT TRACK SALARIES (MEDIAN) ENTRY LEVEL: $41,150 MIDLEVEL: $63,600--$73,383 TOP: $86,650
TRAINING. A chemical engineering degree. Engineers with other specialties may be tapped if they have a science background.
RUNNER-UP HOT TRACK. Software engineer. Last year, sales of software in North America hit $7.53 billion--and there's no ceiling in sight. The pros who design and upgrade programs are a white-hot commodity.
WHAT ENGINEERING JOBS PAY ENGINEERING SERVICES (ENTRY): $39,100 CONSTRUCTION (10 YEARS): $48,750 AEROSPACE (10 YEARS' EXPERIENCE): $50,000 PETROLEUM (10 YEARS): $64,050 PROFESSORSHIP (25 YEARS): $64,800 ENVIRONMENTAL (25 YEARS): $74,350 CONSULTING (25 YEARS): $76,850 ELECTRIC/GAS UTILITIES (25 YEARS): $85,350
Note: Median salaries for 1996. Sources: Amer. Inst. of Chemical Engineers, Business Software Alliance, Engineering Workforce Comm. of the Amer. Assn. of Engineering Societies, Nat'l. Science Found., Pfizer, Pharm. Research and Mfrs. of America, Software Publishers Assn.
FINANCE: Business Systems Analyst A recent survey by the American Bankers Association found that 84 percent of banks are gearing up to get customers online (instead of in one). As all sorts of financial institutions move toward serving clients by modem, they first must bring outdated computer systems into the interactive age. The business systems analyst--part strategic planner, part technician, part diplomat--works with managers and computer vendors to arrive at the most suitable hardware and software combo. Keeping up with new products is a big part of the job; programs aimed at bettering productivity alone are coming out at the rate of 88 a month.
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