The Best Jobs for Millennials

Burgeoning fields with high-growth outlooks, such as data scientist, social media manager, civil engineer, computer systems analyst and physical therapist are among CareerCast’s best jobs for Millennials in 2015. Advertising account exec, financial planner, market research analyst and statistician also made the list.

The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures estimate that there are 4.5 million 16-to-19-year-olds, 13.6 million 20-to-24-year-olds and 31.2 million 25-to-34-year-olds currently employed. Smart companies know that unless they start hiring these young employees soon, their future is bleak.

«Finding creative ways to hire and retain the Millennial generation – the largest generation in the workforce – is essential for companies to succeed through the rest of this decade and beyond,» says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast. «That’s especially true for companies looking to fill jobs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector, where demand is outpacing supply.»

For Millennials still in college, majoring in a STEM field is the single best way to guarantee a strong return-on-investment after graduation. And while completing a STEM degree requires a lot of hard work, there are many career paths to choose from.

For instance, the growing need for infrastructure improvements nationally means that Millennial civil engineers will have their choice of opportunities at strong pay rates. And the growing demand for new apps and other mobile components spells a similar outlook for software engineers. To be sure, not every job that ranks as one of the best for Millennials is going to pay big bucks immediately, but the potential for upward mobility quickly is fair compensation for many.

Advertising account executives just starting out can expect to earn somewhere around $37,000, U.S. News and World Report finds, but that figure almost doubles midway into the duration of one’s career. Job hopping also is an issue for many Millennials, who don’t think twice about changing employers more often than previous generations. Caraher says keeping a Millennial for more than three years is “a huge win.”

But a Millennial’s ability to develop a good rapport with an employer before leaving can benefit both parties: flourishing at one company before moving on is a stepping stone to career advancement for the employee, and happy workers who leave may agree to serve as positive references for the employer.

For those Millennials who have already graduated college and cannot endure more student loan debt to switch careers, moonlighting and freelancing may be the best paths into one of the industries in our Jobs Rated report, says Jacinto, who also suggests taking a public speaking course and attending career networking events. And just because social media is entrenched in the Millennial lifestyle, it should be seen as just one tool in the job seeker’s toolbox.

“Get in touch with people in the industry,” Jacinto says. “Do a mix of both face-to-face and social media, like LinkedIn. Social media is a great option that everyone should take advantage of, [but] continue the conversation by suggesting that you talk further over coffee.”

That’s true even for social media managers, which is just one of the best jobs for Millennials in our 2015 report below. Salary and outlook data are culled from BLS estimates, and jobs were chosen using metrics from our Jobs Rated report methodology.

For instance, the growing need for infrastructure improvements nationally means that Millennial civil engineers will have their choice of opportunities at strong pay rates. And the growing demand for new apps and other mobile components spells a similar outlook for software engineers.

To be sure, not every job that ranks as one of the best for Millennials is going to pay big bucks immediately, but the potential for upward mobility quickly is fair compensation for many.