Fastest Growing Jobs for College Graduates

Student pointing his finger to the monitor with his professor beside him.

Flickr user U.S. Army RDECOM

One thing many college students worry about is finding a job after graduation. While some fields are more competitive than others, there are several career paths and industries that are growing, making new positions available to recent graduates. These are just 4 of the fastest-growing jobs for those with Bachelor’s degrees:

Software Developers

One fast-growing position is definitely Software Developers. Also known as Software Architects or Software Development Engineers, this job requires you to create or modify computer applications. To apply for this job, you generally need a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or something similar.

With over 800,000 positions in 2016, the job was projected to grow by 31% by 2026. This would allow for over one million positions. The median salary for software developers tends to be around $100,000.

Information Security Analyst

A related but very different job that is expected to grow quite a bit is Information Security Analyst. These employees are in charge of security measures regarding computers, networks, and information for businesses, organizations, and industries. You should have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Forensics, Computer Science, or a related subject along with a few years of experience.

With a median salary of $92,000, there were 100,000 Information Security Analysts in 2016. By 2026, this number is expected to grow by 29% to 128,500 positions.

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Operations Research Analyst

An Operations Research Analyst is in charge of collecting data, analyzing the information, and making decisions based on their evaluation. This is achieved through advanced mathematical modeling, but it affects everything from product prices to scheduled production.

This field is expected to grow about 27% between 2016 and 2026, with over 145,000 positions by 2026. It does not require work experience, but the undergraduate programs needed for this position can be hard to find as not many schools offer them. It generally asks for a Bachelor’s degree in Operations Research or Management Science. The median salary is $79,200.

Actuaries

Actuaries also analyze statistical data but tend to stay on the insurance side of things. They look at data concerning retirement, accidents, disability, and other areas, and forecast risk based on their analysis. They can also be known as Consulting Actuaries or Health Actuaries. Statistics, Mathematics, and Actuarial Science are some of the degrees they look for.

However, it’s important to note, while this field is experiencing a lot of growth and is one of the fastest-growing jobs, it does have fewer positions available than the previous fields listed. In 2016, there were 23,600 positions. It’s projected to have 28,900 by 2026, which is a 23% growth rate. The median salary is just over $100,000.

These are only four positions in the United States that are growing faster than other industries. If you’re concerned about finding a position after college, a great place to start is by doing research into projected openings and market health. If you’d like to see more of the jobs that are projected to grow and see the education they require, check the fastest-growing careers now.

If you’re interested in one of these careers, use College Raptor’s free match tool to find the colleges/universities that have well-known programs for relevant majors!