Best careers for 2012 -

Every year, I report on U.S. News & World Report’s “best careers” article. What are the “hot” jobs for this year? Are they different from last year’s “hot” jobs? (For the past year+, I’ve also contributed to their On Careers page.) U.S. News selects its jobs based on several factors. One is the growth potential in the various positions. However, the article explains, “…our rankings give you some context as to why you’d want to stick around. We use a formula that compares projected growth for the future to employment rates of the present. We then weigh in average salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and job satisfaction, as determined by the job review website Glassdoor.”

How can you take advantage of this information?

Do Your Research

Every job seeker should keep an eye on his or her industry and make plans for the future with an informed outlook. I like to remind readers that itâ€™s a good idea to set a Google alert for organizations and fields of interest to you so youâ€™ll be aware when there are newsworthy ups and downs in your market. Clearly, there are trends in industries. While there are no guarantees, keeping an eye on these surveys and data should help direct those seeking career change make their plans.

Learn what you can about the number of job opportunities, salary expectations, educational requirements, job satisfaction â€” make a list of what is important to you and conduct a personal analysis to determine a good direction for your career.

Luckily, there are more and more resources every day to help you with your research.

You can go â€œold schoolâ€ and talk to people you know or people they know via informational interviews. Or, expand your networking circle by using Twitter to research your job, LinkedIn to connect with new colleagues, Facebook (via BranchOut or BeKnown) to meet new people who may have advice, information or recommendations for you.

Learn what blogs are popular and respected in your niche (I like to use Alltop.com as a great resource) and find out what your mentors are saying. Find them on Twitter (WeFollow.com is my favorite list for Twitter) and learn who they talk to, what conferences they attend (and what they think of the speakers).

Hop on a Twitter chat to connect with people in your targeted industry. Before you know it â€” with skill and persistence â€” you can become one of them! (Read this story of someone who has decided to lead the way in his industry, even if his colleagues are not already joining him on social media.)

Clearly, there are many, many ways to learn what everyone is saying and â€” most importantly â€” to insert yourself into the conversations (via participating in social media, meeting local colleagues, attending professional conferences, etc.) to really get to know about a field.

Here is U.S. News & World Reportâ€™s list of top jobs for 2012.

I invite you to share your thoughts on the lists in the comments below…Are you working in these fields? Do you think they are “hot?” Would you recommend them to your friends?

#1 Registered Nurse

Salary:$44,190-$95,130

Also ranked in: Best Healthcare Jobs

#2 Software Developer

Salary: $87,790-$54,360

Also ranked in: Best Technology Jobs

#3 Pharmacist

Salary: $82,090-$138,620

Also ranked in: Best Healthcare Jobs

#4 Medical Assistant

Salary: $20,810-$40,190

Also ranked in: Best Healthcare Jobs