Most Lucrative Jobs in a decade Thread

[avant-garde]

In your opinion, what are the most lucrative jobs going to be in about 10 years?

My thoughts:
1. Nuclear engineering
2. Nanotechology
3. Medical



- Vanguard

 

[Topher925]

Medical and Energy related fields.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'm thinking there will be a fast-growing demand for positions related to gerontology/geriatrics, so these will pay well. We're going to have a lot of aging baby-boomers, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of planning for it yet.

 

[shoehorn]

The most lucrative jobs in ten years will be the same as the most lucrative jobs today, namely jobs in finance and banking.

Nuclear engineers and doctors are paid a pittance compared to what competent bankers and quants earn.

 

[Fearless]

The most lucrative job is technology. Regardless of what you are doing. Become a owner, sell your ideas to venture capital, sell your company, instant profit.

 

[Cexy]

The most lucrative job is technology. Regardless of what you are doing. Become a owner, sell your ideas to venture capital, sell your company, instant profit.

Very high potential rewards. But the key word is potential. And the reward/risk ratio isn't great.

The most lucrative careers in ten eyars will be exactly what they are now, ie banking (inc hedge funds) followed by law, medicine, consultancy, ...

Science is way, way down the list.

 

[Cvan]

Water treatment and desalinization.

Alright--maybe not in 10 years, but soon enough to be worried imo.

 

[Locrian]

The most lucrative careers in ten eyars will be exactly what they are now, ie banking (inc hedge funds) followed by law, medicine, consultancy, ...

Science is way, way down the list.

I'll second that.

 

[Nick M]

Water.
Energy.
Medicine.

 

[leumas614]

You can't just focus on salary. What about job prospects? It doesn't pay to major in finance if you will be unemployed after graduation.

What about this: Which major areas of research will receive a significant amount of government funding? During the Cold War it was nuclear physics. What about now and in 10 years?

 

[Cexy]

You can't just focus on salary. What about job prospects? It doesn't pay to major in finance if you will be unemployed after graduation.

Whereas they're just screaming out for physics grads to do research. That's why physics pays so well. Oh no, wait...

Actually finance isn't looking like such a smart move at the moment either, most banks and hedge funds are cutting back on recruitment and some have put on hiring freezes. Expectations are that it will pick up on 2-5 years though, whereas physics is always going to be competitive and underpaid.

What about this: Which major areas of research will receive a significant amount of government funding? During the Cold War it was nuclear physics. What about now and in 10 years?

Complexity theory, mathematical biology, adaptive systems, machine learning, ...

My guesses anyway. Not so sure about the physical side of things.

 

[Andy Resnick]

You can't just focus on salary. What about job prospects? It doesn't pay to major in finance if you will be unemployed after graduation.

What about this: Which major areas of research will receive a significant amount of government funding? During the Cold War it was nuclear physics. What about now and in 10 years?

Research funds (in the US) will likely stay flat or go down due to the increasing mandatory spending: social security, medicare/medicaid, payments on the debt, etc. as well as decreased discretionary spending.

Because government research is decided by, well, the government, look also for increased amounts of "set asides"- money in the general pot that is directed to be spent on specific projects decided by congressional members, leaving the scientific agencies less and less to spend on what they consider to be good science.

The main topics to be funded by the US government are likely to include:

Health and biotechnology (especially translational research and patient care)
energy research- especially for electrical and transportation power generation
climate change- think "mission to planet earth"

Those are fairly broad and cover a lot of large fields- nanotechnology, for example.

 

[shoehorn]

Actually finance isn't looking like such a smart move at the moment either, most banks and hedge funds are cutting back on recruitment and some have put on hiring freezes.

This is far too simplistic a comment to be of any use. Whereas some sectors in the finance industry are being annihilated, the alternative investment sector is booming. Job opportunities for quants in this area are excellent at the moment.

 

[LowlyPion]

Nobel Prize winners should still make out all right.

 

[Howers]

Nobel Prize winners should still make out all right.

There won't be any if scientists can't perform the experiments. They don't hand those out for just theory!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I have one word to say to you. Software Engineering.

 

[Cexy]

This is far too simplistic a comment to be of any use. Whereas some sectors in the finance industry are being annihilated, the alternative investment sector is booming. Job opportunities for quants in this area are excellent at the moment.

True but that doesn't make a difference to what I said. There are far fewer jobs in finance as a whole (including quants) now than there were 18 months ago. People applying now will find it much harder to get jobs than the most recent round of graduates did.

If you can get a job then you're sorted, there are some excellent positions out there. But getting in in the first place is hard.

 

[shoehorn]

True but that doesn't make a difference to what I said.

It actually completely invalidates what you said. The point is that most banks have not put on hiring freezes in all areas.

There are far fewer jobs in finance as a whole (including quants) now than there were 18 months ago.

My experience of the area suggests this is not true. The jobs that have been shed in the finance industry are the "light" jobs - those essentially worthless support staff and middle management who are always the first to go. Banks and investment funds have, however, been predictably reluctant to get rid of their quants.

People applying now will find it much harder to get jobs than the most recent round of graduates did.

Harder, yes. Much harder, no.

 

[Andre]

I'm thinking there will be a fast-growing demand for positions related to gerontology/geriatrics, so these will pay well. We're going to have a lot of aging baby-boomers, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of planning for it yet.

Andre is making a mental note to call MIH in a decade or two, when geriatrics strikes.

 

[russ_watters]

The most lucrative jobs in ten years will be the same as the most lucrative jobs today, namely jobs in finance and banking.

Nuclear engineers and doctors are paid a pittance compared to what competent bankers and quants earn.

Though I'm not optomistic that it will change (so you are probably right), the financial sector is the one sector where pay has gotten most out of hand and needs to be reigned-in. Regulation may help fix it, but we'll see.