10 Jobs With Great Return on Investment

Liz Wolgemuth

On Thursday April 15, 2010, 12:24 pm EDT

A college degree was once a kind of insurance against high tides of unemployment, but this downturn took plenty of white collar, degree-necessary jobs with it. What's more, it's no longer a given that an advanced degree will launch you into the upper echelon of earners.

Consider that a student could invest in a master's degree in anthropology, reasonably expecting to make the median wage for an anthropologist, about $54,000. The middle 50 percent of anthropologists and archeologists earn between $39,200 and $70,980, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another student could invest in an associate's degree in radiation therapy and expect to earn a radiation therapist's median wage of $72,900 (the middle 50 percent of radiation therapists earn between $59,050 and $87,910.)

It's true that many workers do not choose their occupations based on the money they expect to earn from the investment in education, training, and time. They follow their interests and passions, and see their career as a calling. But the recession has turned many dreamers into pragmatists. For those who feel pressure to make the most of their education, here are some careers that offer major bang for the buck.

Radiation therapist

--Most common degree: Associate's

--Median pay: $72,910

More than half of cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy, which involves high doses of radiation aimed at killing cancer cells, and, according to the National Cancer Institute. (Radiation is also used in lesser doses to capture images of the body through an X-ray.) Radiation therapists don't prescribe doses for patients, but they give patients the treatments--putting them in the proper position and running the machine. Employment in the occupation is expected to grow by nearly a third between 2008 and 2018, as advancements make radiation safer and more widely prescribed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest paid 10 percent of radiation therapists made more than $104,350 last year.

Dental hygienist

--Most common degree: Associate's

--Median pay: $66,570

It's no surprise that the healthcare field is home to several careers that offer the best pay and opportunities for the education required, given that the healthcare industry has faced steady increases in demand despite the recession. Dental hygienists examine patients' gums, perform cleanings, take X-rays, and in some states even administer anesthesia. Most of the 301 accredited dental hygiene programs in the United States grant associate's degrees. As with other healthcare occupations, dental hygienists need a state license to practice, so exams are also part of the deal.

Respiratory therapist

--Most common degree: Associate's

--Median pay: $52,200

Few jobs have the kind of growth projections as the respiratory therapist occupation. Employment is expected to jump more than 22 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Respiratory therapists help care for patients with lung or heart disorders, most often working in hospitals, but they are increasingly in patients' homes, medical equipment supply companies, or skilled nursing facilities, according to the American Association for Respiratory Care. Part of the reason earnings are high in the profession has to do with respiratory therapists' ability to constrain costs, says Sam Giordano, chief executive of the association. The healthcare system puts a lot of value on a respiratory therapists' ability to treat patients and help physicians determine when a treatment is no longer called for--increasing the quality and timeliness of decision-making, Giordano says. Respiratory therapists can also help patients avoid ventilator-associated pneumonia by weaning them off the ventilator more quickly.

Powerhouse electrical repairer

--Most common degree: Vocational training

--Median pay: $61,040

This category includes electricians who work on electrical equipment in generating stations, substations, and relays. Job titles might also be relay technicians or power transformer repairers. Most repairers work for utility companies, where the average wages are $61,330. For many of these jobs, an associate's degree in electronics and some professional certifications are preferred.

Air traffic controller

--Most common degree: Long-term, on-the-job training

--Median pay: $111,870

This may be one career where high stress equals high reward. Controllers work in traffic control towers, radar rooms, or en route centers, handing off your flight as it passes through their airspace. While employment growth should exceed 13 percent between 2008 and 2018, there will be many more job opportunities as about half of the nation's controllers are expected to retire this year, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Petroleum engineer

--Most common degree: Bachelor's

--Median pay: $108,020

When it comes to jobs for which the typical degree is a bachelor's, only airline pilots earn more than petroleum engineers. For one thing, engineers' salaries reflect the technical skills required, says Margaret Watson of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. But the salaries are also a result of supply and demand, as there are relatively few graduates in petroleum engineering--some enter the field with degrees in other engineering disciplines, as well--and demand is expected to increase as more engineers reach retirement age. The job also comes with a great deal of responsibility, as engineers may work on multimillion dollar projects. Petroleum engineers have options, according to the Society of Petroleum Engineers: They can help design and oversee drilling operations; work on optimizing production processes; and become reservoir engineers. While some petroleum engineers work for energy giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron, others may consult or work for the government.

Nuclear power reactor operator

--Most common training: Long-term, on-the-job training

--Median pay: $73,320

Nuclear power reactor operators might start their careers as plant equipment operators while they become familiar with the operations. In fact, reactor operators need at least three years of experience working in a power plant--including at least one year in a nuclear plant. To earn the right to control the equipment as reactor operators, they must be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Employment of nuclear power reactors is expected to grow by 20 percent between 2008 and 2018.

Transportation inspector

--Most common training: Work experience in a related occupation

--Median pay: $55,250

Transportation inspectors make up a broad group, including aircraft inspectors, cargo inspectors, and motor vehicle emissions inspectors. Employment for this group is expected to jump more than 18 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Aircraft inspectors often get their start as aircraft mechanics, and while mechanics can learn their trade on the job, it's more common to attend an FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician school for one to two years.

Subway operator

--Most common training: Moderate-term, on-the-job training

--Median pay: $53,220

Subway and streetcar operators generally work for public transit agencies. Very often, the first step for operators is to work as bus drivers within that transit system. Training programs for subway and streetcar operation can last as long as six months and are followed by exams. Employment of subway and streetcar operators is expected to jump about 19 percent between 2008 and 2018.

Prosthodontist

--Most common degree: First professional

--Median pay: More than $166,400

Prosthodontics has come a long way since George Washington's wooden teeth. Today, prosthodontists use sophisticated techniques and materials to replace missing teeth or restore damaged ones, as well as work on jaw and joint problems. The prosthodontics education starts with dental school and tacks an extra three years in an ADA-accredited graduate program. The educational requirements are of a similar breadth as those for physicians, but employment of prosthodontists is expected to jump nearly 28 percent between 2008 and 2018. (You might make more focusing on teeth, too. Consider that the median income for family and general practitioners is $157,250.)

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10 Things Human Resources Won't Say

by Jim Rendon

Thursday, April 22, 2010

1. "We're Squeezed Too."

There was a time when human resources departments handled every staffing need at a company, from hiring and firing to administering benefits and determining salaries. But HR's role has begun to change significantly as departments have shrunk at companies across the board. According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, the profession's largest association, the head count at the average HR department fell from 13 in 2007 to nine in 2008. "HR departments are under pressure like never before," says Steve Miranda, the society's global HR and integration officer.

As much of what was once HR's domain increasingly gets outsourced, human resources is regrouping to help show top management how it can add to the bottom line, says Tony Rucci, former chief administrative officer at Cardinal Health and a professor at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. Though that may seem like an odd role for a department that doesn't make or sell anything, strong HR departments are now focusing on boosting productivity by helping employees better understand what's expected of them and by showing managers how to be more effective.

2. "We're Not Always Your Advocate..."

Employees often turn to HR if they're having problems with a manager, but they don't always come away satisfied. In 2007, Ronica Tabor was interviewing for a better sales job at tool manufacturer Hilti North America when, she says, the interviewer told her that women had to work harder than men to learn to use and sell tools and that she should check with her husband about applying for the job. Tabor says she turned to HR with "high hopes" they'd keep the interviewer from doing this with others. But Tabor's attorney says she was "made ineligible for promotion for another year" and left the company. She is suing Hilti in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, alleging gender discrimination. A Hilti spokesperson says the company's investigation found that Tabor wasn't qualified for the opening and that Hilti doesn't discriminate. "Our HR process did work," says the spokesperson.

Still, employees should realize that HR answers to the company, says Lewis Maltby, director of the National Workrights Institute, an employee-rights organization. "HR is a spear carrier for the boss," he says.

3. "...But We Can Help Your Career."

Human resources managers do much more than handle employment agreements, medical forms and 401(k) paperwork. They can also have a hand in helping to retain and promote top talent -- i.e., you. J.T. O'Donnell, a former HR manager and the founder of online career-development company Careerealism.com, says it's a good idea to be in touch with someone in the department. Employees often want to avoid HR, O'Donnell says, "but you really should do the opposite." Molly John credits HR with helping her get promoted to partner at Ernst & Young last year, after she participated in an HR-sponsored program assigning senior partners as mentors to promising junior employees. Without it, she says, "I would not have been promoted so soon."

Seymour Adler, a senior VP with HR management firm Aon Consulting, says one way to be recognized for your work is to keep human resources in the loop -- say, by sending your HR manager an occasional e-mail to let her know how you've been contributing to the company's success. That kind of connection could help land you a promotion when positions open up or even keep you off the chopping block during the next round of layoffs.

4. "Want the job? Then You'll Want to Get to Know Us."

With unemployment hovering around 10 percent, HR managers are inundated with responses for every job posting. In fact, some companies are hiring outside firms to post jobs and sort through resumes, presenting only a dozen or so qualified candidates for consideration. How to make the cut? Be sure your resume and cover letter highlight the skills asked for in the job posting; HR tosses applications that don't meet all the basic criteria. And ask yourself what in your background fits the company's needs, says Mike Wright, senior vice president of outsourcing sales with Hewitt Associates.

Another angle: Approach an in-house recruiter or hiring manager before they post a position. Try using business-oriented social-media sites like LinkedIn.com to meet contacts, says O'Donnell. Judi Perkins, founder of FindThePerfectJob.com, says she found most of her clients jobs this way. When you score an interview with HR reps, take it seriously -- you never know how much say they have in the process. And ask them what qualities they look for in employees. "You really need to sell them on your abilities," says O'Donnell.

5. "Yes, Facebook Can Get You Fired."

Employees like to think that what they do on their own time is their own business, but that's not always the case. According to a 2009 survey by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute, 27 percent of companies have policies about what employees can post on personal blogs. "You have to think about whether this will come back to haunt you," says Nancy Flynn, executive director of the institute. That never occurred to Nate Fulmer, a warehouse manager for chemical supplier Environmental Express. Fulmer and his wife made fun of a local church sermon in a podcast they posted online in 2005. Fulmer says it got so much attention, his boss listened to it, thought it was offensive and fired him. "I was so blindsided," he says. (A company spokesperson says the firm has new ownership and can't comment on employee matters.)

According to Flynn's survey, 2 percent of companies have dismissed employees over the content of personal social-networking pages. Flynn recommends employees check company policy before posting anything online and steer clear of potentially offensive content, even if it has nothing to do with work.

6. "In Some Companies, We're Not Very Useful at All."

it seems that every company has a different approach to human resources. For some, it's nothing more than an administrative job, involved with hiring and firing, benefits and not much more. These firms may have a dysfunctional work environment with high turnover, Perkins says, where employees can often feel trapped. By contrast, companies with strong HR departments have been shown to do better financially, says Rucci. Empowered human resources reps can also help guide employees through their careers.

How to tell the difference? For one, see whom HR reports to. If it's the CEO, that's good, says Maltby. If HR managers are in the field, getting to know employees and how the company works, that can be another key, says LaRhonda Edwards, an employee-relations panel member with the Society of Human Resource Management. One way to suss out a human resources department's effectiveness is to ask the manager interviewing you how HR operates and what it has done to help her achieve her goals. If she doesn't have an answer, it's "not a good sign," Rucci says.

7. "You're Not Paranoid — We are Watching You."

Companies want to make sure you're working most of the time, not sending joke e-mails to your buddies. Half of organizations in the ePolicy Institute survey banned the use of personal e-mail on the job, and more than one in four reported firing employees for misusing the Internet. In many companies, HR works with the information-technology department and the legal team to develop policies for electronic communication. These policies aren't a secret. Edwards says she makes a big effort to walk new employees through computer-use and e-mail policies, and they must sign forms saying they're aware of them.

Many companies employ software that sifts through e-mail looking for curse words or sexually explicit language. IT monitors Web usage and can see every site an employee visits. In fact, anything you do via the company's server—most activity on an office computer, including personal e-mail -- is subject to review by your boss. Firings over these issues are on the rise, says Flynn. In 2009, 26 percent of companies reported terminating employees for violations of e-mail policy, up from 14 percent in 2001. "Employees should act as if the boss was looking over their shoulder," says California employment mediator Michelle Reinglass.

8. "Read the Fine Print."

When you take a job, you may be agreeing to more than you know. In the fine print of employment agreements, employee handbooks and job applications, many companies include a mandatory arbitration clause -- meaning that you agree to give up your right to take any dispute to court, even if the employer has broken the law. Instead, the case goes to an arbitrator, who decides it privately, and "the grounds for appeal are extremely limited," says Donna Lenhoff, an attorney with the National Employment Lawyers Association. Lenhoff estimates that more than 30 million Americans are bound by arbitration clauses at work.

Employers -- particularly those in financial services, health care and pharmaceuticals -- often favor arbitration because it keeps costs down and cases out of the headlines, says Manesh Rath, a partner at the law firm Keller & Heckman. But, says Lenhoff, arbitration seldom works out well for employees. A recent study found that arbitrators decided in favor of employees just 30 percent of the time, and when the individual arbitrator had worked previously on a case with the employer, the employee won only 12 percent of the time. Reinglass says employees can often fare better in court. "Someone on a jury might relate to your experience in a way that an arbitrator may not," she says.

9. "We Know More About You Than You think."

these days companies do a lot more than look over a pile of resumes and call a few references before hiring a new employee. They bring in outside firms to dig into an applicant's background and verify education and employment histories, and they will often even search criminal records and credit reports. According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 53 percent of companies have conducted credit checks on their employees. Companies are concerned that "if you have a lot of financial pressure, you might not act in the best interest of the company," says Wright.

Another survey, conducted in 2007 by HR Focus magazine, found that 86 percent of firms performed criminal background checks during the hiring process, and it has been estimated that nearly two-thirds of companies test job applicants for drug use. But not everyone thinks such measures are extreme. If anything, employers don't dig deeply enough, says Rath: "An employee with a problem with a previous employer or criminal record will try to hide it."

10. "We Love Tests."

Job seekers today have so much experience packaging themselves, with tailored resumes and rehearsed answers, that companies turn to tests to find out more about what makes them tick. A 2009 survey by research firm IOMA found that 26 percent of companies conducted personality, psychological or integrity tests on applicants. Job seekers may also be asked to take a test to quantify their creativity. What's more, insurance companies are pushing businesses to screen for traits like risk-taking, a quality the underwriter would not appreciate in, say, an applicant for a forklift-driver position.

But testing does have its problems. Rucci says that the most important indicator of future success on the job is past performance. Counter to that, HR managers sometimes distance themselves from the hiring process by relying on tests rather than performance appraisals. "There was a time when someone would say, This is the best-qualified candidate, based on their record," says Maltby. "Now it's tests, and no one takes responsibility for the decision."

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