10 Best Career Opportunities For Graduates

By: Mason Kaho

Break Studios Contributing Writer

The 10 best career opportunities for graduates include some careers that are on the front lines of innovation, as well as established positions. The graduates of today face a world full of challenges that can be met with high-tech jobs, but also a challenging job market. Getting a solid education, networking and taking advantage of internship opportunities can also help new grads.

  1. Biomedical engineering. As technologies get better and better, the meeting of engineering and biology will create great career opportunities for graduates. From creating organs from scratch to developing new treatments that will quickly and cheaply treat harsh diseases, this is a great career.
  2. Outer-space pilot. This sounds as far-off and futuristic as it might have in the 1950’s, but it’s one of the great career opportunities for graduates. Space tourism is going to become more economical and more widespread, requiring the pilots to fly folks into low-earth orbit.
  3. Carbon manager. Carbon emissions are a growing world problem and most scientists agree, are contributing to climate change. One of the best career opportunities for graduates is a job managing these carbon emissions. This could involve carbon sequestration methods or becoming an expert in trading carbon credits.
  4. Alternative energies. As noted above, societies have decided it’s time to find an alternative to burning fossil fuels. There are several ways to try to do this, harvesting power from solar, wind, wave and seismic energy. Making these efficient and economical is a necessary challenge, and those who can do it will earn a good living.
  5. Geriatric services. No, this doesn’t mean changing diapers and emptying bed pans. With an aging society, elder care is more and more important and is one of the best career opportunities for graduates. Beyond just medicine, such positions as retirement home management are going to grow significantly.
  6. Brain researcher. As our imaging technologies become more sophisticated and we can get into the brain without doing damage, the field of researching the brain and understanding it better will grow. We’ll also be looking for ways to expand brain-computer interfacing.
  7. Civil engineer. This is a good, old-fashioned kind of job that is still one of the best career opportunities for graduates. Our existing infrastructure is starting to show its age and not only will existing bridges and roads need to be fixed up, we’ll also be redesigning elements to be “smart,” with computers and sensor embedded. Also, changing weather patterns may require new kinds of structures.
  8. Green architect. Builders are trying to construct more “green” buildings, driven by customer demand and environmental concerns. One of the best career opportunities for graduates, this job will allow you to make buildings that make best use of water, electricity, sunlight and other technologies.
  9. Computer support. This might seem like a hum-drum job, but it’s one of the best career opportunities for graduates. Computers and associated technologies and programs continue to become more sophisticated and as such, people will need help with them. This job will almost guarantee security.
  10. Air traffic controllers. This job comes with a lot of stress and long days, but pays very, very well. Air travel shows no signs of ebbing in the United States, and airports need these attentive and organized experts to help keep planes in order.
Posted on: Dec. 08, 2010