Recently, U.S. News & World Report posted their 100 Best Jobs for 2022. These jobs were chosen as the best careers to jump into this year for a variety of factors: good pay, room for growth and advancement, well-matched to in-demand skills, reasonable stress levels, and a rewarding work-life balance.
Below, we’ve listed the top 10 of these jobs, and how various degrees and certificates from ACU Online equip you for these awesome, growing fields!
1. Information Security Analyst
Information security analysts protect information systems. These professionals develop security measures to shield an organization’s computer systems and networks from infiltration and cyberattacks—an increasingly common danger in our hyper-digital world.
Both ACU Online’s Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Administration and Master of Science in Information Technology equips you for this in-demand profession! You’ll learn to develop software applications, maintain technology infrastructures in a variety of settings or disciplines, and you’ll take specialized courses in cybersecurity. All of these give you flexibility to choose the career path that’s right for you.
2. Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with additional education. They perform many of the same duties as physicians: conducting physical exams, ordering lab tests, analyzing results, prescribing medicine, and authorizing treatments.
Our Doctor of Nursing Practice is designed to develop you as a nurse practitioner and beyond. Your clinical and leadership skills will be honed as a medical professional through a combination of online learning and practical application in the workplace. With a DNP, you have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership to proactively develop, implement, and evaluate ethical healthcare policies at all levels.
3. Physician Assistant
Physician assistants diagnose illnesses, develop and carry out treatment plans, assist in surgeries, perform procedures and guide patients. They often do this in partnership with a licensed physician or surgeon; though they conduct much of their practice independently.
Becoming a physician assistant requires a graduate degree—and our Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degree is the perfect preparatory program for you to enter this field of study. In this program, you’ll study the psychological, structural, physiological, and mechanical aspects of health and human movement activities, essential knowledge for any exercise scientist, trainer, or physician assistant.
4. Medical and Health Services Manager
Medical and health services managers help maintain medical systems in a variety of settings: from hiring staff members to managing budgets, creating department goals, increasing health service efficiency, and even overseeing the practice of a group of doctors, a medical facility, or hospital department.
ACU Online offers two degrees directly focused on educating medical and health services managers. Our Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration and Master of Healthcare Administration allows you to gain industry insights and develop a professional network tailored to healthcare leaders. Taught by experienced healthcare professionals, these programs offer a depth and breadth of field-specific knowledge that is beneficial to students and stands out to employers in the healthcare industry.
5. Software Developer
Software developers work as the creators, maintainers, and technical experts responsible for developing and sustaining countless iterations of software at work in a range of industries—from computer systems design to manufacturing, finance, and more!
Our Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Administration offers specialized courses in application development, offering you focused, experienced instruction to enter this exciting field.
6. Data Scientist
Data scientists are researchers, strategists, and technology experts who glean and develop insights from large amounts of data they collect. Their work requires statistics, quantitative reasoning and computer programming skills.
Data science is growing fastest in the business arena, with companies willing to pay considerably for talented data analysts and interpreters. ACU Online’s Certificate in Business Analytics and the Business Analytics concentration of our MBA prepares you, as a business or IT leader, in this age of big data, to strategically and efficiently leverage data in powerful, profitable ways.
7. Financial Manager
Financial managers have the responsibility of overseeing the finances of major companies, agencies and everything in between. Along with their teams, they coordinate accounting and produce financial reports, cash-flow statements and profit projections.
With ACU Online’s Bachelor of Science in Business Management, you’ll develop all the skills necessary to be a financial manager: mastering the four functions of a manager, gaining a deep understanding of human motivation and behavior, and applying management models in real-world situations. In addition to this personal development, you’ll examine and learn the economic, legal, and social aspects of global commerce—essential knowledge for successful financial managers.
8. Statistician
Statisticians practice the science of using data to make decisions—deciding what data they need and how to collect it, designing experiments, analyzing and interpreting results, and reporting conclusions. The usage of statistics can be applied to a vast number of fields such as the environment, public safety, health care, sports, and much more.
Our Bachelor of Science in Marketing, with its Analytics concentration, covers general business and marketing concepts as well as more quantitative topics including data mining and analytics—teaching you how to apply the data you’ve gathered like a statistician!
9. Lawyer
Lawyers both advise and represent clients in various legal scenarios, research and analyze legal issues, as well as interpret laws, rulings and regulations. They work privately for big firms or small practices, usually focusing on an area of specialty such as environmental law, tax, divorce, data privacy, corporate, or more. Lawyers also work publicly for the government as district attorneys and public defenders on the state or federal level.
But, becoming a lawyer requires education after graduating undergrad: getting a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree that you earn at law school. Before you can jump into law school, though—you need a strong foundation. With ACU’s online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, you will study professionalism and ethics in criminal justice, law enforcement policy, while developing strong writing, research, and analytical skills. All of these are attractive traits and necessary knowledge for a future lawyer!
10. Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech-language pathologists evaluate, diagnose and treat people with speech, language or swallowing difficulties. They work in a variety of settings, such as rehabilitation centers and nursing homes, and with many types of patients, including stroke victims who are relearning to speak, babies who have trouble swallowing, people who speak with a stutter and children with language delays.
In our online Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders program, you’ll learn about communication processes such as normal language development, speech sound development, anatomy, physiology, and audiology. This degree sets you up perfectly for our residential Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology programs, available in Abilene or Dallas!