BetterLearningBetterEarning™ | Get Better Work & Income - Teach Yourself Higher Paying Skills

A recent Forbes article highlights which types of jobs continue to offer increasing compensation despite the recession. They break the trend of decreasing salaries, bonuses, and suspended 401K matches because demand is high but qualified candidates are scarce. Interested? All of these positions listed in the article have one thing in common.

All of the jobs listed in this Forbes report require specialized education, training and/or certification. For the most part you must earn a bachelor's degree to qualify. Some of the positions don't require a four-year degree but do expect certifications to perform the work. Out of the fifteen positions listed, the highest paying include:

• Civil & Project Engineers
• Senior Accountants
• Dental Hygienists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists
• Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses
• Research Scientists
• Pharmacists

Recession-Proof Jobs Are Not Entry-Level Positions

The trend - and the whole theme of this web site - shows that better compensation usually follows learning more marketable skills. If one of these positions interests you, look up job postings on a search engine like indeed.com to see - specifically - what type of education and training they require. Then search to see if those learning opportunities exist at a community college, university, or continuing education program near you. You may also find online learning opportunities in those programs. Make a learning plan detailing how you can complete that education while still working or attending to a family full time. Calculate the costs of completing that education and see if the expected returns justify taking out student loans, if necessary.

Not My Cup of Tea

You may look at this list and think you're not cut out to do any of these jobs (like I did). The average income for all but one or two of them is well below $100K annually. You may want more money than what they offer or want a less-traditional career. Perhaps you should look at this Forbes article on green, six-figure jobs then. Don't make money or security the sole factors in considering career paths; but don't think anyone will pay you to play all day either. You've got to find some overlap between what you do well and what others would realistically pay you well to do.

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