Top 10 Jobs of 2006

Wondering what today's grads are doing with their lives? I've compiled a list of the top 10 jobs of 2006 so you can see just what careers are popular this year.

(1) Lawyer - If you don't mind going through several years of college and then law school, well becoming a lawyer may not be such a pain for you. When you graduate, however, the job market competition is going to be tough, due to the increasing number of students graduating each year from law schools. Three out of every 4 choose to open a private practice.

(2) Dental Hygienist - Dental Hygienist is one of the country's fastest growing career field. Hygienists clean your teeth, give you advice on oral health, and often work beside dentist when he is giving treatments or filling a patient's teeth and such.

(3) Surgeon - You need steady hands to be a surgeon, that's for sure. Surgeons work long, irregular hours, typically over 60 hours per week. On a better note, salaries for surgeons is one of the highest of any career field! Opportunities and job openings will remain plentiful, especially in low-income and rural areas.

(4) Financial Advisor - People in this field offer guidance to businesses and individuals in their investment choices. An advisor's most important requirement is to seek out clients and build a good rapport with customers. That is because referrals are the number one way financial advisors are noticed and get clients.

The average salary for a financial advisor is around the mid-$60,000s.

(5) Software Publisher - Opportunities for software publishers is going to grow immensely by 2014. Right now, computer specialists make up 52% of all jobs. Most positions in this field require a bachelor's degree, but that depends on what an employer needs for his particular company. On the average, a software publisher makes $35-$40 an hour.

(6) Psychologist - If you want to snag a job as a psychologist, many employers require you to have at least a PhD. Most psychologists go into practice for themselves. Some typical positions include working as a school psychologist, health psychologists, and research psychologists.

(7) Multimedia Artists - Employment for these jobs are usually found in New York, LA, and Chicago. Formal training is a plus, but creativity and professionalism are more important. Most times you have a deadline to meet and constantly use your imagination.

(8) Real Estate Agent - Real Estate agent work weekends and evenings and are almost always on-call. Competition has been at an all time high because of firms looking for the best and most contributing. Many 2006 agents received their licenses from real estate schools by attending classes a few nights a week or on the weekends. They skipped the whole college and university method.

(9) Chiropractor - More people are going to chiropractors lately in search of "alternative healing." Chiropractors must be licensed, which means 4 years of college then 4 year chiropractor courses. Jobs are pretty good, but 58% work in their own business.

(10) Professor - A postsecondary teacher is going to be in high demand by the year 2014, with a need for more than 500,000. To teach at a college or University, many employers require you to have a PhD degree. Average salary for a professor is around $60,000.