You’ve finished your final exams, walked across the stage, and are holding that shiny diploma for which you’ve worked so hard. Now what? I mean, after the Instagram and Snap stories.
Taking those first steps into the job market can be scary — but it can also be exciting. If you’re one of the few who know what you want to do when you started college and have earned a degree in that field, congratulations! If not, don’t worry. As few as 27 percent of college graduates work in their field of study after graduation, so if you’re still deciding on a direction or wondering “What’s next?,” you’re not alone.
And, while we hear a lot about STEM and the world’s growing need for graduates knowledgeable in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, one of the most promising career fields is focused on helping people. Almost everyone needs help planning for retirement savings, debt repayments and tax planning and specialized financial knowledge isn’t a pre-requisite.
Whatever your situation, don’t limit yourself to just the jobs you already know about. A helpful strategy is to identify fast-growing jobs in expanding fields with good pay and long-term growth prospects that can offer financial stability and promise for years to come. Here are a few promising careers you may not have heard about that are worth investigating:
1. Solar Photovoltaic Installer
So maybe it’s not easy to say, but as rooftop solar arrays have become increasingly affordable and effective, their popularity has grown among consumers with a wide range of backgrounds and in a wide number of economic brackets. Solar has been volatile over the past decade, but it looks to have longevity, in addition to its current rapid growth. A college degree isn’t needed for this field, but having one won’t exclude you — as long as you’re not afraid of heights and enjoy working outdoors Perhaps the best part? Most solar energy companies provide robust training for employees.
- Median wage: $39,490 a year
- Job growth: 105% a year
- Entry-level education requirement: high school diploma
2. Genetic Counselor
Ever done a 23andMe test with your family to find your “hometown” vacation destination? Genetic testing to assess risk and match family members has been around in commercial form for less than 20 years, but the technology has advanced to make the tests more reliable and available than ever. The ease of use is spurring widespread adoption, allowing people to find long-lost family members and find out more about what conditions they might be susceptible to long before symptoms appear. For those with a master’s degree in genetics, genetic counseling is a great new career choice. Counselors can help interpret genetic information, specifically as it relates to inherited diseases and conditions, and be advocates for people at risk. If you’re interested in this career path, consider applying to graduate schools after obtaining your bachelor’s.
- Median wage: $77,480 a year
- Job growth: 29% a year
- Entry-level education requirement: master’s degree in genetics
3. Information Security Analyst
Looking for a way to make that video gaming pay off? With technology touching every part of life, personal information is more at risk than ever. And with headlines featuring constant reports of data breaches, that’s a concern that has long passed the line between theory and reality. In order to stop the bad actors from finding and exploiting weaknesses in cybersecurity, good people are needed to find—and fix—them first. That’s where information security analysts come in. While many information security analysts have bachelor’s degrees in computer science or engineering, others have degrees in more broad topics, such as business administration, information science or other topics.
- Median wage: $95,150 a year
- Job growth: 28% a year
- Entry-level education requirement: bachelor’s degree
4. Financial Advisor
No, it’s not Wolf of Wall Street. Almost a quarter of Americans have no retirement savings, and most of those who have saved are underfunded, experts warn, making financial planning more important than ever. Financial advisors often enjoy flexible hours, and can work in a large firm or for themselves, and are compensated well. They can help both clients and their family and friends find financial stability at their current stage of life and set them up to succeed financially for years to come. No day is the same, which keeps the job interesting – people’s personal situations, market fluctuations, changes in tariffs and tax policy, and geopolitical climate all affect financial planning. The field is growing fast, and there is immediate demand for advisors of all backgrounds to work with a diverse client base.
- Median wage: $90,640 a year
- Job growth: 15% a year
- Entry-level education requirement: bachelor’s degree
There are many other jobs that aren’t obvious during the career-choosing process, but that are rewarding.
When you’re ready to start applying and interviewing, take a minute to update your LinkedIn profile and make sure your other social media accounts shine a positive light on you. If you’re still using your school email address, create a professional email address. Make sure your voicemail is set up and update your resume with relevant experience, including skills you may have gained in college or in other jobs or internships that carry over across industry lines.
If you’re still not sure what a job or industry is like — or if it’s right for you — try asking someone working in it. Network to find people who are in or connected to the fields you’re curious about, or contact them over social media. Don’t feel shy about asking someone to answer questions over email, phone, Skype or even a quick meeting for coffee. Very few people will say “no” to taking 15 minutes or a half hour to help someone interested in learning more about what they do. Even if you decide that the field isn’t what you’re looking for, you can make a new contact that will help you find your way to a role that works for you.
This article was written by Kate Healy and originally appeared on Fairygodboss.
Interested in refinancing student loans?
Here are the top 5 lenders of 2020!| Lender | Variable APR | Eligible Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresLaurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Mortgage lending is not offered in Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association. ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE (“APR”) FEE INFORMATION There are no origination fees or prepayment penalties associated with the loan. Lender may assess a late fee if any part of a payment is not received within 15 days of the payment due date. Any late fee assessed shall not exceed 5% of the late payment or $28, whichever is less. A borrower may be charged $20 for any payment (including a check or an electronic payment) that is returned unpaid due to non-sufficient funds (NSF) or a closed account. LOAN AMOUNT For bachelor’s degrees and higher, up to 100% of outstanding private and federal student loans (minimum $5,000) are eligible for refinancing. If you are refinancing greater than $300,000 in student loan debt, Lender may refinance the loans into 2 or more new loans. ELIGIBILITY & ELIGIBLE LOANS Borrower, and Co-signer if applicable, must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident with a valid I-551 card (which must show a minimum of 10 years between “Resident Since” date and “Card Expires” date or has no expiration date); state that they are of at least borrowing age in the state of residence at the time of application; and meet Lender underwriting criteria (including, for example, employment, debt-to-income, disposable income, and credit history requirements). Graduates may refinance any unsubsidized or subsidized Federal or private student loan that was used exclusively for qualified higher education expenses (as defined in 26 USC Section 221) at an accredited U.S. undergraduate or graduate school. Any federal loans refinanced with Lender are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment. All loans must be in grace or repayment status and cannot be in default. Borrower must have graduated or be enrolled in good standing in the final term preceding graduation from an accredited Title IV U.S. school and must be employed, or have an eligible offer of employment. Parents looking to refinance loans taken out on behalf of a child should refer to https://www.laurelroad.com/refinance-student-loans/refinance-parent-plus-loans/ for applicable terms and conditions. For Associates Degrees: Only associates degrees earned in one of the following are eligible for refinancing: Cardiovascular Technologist (CVT); Dental Hygiene; Diagnostic Medical Sonography; EMT/Paramedics; Nuclear Technician; Nursing; Occupational Therapy Assistant; Pharmacy Technician; Physical Therapy Assistant; Radiation Therapy; Radiologic/MRI Technologist; Respiratory Therapy; or Surgical Technologist. To refinance an Associates degree, a borrower must also either be currently enrolled and in the final term of an associate degree program at a Title IV eligible school with an offer of employment in the same field in which they will receive an eligible associate degree OR have graduated from a school that is Title IV eligible with an eligible associate and have been employed, for a minimum of 12 months, in the same field of study of the associate degree earned. INTEREST RATES The interest rate you are offered will depend on your credit profile, income, and total debt payments as well as your choice of fixed or variable and choice of term. For applicants who are currently medical or dental residents, your rate offer may also vary depending on whether you have secured employment for after residency. DISBURSEMENT OPTIONS The repayment of any refinanced student loan will commence (1) immediately after disbursement by us, or (2) after any grace or in-school deferment period, existing prior to refinancing and/or consolidation with us, has expired. POSTPONING OR REDUCING PAYMENTS After loan disbursement, if a borrower documents a qualifying economic hardship, we may agree in our discretion to allow for full or partial forbearance of payments for one or more 3-month time periods (not to exceed 12 months in the aggregate during the term of your loan), provided that we receive acceptable documentation (including updating documentation) of the nature and expected duration of the borrower’s economic hardship. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow a borrower to make $100/month payments for a period of time immediately after loan disbursement if the borrower is employed full-time as an intern, resident, or similar postgraduate trainee at the time of loan disbursement. These payments may not be enough to cover all of the interest that accrues on the loan. Unpaid accrued interest will be added to your loan and monthly payments of principal and interest will begin when the post-graduate training program ends. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow postponement (deferral) of monthly payments of principal and interest for a period of time immediately following loan disbursement (not to exceed 6 months after the borrower’s graduation with an eligible degree), if the borrower is an eligible student in the borrower’s final term at the time of loan disbursement or graduated less than 6 months before loan disbursement, and has accepted an offer of (or has already begun) full-time employment. If Lender agrees (in its sole discretion) to postpone or reduce any monthly payment(s) for a period of time, interest on the loan will continue to accrue for each day principal is owed. Although the borrower might not be required to make payments during such a period, the borrower may continue to make payments during such a period. Making payments, or paying some of the interest, will reduce the total amount that will be required to be paid over the life of the loan. Interest not paid during any period when Lender has agreed to postpone or reduce any monthly payment will be added to the principal balance through capitalization (compounding) at the end of such a period, one month before the borrower is required to resume making regular monthly payments. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of March 4, 2020 and is subject to change. 2 Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial DisclosuresSplash Financial loans are available through arrangements with lending partners. Your loan application will be submitted to the lending partner and be evaluated at their sole discretion. For loans where a credit union is the lender, or a purchaser of the loan, in order to refinance your loans, you will need to become a credit union member. The Splash Student Loan Refinance Program is not offered or endorsed by any college or university. Neither Splash Financial nor the lending partner are affiliated with or endorse any college or university listed on this website. You should review the benefits of your federal student loan; it may offer specific benefits that a private refinance/consolidation loan may not offer. If you work in the public sector, are in the military or taking advantage of a federal department of relief program, such as income based repayment or public service forgiveness, you may not want to refinance, as these benefits do not transfer to private refinance/consolidation loans. Splash Financial and our lending partners reserve the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen and meet our lending partner’s underwriting requirements. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. This information is current as of May 1, 2020. Fixed APR: Annual Percentage Rate [APR] is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Fixed Rate options range from 2.88% (without autopay) to 7.27% (without autopay) and will vary based on application terms, level of degree and presence of a co-signer. Rates are subject to change without notice. Fixed rate options without an autopay discount consist of a range from 2.88% per year to 6.21% per year for a 5-year term, 3.40% per year to 6.25% per year for a 7-year term, 3.45% to 5.08% for a 8-year term, 3.89% per year to 6.65% per year for a 10-year term, 4.18% per year to 5.11% per year for a 12-year term, 4.20% per year to 7.05% per year for a 15-year term, or 4.51% per year to 7.27% per year for a 20-year term, with no origination fees. The fixed interest rate will apply until the loan is paid in full (whether before or after default, and whether before or after the scheduled maturity date of the loan). Variable APR: Annual Percentage Rate [APR] is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Variable rate options range from 1.99% (with autopay) to 7.10% (without autopay) and will vary based on application terms, level of degree and presence of a co-signer. Our lowest rate option is shown with a 0.25% autopay discount. Our highest rate option does not include an autopay discount. The variable rates are based on the Variable rate index, is based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) published in The Wall Street Journal on the twenty-fifth day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month. As of April 27, 2020, the one-month LIBOR rate is 0.43763%. The interest rate on a variable rate loan is comprised of an index and margin added together. The margin is a fixed amount (disclosed at the time of your loan application) added each month to the index to determine the next month’s variable rate. Variable rate options without an autopay discount consist of a range from 2.01% per year to 6.30% per year for a 5-year term, 4.00% per year to 6.35% per year for a 7-year term, 2.09% per year to 3.92% per year for a 8-year term, 4.25% per year to 6.40% per year for a 10-year term, 2.67% per year to 4.56% per year for a 12-year term, 3.44% per year to 6.65% per year for a 15-year term, 4.75% per year to 6.93% per year for a 20-year term, or 5.14% per year to 7.10% for a 25-year term, with no origination fees. APR is subject to increase after consummation. Variable interest rates will fluctuate over the term of the borrower’s loan with changes in the LIBOR rate, and will vary based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a co-signer. The maximum variable rate may be between 9.00% and 16.00%, depending on loan term. The floor rate may be between 0.54% and 4.21%, depending on loan term. These rates are subject to additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change.
3 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures
4 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresTo qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or possess a 10-year (non-conditional) Permanent Resident Card, reside in a state Earnest lends in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.earnest.com/eligibility. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Earnest fixed rate loan rates range from 3.21% APR (with Auto Pay) to 8.77% APR (with Auto Pay). Variable rate loan rates range from 3.21% APR (with Auto Pay) to 8.72% APR (with Auto Pay). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 8.95% for loan terms 10 years or less. For loan terms of 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95% (the maximum rates for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 1.82% and 5.50% to the one month LIBOR. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Earnest rate ranges are current as of May 8, 2020, and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. Auto Pay discount: If you make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account, your rate will be reduced by one quarter of one percent (0.25%) for so long as you continue to make automatic, electronic monthly payments. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. The information provided on this page is updated as of 5/08/2020. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 302 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, email us at [email protected], or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. © 2018 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. 5 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond DisclosuresOffered terms are subject to change. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900). If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 0.8100000000000002% effective April 10, 2020. |
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 | 1.99% – 6.65%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 1.99% – 7.10%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.21% – 6.67%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.21% – 8.72%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.22% – 6.05%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
