Cashiers, food preparation workers and servers are in-demand occupations.
Several fields have high-demand careers that require two or fewer years of education beyond high school. Health care is one field that has numerous high-demand occupations. Technology is another. Some in-demand positions do not pay very well, but others have very decent salaries. For example, the average salary of a licensed practical nurse in the United States as of May 2010 is $41,360, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Health Care
You can be an LPN in one year and an RN in two.
Licensed practical nurses can get their certifications in one-year programs at community colleges or vocational colleges. Some hospitals also offer LPN programs. Registered nurses can start working after completing a two-year associate's program or earning a diploma. Some other careers in the health care field include physical therapy assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists and technicians in cardiovascular health, radiology, diagnostic sonography and nuclear medicine. Medical assisting is another popular health care field to enter that requires less than two years of education. As health care grows, so do the amounts of paperwork to be done by medical assistants and the clinical tasks medical assistants can do, such as taking medical records and vital signs. Home health and personal care aides are also in high demand.
Administrative Assistants
Administrative assisting is another growing field.
Another occupation with many openings is administrative assisting. A high school diploma is typically sufficient to work as an administrative assistant, but having an associate's degree is helpful. As long as you have the customer service skills, experience and technological know-how, you can usually find a job as an administrative assistant. Starting salaries for administrative assistants are usually about $30,000.
Information Technology
Many IT professionals have only certificates or two-year degrees.
Technology changes fast, so professionals working in the information technology field generally find that it is more sensible to take classes while they work to keep up with changes than to spend four years earning a degree. Many IT professionals have only a certificate or associate's degree. You will need to have good skills in science and math as well as have good communication skills.
Others
Retail salespersons are also in high demand.
Cashiers, retail salespersons, waiters and waitresses and customer service representatives are the top four in-demand careers as of May 2011, according to the Career One Stop website. They do not require any more education than short-term, on-the-job training. Food preparation workers and servers --- including those in fast food --- laborers and material movers, stock clerk and order fillers, truck drivers, janitors and cleaners (except maids and housekeepers), child care workers, bookkeepers, auditing clerks and sales representatives all made the top 25 in-demand occupations list. These positions require on-the-job training of different lengths of time.
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