Best Jobs 2014 US News

Blame a software developer for your once insatiable need to play Flappy Bird or your dependency on your Samsung Galaxy phone. These professionals usually fall into two camps: There are the application developers, who design computer software and databases, then there are the systems-focused developers, who build operating systems, such as Linux or iOS. Growth for both types should balloon: The Labor Department predicts there will be nearly 140,000 brand new positions created before 2022.

To excel in the No. 2 STEM job, you need to be both goal-focused and process-oriented. Computer systems analysts must understand computer hardware, software and networks and how they work together, so they can make recommendations to organizations for the best operations systems to use. The Labor Department predicts 24.5 percent employment growth for this job through 2022.

It’s a no-brainer that this profession is growing –at a rate of 36.5 percent through 2022 –as we become increasingly reliant on technology to facilitate our every move. So what does the profession entail? Information security analysts plan and monitor security of computer networks for companies and government agencies. They also troubleshoot any security breaches that should occur.

Web developers are responsible for the sleek fonts and clean layout you love on your favorite websites. The Labor Department considers this one of the fastest-growing jobs this decade, and it predicts employment will swell by about 20 percent by 2022.

There’s more to accounting than just math. Our No. 5 STEM job also requires a lot of organizational skills and an attention to detail. Strong emotional intelligence would also come in handy, since you’d interact with clients surrounding an issue we’re all sensitive about:money. The Labor Department predicts more than 166,000 new openings will be created in this field from now to 2022.

Don’t do a double take –you’re still on the STEM jobs list. All psychologists study life science when training, and school psychologists just happen to use these principles for education and early-development issues. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 11.3 percent uptick in the occupation by 2022.

If you’re looking for work that offers the perfect blend of right- and left-brain thinking, consider mechanical engineering. In this line of work you’d get the chance to shepherd devices from the theoretical design phase (hence, the right brain) to the technical production phase. The profession makes our list for its low unemployment rate of 2.7 percent and comfortable median salary of $82,100.

The No. 8 STEM job is an advisory position – one that involves helping businesses and organizations operate more efficiently. Strong math skills are a necessity, since often the duties include budgeting and statistical analysis. The BLS projects employment growth of nearly 27 percent for operations research analysts by the year 2022.

As the head of a company’s information technology department, IT managers are the go-tos when your email won’t send or your word processor won’t start. They triage the operations of an organization’s technical network, and they’re a growing profession. Expect 50,900 new positions by the year 2022.

Want one reason civil engineering makes for a cool job? Part of the payoff comes from stopping to take a look around. The fruits of civil engineers’ labors are seen everywhere – they have hands in building bridges, retrofitting buildings and damming reservoirs. By 2022, the BLS predicts there will be 53,700 new openings.