Just as you shop around for the best Cyber Monday deals, you should search for jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But is college worth it? The answer to that question is yes because jobs that require post-secondary qualification are projected to hire an above-average number of workers in the next few years.
“We often talk of the payoff of higher education in terms of lifetime earnings, but these data show the impact is more immediate—underscoring the importance of supporting community college access and completion—particularly after the disruption caused by the pandemic,” said Alicia Sasser Modestino of the Dukakis Center at Northeastern University, co-author of the report, Pathways to Economic Mobility: Identifying the Labor Market Value of Community College in Massachusetts.
Women who complete an associate degree are 18 percentage points more likely to be employed than terminal high school graduates. For students who delayed their entry into community college by up to five years but completed their degree or certificate, findings were also generally positive. However, while women appeared to benefit by attending community college, men who attended but did not complete a certificate or degree saw no real wage benefit.
“We need to strengthen our policies that support equity in access and accelerate completion at community colleges,” said Keith Mahoney, vice president of communications and public affairs at the Boston Foundation. “That equity, though, must reach beyond the classroom to include issues like affordability, access to coaching and supports, as well as internships and career explorations that give students a stronger base from which to enter the job market.”
The research found that the employment and earnings benefits of obtaining an associate degree for under-represented students of color and low-income students were equivalent to, or even exceeded, those benefits experienced by their white and higher-income peers.
“The data highlight the measurable impact that community college completion can have for the futures of all students,” said Ben Forman, research director at MassINC, who co-authored the report. “But there are definite groups—where the power of a degree or certificate can put students on a trajectory. These data demonstrate remarkable outcomes for thousands of people who attend and complete community college, but they also demonstrate the urgency we should feel to close the opportunity gap that keeps students of color from finishing community college at the same rates as their white peers,” added Antoniya Marinova, assistant director of education to career programs at the Boston Foundation.
Marinova noted data in the report that while Black and Latino students are twice as likely to attend community college, they are much less likely to complete a degree or certificate—a pattern evident among male students. “Our history of work with Success Boston has shown both that devastating gap and some ways in which we can close it—providing more equitable rewards in an economy that places sharp emphasis on earning a degree.”
Therapists earn an annual median wage of about $79,000, and the number of workers in this specialization is expected to grow by 24 percent through at least the year 2022.
Next-best in the top 12 career paths is in nuclear medicine technology. Nuclear medicine technologists earn an annual median wage of around $71,000, and through 2022, job growth is expected to be about 20 percent.
For dental hygienists, job growth through 2022 is projected at 33 percent, and they earn an annual median wage of about $71,000.
While the 12 percent job growth in funeral service managers is average, openings frequently occur because turnover tends to be high. Funeral service managers earn an annual median wage of around $68,000.
Over the next few years, job growth for medical sonographers is expected to be extremely high, at 44 percent. The median annual wage for medical sonographers is approximately $66,000.
Job growth for registered nurses (RNs) over the next few years is projected at 26 percent, and the median annual wage for this occupation is $66,000.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists are expected to experience 21 percent job growth through 2022 and whose median annual income is $66,000.
Job growth for web developers is projected to be 20 percent through 2022, and the median annual income is $63,000.
For respiratory therapists, growth is expected to be about 19 percent, and the annual median wage is $56,000.
Not surprisingly, given all this job growth in medical specialties, medical equipment repairers can also look forward to increasing demand for their services. This occupation is projected to grow by 30 percent through 2022, and the median annual wage is $44,000.
By 2022, demand for radiologic technologists is projected to grow by 21 percent, and their median annual income is $55,000.
The last of the 12 occupations considered here, but certainly not least in importance, is environmental engineering technicians. Job growth through 2022 in environmental engineering is expected to be an above-average 18 percent, and
the median annual wage is $46,000. Preparation for a lucrative career does not have to cost a fortune, but it does
need to be treated as the life-altering decision it truly is.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been tasked with…
Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm,…
Humboldt State University, one of four campuses within the California…
