 |
| Health Care Careers Are Hot |
This is Part 3 of a series on college majors that will make it much easier to pay off those college loans. These jobs pay well right after getting that first degree.
Unemployment rate is for recent grads looking for these jobs.
Respiratory Therapist, Radiation Therapist, Recreational Therapist:
$60,400-62,000 (Radiation Therapists $75,000 within a few years)
Job Growth: 33%; Unemployment: 5.4%
These therapy jobs pay well with just a Bachelor’s Degree. Traditional physical therapy jobs require a PhD and are typically very difficult to even be admitted to an undergrad program to train for a physical therapists job. Yes, physical therapists make more money, but for the time, effort, and money involved, these other therapist jobs are a great deal. With such tremendous expected job growth (33%!), the future looks bright for these professionals.
Most jobs are in hospitals or nursing homes. A recreational therapist will need to be an enthusiastic person who can encourage and assist patients to perform therapeutic exercises with a cheerful attitude. All of these therapy jobs require you to study anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, and pharmacology. Look for opportunities to volunteer or take part-time jobs in hospitals, convalescent centers, and nursing homes to get an idea of what these jobs are like.
Nursing $46,000-60,000
Job Growth: 26%; Unemployment: 4%
Two years is all that is required for an R.N. certificate, but if you get a bachelor’s degree you will be able to get a higher salary, and you’ll have more opportunities to advance to even higher paid health care jobs in a hospital. With a 4-year R.N. you could later go on to become a Nurse Practioner and earn a very good salary taking the place of doctors for direct patient care for everyday kinds of illnesses in a family-oriented practice and more.
Pharmacy and Pharmacology $53,200-102,000
What’s the difference between a pharmacologist and a pharmacist? Years of education! A pharmacist has to have advanced degrees in most states, but a pharmacologist can make decent money with just a bachelor’s degree. A pharmacologist can work at a lab researching drugs and drug interactions. The lab could be owned by a drug company or a government agency.
A pharmacy bachelor’s degree is also a good background for going to medical school if you decide to do that. And you can always go on from a pharmacy bachelor’s degree to pharmacy college to get your pharmacist’s certification. Graduates of pharmacy school make salaries over $100,000 working in a drug store or a hospital.
My dad always wanted me to be a pharmacist. He said it was a job where a woman could get a good salary. He was right about that, but my math grades did not come up to requirements for pharmacy school. You better be good at math for pharmacy! And science of course.
Click here to see the entire slide show at Kiplinger about the 10 best college majors for a lucrative career. After writing this series I think I understand why they put it in a slideshow!
Click here for one of the most popular posts on Square Pennies about 10 jobs with a bright future. It includes Dental Hygenist ($68,000/year after just 1 year of training), Audiologist ($67,000/year), and Occupational Therapist ($72,000/year). So there is a variety of health care jobs that pay well. Worth looking into!
maggie says
Arelis, I think most of us don’t know what’s available for jobs. Often our parents and teachers don’t know either, so we’re left to try to find our way on our own. It’s tough! But it’s never too late, so you might want to think about some of these. Yes, research is key. At least now we have the internet to find info! All you need is the time and desire to find it.
Arelis Cintron says
I always thought I would have gone into medicine but scratched that idea once I realized I am squeamish around blood. I should have looked to see what other jobs there were in the health field that didn’t require too be so hands on. Research perhaps.
maggie says
Glad this is so timely for you! I doesn’t hurt to consider these and the other ones in the first two posts in this series. Wishing your kids every success!
Corina Ramos says
I love these suggestions! I’ve got two teens headed to college with only one year apart so I’m definitely going to encourage my kids to look into these opportunities!
Thanks for sharing these Maggie! Have a great new week!
maggie says
Lisa, I think the math for pharmacy school is pretty tough. Not sure why, but that keeps a lot of people out of it. Sometimes it seems the highest paying jobs go to people with great math skills. I think the schools could do a better job teaching math so more people would have good math skills. And I’m saying that as a former teacher. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Lisa says
Maggie, I’m surprised nursing isn’t more and that pharmacy is so much. I always thought about pharmacy but math wasn’t my favorite subject. And I believe it was an extra year of college too for pharmacy. I know I really appreciate my pharmacists as they usually have more knowledge than the doctors that prescribe the meds and know which can harm others, etc.