Career Profiles

If you are reading this blog post, you likely were referred here by one of our Hats & Ladders Instagram or Twitter posts highlighting “hot” or in-demand careers. We call these posts “Career Profiles.” Our job at Hats & Ladders is to guide individuals on their career journeys, and this Career Profile series was designed to help with this process! Each month, we spotlight a few different careers, providing a brief overview of the qualifications required and opportunities available for those career fields.

In this blog post, we clarify some of the important terms that are included in our Career Profile posts to help you understand each career’s job outlook, annual income, and education requirements.

Note that all statistics are nationwide medians, compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you want more specific details on any job, head over to their site for more information.

Infographic Categories we use are listed below, along with a description:

Job Growth 

Based on the U.S. government’s 2018-2028 10-year projections, job growth represents the predicted growth in the number of people who get hired every year into this particular job. The average growth rate for all occupations in the United States is 5 percent, but actual growth rates vary a great deal depending on location.

Annual Income

Compensation ($) based on salary or hourly pay. 

Salary: Set pay for an entire year, typically paid in equal chunks once or twice each month, regardless of the number of hours worked.

Hourly: Paid per hour, with the amount of pay changing depending on the number of hours worked. To figure out the annual income for hourly workers, the government assumes that they work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.

Education

This is a general overview, not all of the requirements are listed. For more career specific education, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Keep in mind that certain higher education paths require you to complete exams (e.g., Barre, LSAT, GMAT). 

High School Diploma: Earned by completing the coursework (typically math, English, history, and science) in high school or passing an equivalent test to get a General Equivalency Diploma, aka GED.

Certificate Program (typically 1-2 years): Earned by completing Typically these programs result in a certificate that relates to work in a specific career field. Many states require additional training and testing in order to obtain the license required to obtain certain jobs in the field. Examples of possible careers after these programs include nursing assistant, emergency medical technician (EMT), and hairstylist (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Associate’s Degree (at least 2 years after High School Diploma): Earned by completing an accredited degree program that usually takes 2 years. Examples of careers requiring this degree are respiratory therapist and dental hygienist. (Bureau of Labor Statistics). 

Bachelor’s Degree (at least 4 years after High School Diploma): Earned by completing 4-years of full-time academic study at an accredited college or university. Examples of careers requiring this degree are budget analyst, nutritionist, and civil engineer.

Master’s Degree (1 or 2 years beyond bachelor’s degree): Earned by completing 1 or 2 years of full-time academic study after a bachelor’s degree at an accredited university. Examples of careers requiring this degree are physician assistant and school counselor.

Doctoral or Professional Degree (at least 3 years’ full time academic study beyond master’s or bachelor’s degree): Examples of occupations for which a doctoral or professional degree is the typical form of entry-level education include lawyers, physicists, and dentists. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Work Experience 

Apprenticeship (3-5 years): An apprenticeship consists of a formal worker-sponsor agreement in which the worker obtains over 2,000 hours per year of on-the-job training, technical instruction, and practical experience relating to a certain occupation for a period of 3 to 5 years.

Make sure to keep up with our Instagram and Twitter page so you never miss a new career post!