Four degrees hold the most potential in the next decade

#1 – Health Care Degrees

Top Degree Picks:
Medical Assistant
Nursing
Medical Technician

“We’re moving not only toward a white-collar economy, but toward a white-coat economy,” Derek Thompson wrote in “America 2020: Healthcare Nation”, an article in The Atlantic magazine.

With hospitals looking to control costs, most of the white coats will be worn by people who assist doctors and not the doctors themselves. This means many new jobs for nurses, medical assistants, and medical technicians. [Find Nursing and Medical Assisting training programs]

As Thompson points out, the White House and U.S. Department of Labor expect health care jobs to grow almost twice as fast as any other industry, with health care boasting three of the top five fastest growing jobs in the country.

#2 – Business Degrees

Top Degree Picks:
Accounting/Finance
Business Administration
MBA

Looking forward, the business sector’s biggest gains will be in management, scientific, and technical consulting services…and that may be a big understatement! The Department of Labor forecasts a “staggering” 83 percent rise in employment opportunities in this area.

#3 – Education Degrees

According to the Department of Labor, educational services is the second largest industry in the U.S. In fact, in 2008 there were about 13.5 million jobs in this industry. Population growth will fuel demand for jobs in this field through 2018.

Top Degree Picks:
Curriculum & Instruction
Education Leadership
Special Education
Teaching Certification

Education administrator might sound like an unlikely career to get showcased in a 2010 Kiplinger column about careers for the next decade, but the numbers back it up. After all, a rapidly growing population means more students, and that means more jobs for educators.

A 2010 report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce puts education behind only health care as a field facing the biggest shortage of qualified workers with degrees in 2018

#4 – Technology Degrees

Those with technology-related degrees, like network administration, will benefit from their grasp of cutting-edge technologies that will fuel future advances in all sectors of the economy.

From tech hot spots like Silicon Valley and Seattle to regional centers of innovation in Texas, North Carolina, and around the country…companies will be looking for qualified technology professionals to develop new technology products and to service the computers and networks up and running now.

Top Degree Picks:
Information Technology and Systems
Network Administration
Programming and Applications
Technology Support

According to the Georgetown report, computer specialists alone stand to see a gain of 700,000 new jobs over the next eight years.

Meanwhile, employment in computer systems design and related services is expected grow a robust 45 percent through 2018, according to the Department of Labor.