From the serious to the surreal, there are any many jobs you probably never considered. Whether you’re looking to move forward in your career or change careers completely, it’s important to know which opportunities are out there. To help, we’ve compiled five hot careers you’ve never heard of that will give you plenty of ideas to consider. Each one is in a growing industry – so check them out and see which jobs might be best suited to your unique skillset.
- Hot Career You’ve Never Heard Of: Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
If you’ve ever had a baby – or know someone who has – you’re probably familiar with the term sonogram. What you may not know is that doctors use sonograms for much more than telling prospective parents the sex of their babies. Today, diagnostic medical sonographers use ultrasound equipment to create images of internal organs, tissues, ligaments, and more, allowing doctors to figure out what’s wrong with a patient without the need for exploratory surgery.
US News & World Report ranked Digital Medical Sonographer as the third best job in healthcare support in 2018. Even better, qualified digital medical sonographers face a miniscule 1.1% unemployment rate and can make an average of $70,000 a year.
2. Hot Career You’ve Never Heard Of: Wind Turbine Technician
There are nearly 58,000 wind turbines across the US, which might be one of the reasons the Bureau of Labor Statistics named Wind Turbine Technician the fastest growing profession between 2014 and 2024 with a projected 108% increase.
Climbing high up into wind turbines, technicians – sometimes called wind techs – basically act as troubleshooters for the electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic components of the turbine. Their responsibilities could be as simple as replacing a light bulb or as complicated as repairing the turbine circuit board. Wind Turbine Technicians also perform tower inspections, complete regular maintenance, and sometimes compile data that’s used for research – all for an average salary of $52,000 a year, along with an unbeatable view.
3. Hot Career You’ve Never Heard Of: Patent Examiner
While most people will never make the same kinds of scientific contributions Albert Einstein did, nearly anyone can follow in his footsteps to become a patent examiner. This US government job requires strong analytical skills, fluency in other languages, and some kind of scientific expertise.
Patent examiners review applications, make sure inventions are clearly described, and assess the safety, originality, and functionality of the creation in question. While inventions might include those products you see on late night infomercials, these days, patent examiners are also likely to see cutting-edge technological advancements that haven’t yet been released to the public. If that’s not incentive enough, patent examiners can make up to $82,000 a year – and earn federal benefits, too.
4. Hot Career You’ve Never Heard Of: Statistician
If you know you want to do something in business, but you’re not sure what, consider becoming a statistician. Using data and statistics to help make decisions, statisticians have the ability to work in a wide range of industries from computers to healthcare, and they have the potential to make contributions to human rights and counterterrorism in the future. Unlike data scientists, who emphasize software programming and machine learning, statisticians decide which data they’ll collect and how, and then analyze that data to form conclusions and make informed decisions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 33% growth in the field from 2016 to 2026. With an average salary of $80,000, it’s a great way to put that business degree to use in any field that catches your interest.
5. Hot Career You’ve Never Heard Of: Cartographer
Now that the world has been reliably mapped, you might imagine that there’s not much need for cartographers – or map makers – but the opposite is actually true. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 19% growth in the industry in the next eight years.
While mapmakers used to draw the world by hand, today’s cartographers use digital technology to design new maps and update existing ones based on geographic information they collect and interpret. Their responsibilities often require working knowledge of GIS – or Geographical Information Systems – coding abilities, programming, and spatial analysis. On average, cartographers earn about $64,000 – and occasionally, they get to travel to the exotic (or less-than-exotic) locations that are being mapped.
These five hot careers you’ve never heard of can lead you on the path to a life you’ve never dreamed of.