Careers Guide for Parents
Median salary, 2024–2034 employment outlook, and typical education requirements for over 200 careers. Data is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET. Written for parents helping a teenager plan toward college and beyond.
Architecture and Engineering
- Computer Hardware Engineers$155,020 median · +7.3% growth
- Petroleum Engineers$141,280 median · +1.3% growth
- Aerospace Engineers$134,830 median · +6.1% growth
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$127,590 median · +6.2% growth
- Nuclear Engineers$127,520 median · -1.1% growth
- Chemical Engineers$121,860 median · +2.6% growth
- Engineers, All Other$117,750 median · +2.1% growth
- Electrical Engineers$111,910 median · +7.2% growth
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors$109,660 median · +4.4% growth
- Materials Engineers$108,310 median · +5.7% growth
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers$106,950 median · +5.2% growth
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects$105,670 median · +5.8% growth
- Environmental Engineers$104,170 median · +3.9% growth
- Mechanical Engineers$102,320 median · +9.1% growth
- Industrial engineers$101,140 median · +11.0% growth
- Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians$79,830 median · +8.1% growth
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Business and Financial Operations
- Financial Risk Specialists$106,000 median · +6.5% growth
- Personal Financial Advisors$102,140 median · +9.6% growth
- Financial and Investment Analysts$101,350 median · +5.7% growth
- Management analysts$101,190 median · +8.8% growth
- Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes$96,310 median · +8.7% growth
- Financial examiners$90,400 median · +18.5% growth
- Logisticians$80,880 median · +16.7% growth
- Training and development specialists$65,850 median · +10.8% growth
Community and Social Service
Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Information Research Scientists$140,910 median · +19.7% growth
- Database Architects$135,980 median · +8.7% growth
- Software Developers$133,080 median · +15.8% growth
- Computer Network Architects$130,390 median · +11.9% growth
- Actuaries$125,770 median · +21.8% growth
- Information Security Analysts$124,910 median · +28.5% growth
- Mathematicians$121,680 median · -0.7% growth
- Data Scientists$112,590 median · +33.5% growth
- Computer Occupations, All Other$108,970 median · +8.2% growth
- Database Administrators$104,620 median · -0.7% growth
- Computer Systems Analysts$103,790 median · +8.7% growth
- Statisticians$103,300 median · +8.5% growth
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$102,610 median · +10.0% growth
- Operations research analysts$91,290 median · +21.5% growth
- Web developers$90,930 median · +7.5% growth
Construction and Extraction
- Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$106,580 median · +5.0% growth
- Electricians$62,350 median · +9.5% growth
- Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles$54,340 median · +9.5% growth
- Tile and stone setters$52,240 median · +10.1% growth
- Solar photovoltaic installers$51,860 median · +42.1% growth
- Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners$49,140 median · +7.6% growth
Education, Training, and Library
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary$126,650 median · +2.2% growth
- Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$119,980 median · +2.1% growth
- Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$106,120 median · +8.1% growth
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$105,620 median · +17.3% growth
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$101,480 median · +2.0% growth
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$101,390 median · +2.6% growth
- Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary$79,940 median · +16.8% growth
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Food Preparation and Serving
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Family Medicine Physicians$238,380 median · +2.7% growth
- General Internal Medicine Physicians$236,350 median · +3.3% growth
- Dentists, All Other Specialists$225,770 median · +0.3% growth
- Nurse Anesthetists$223,210 median · +8.6% growth
- Pediatricians, General$210,130 median · +0.8% growth
- Dentists, General$172,790 median · +4.1% growth
- Podiatrists$152,800 median · +1.8% growth
- Medical Dosimetrists$138,110 median · +3.5% growth
- Pharmacists$137,480 median · +4.6% growth
- Optometrists$134,830 median · +8.0% growth
- Physician Assistants$133,260 median · +20.4% growth
- Nurse Practitioners$129,210 median · +40.1% growth
- Nurse Midwives$128,790 median · +11.1% growth
- Veterinarians$125,510 median · +9.6% growth
- Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other$113,730 median · +2.0% growth
- Radiation Therapists$101,990 median · +1.9% growth
- Physical therapists$101,020 median · +10.9% growth
- Genetic counselors$98,910 median · +9.3% growth
- Occupational therapists$98,340 median · +13.8% growth
- Speech-language pathologists$95,410 median · +15.0% growth
- Audiologists$92,120 median · +9.5% growth
- Diagnostic medical sonographers$89,340 median · +13.0% growth
- Respiratory therapists$80,450 median · +12.1% growth
- Chiropractors$79,000 median · +9.5% growth
- Orthotists and prosthetists$78,310 median · +13.3% growth
- Health information technologists and medical registrars$67,310 median · +14.7% growth
- Therapists, all other$65,010 median · +11.5% growth
- Hearing aid specialists$61,560 median · +18.4% growth
- Athletic trainers$60,250 median · +11.1% growth
- Exercise physiologists$58,160 median · +9.5% growth
- Veterinary technologists and technicians$45,980 median · +9.1% growth
- Ophthalmic medical technicians$44,080 median · +19.8% growth
- Psychiatric technicians$42,590 median · +20.0% growth
Healthcare Support
- Occupational therapy assistants$68,340 median · +19.2% growth
- Physical therapist assistants$65,510 median · +22.0% growth
- Massage therapists$57,950 median · +15.4% growth
- Medical equipment preparers$46,490 median · +10.0% growth
- Medical assistants$44,200 median · +12.5% growth
- Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers$37,320 median · +8.7% growth
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Avionics technicians$81,390 median · +8.2% growth
- Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers$64,190 median · +8.6% growth
- Industrial machinery mechanics$63,760 median · +16.1% growth
- Medical equipment repairers$62,630 median · +12.9% growth
- Wind turbine service technicians$62,580 median · +49.9% growth
- Commercial divers$61,130 median · +8.5% growth
- Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers$59,810 median · +8.1% growth
- Security and fire alarm systems installers$59,300 median · +10.4% growth
- Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians$52,080 median · +11.0% growth
- Mechanical door repairers$51,050 median · +11.4% growth
- Recreational vehicle service technicians$50,540 median · +11.5% growth
Legal
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Physicists$166,290 median · +4.0% growth
- Political Scientists$139,380 median · -3.1% growth
- Astronomers$132,170 median · +2.2% growth
- Physical Scientists, All Other$117,960 median · +0.6% growth
- Psychologists, All Other$117,580 median · +4.3% growth
- Economists$115,440 median · +1.2% growth
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$109,840 median · +6.3% growth
- Nuclear Technicians$104,240 median · -7.7% growth
- Materials Scientists$104,160 median · +4.9% growth
- Biochemists and Biophysicists$103,650 median · +5.8% growth
- Sociologists$101,690 median · +3.6% growth
- Medical scientists, except epidemiologists$100,590 median · +8.7% growth
- Clinical and counseling psychologists$95,830 median · +11.2% growth
- Epidemiologists$83,980 median · +16.2% growth
- Occupational health and safety specialists$83,910 median · +12.5% growth
- Forensic science technicians$67,440 median · +12.8% growth
- Occupational health and safety technicians$58,440 median · +8.5% growth
Management
- Chief Executives$206,420 median · +4.3% growth
- Computer and Information Systems Managers$171,200 median · +15.2% growth
- Architectural and Engineering Managers$167,740 median · +3.8% growth
- Financial Managers$161,700 median · +14.8% growth
- Natural Sciences Managers$161,180 median · +3.7% growth
- Marketing Managers$161,030 median · +6.6% growth
- Compensation and Benefits Managers$140,360 median · +0.2% growth
- Human Resources Managers$140,030 median · +5.0% growth
- Purchasing Managers$139,510 median · +3.1% growth
- Public Relations Managers$138,520 median · +5.0% growth
- Sales Managers$138,060 median · +4.7% growth
- Managers, All Other$136,550 median · +4.5% growth
- Training and Development Managers$127,090 median · +5.8% growth
- Advertising and Promotions Managers$126,960 median · -2.2% growth
- Fundraising Managers$123,480 median · +4.2% growth
- Industrial Production Managers$121,440 median · +1.9% growth
- Medical and Health Services Managers$117,960 median · +23.2% growth
- Administrative Services Managers$108,390 median · +4.6% growth
- Construction Managers$106,980 median · +8.7% growth
- Facilities Managers$104,690 median · +3.8% growth
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary$104,070 median · -1.5% growth
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary$103,960 median · +1.7% growth
- General and Operations Managers$102,950 median · +4.4% growth
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$102,010 median · +6.1% growth
- Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling$77,180 median · +7.7% growth
Office and Administrative Support
Personal Care and Service
Production
Protective Service
Sales and Related
Transportation and Material Moving
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$226,600 median · +3.9% growth
- Air Traffic Controllers$144,580 median · +1.2% growth
- Commercial Pilots$122,670 median · +5.1% growth
- Ship Engineers$101,320 median · +1.6% growth
- Flight attendants$67,130 median · +9.2% growth
- Driver/sales workers$37,130 median · +8.8% growth
- Stockers and order fillers$37,090 median · +8.5% growth
- Taxi drivers$36,220 median · +11.1% growth