Spring Break
Higher salaries may be as easy as picking major
OSU conforms to trends as studies show top money-making majors in medical, tech fields
Michelle Suffin
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News
Making it to college is an accomplishment on its own. Students have the privilege of deciding what they want to do with the rest of their life, but many struggle to find the right major or classes that spark their interest.
The direction of the career market in the next few years may determine student preference of OSU's offered majors.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, students may want to consider two directions - health care and computers.
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that of the top 30 fastest growing jobs between 2004 and 2014, 17 are health care related and the top 10 overall are technology related.
There are several major trends developing in the economy that will influence high demand jobs over the next 10 years - increased cost of child care, rapid technology growth, better medicine and distributed work.
The most influential trend, however, is the aging baby boomers.
According to the Forbes website, baby boomers are not old enough to require home care just yet, but many are hiring help for their parents, increasing the number of home health aids by 56 percent over the next 8 years.
The aging baby boomers, or more specifically their children's children who attend college, will increase the demand for college professors by 32 percent and preschool teachers by 33 percent in 2014.
The health care industry is also shifting more responsibilities toward lower-wage professions such as medical assistants, physical therapist aids and dental assistants, combatting escalating health care costs.
"Now it seems like more and more people are specializing in a particular field of medicine," said Abby Hagood, a junior majoring in general science.
"And there has been a decrease in general practitioners. Many people can't afford to see a specialist for smaller problems."
Hagood hopes to go on to nursing school after she graduates from OSU.
"I've always been interested in science," Hagood said, "and this way I can have a good paying, challenging job where I can help people."
The direction of the career market in the next few years may determine student preference of OSU's offered majors.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, students may want to consider two directions - health care and computers.
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that of the top 30 fastest growing jobs between 2004 and 2014, 17 are health care related and the top 10 overall are technology related.
There are several major trends developing in the economy that will influence high demand jobs over the next 10 years - increased cost of child care, rapid technology growth, better medicine and distributed work.
The most influential trend, however, is the aging baby boomers.
According to the Forbes website, baby boomers are not old enough to require home care just yet, but many are hiring help for their parents, increasing the number of home health aids by 56 percent over the next 8 years.
The aging baby boomers, or more specifically their children's children who attend college, will increase the demand for college professors by 32 percent and preschool teachers by 33 percent in 2014.
The health care industry is also shifting more responsibilities toward lower-wage professions such as medical assistants, physical therapist aids and dental assistants, combatting escalating health care costs.
"Now it seems like more and more people are specializing in a particular field of medicine," said Abby Hagood, a junior majoring in general science.
"And there has been a decrease in general practitioners. Many people can't afford to see a specialist for smaller problems."
Hagood hopes to go on to nursing school after she graduates from OSU.
"I've always been interested in science," Hagood said, "and this way I can have a good paying, challenging job where I can help people."
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