If you're either about to enter the full-time workforce for the first time 2015 or are considering making a major career shift, this one's for you: Employment database and job seeking site Glassdoor.com just released their ranking of the 25 best jobs in the U.S. for 2015. Don't expect to be surprised by what made the list and what didn't, though; it's all pretty much what you'd expect. There are a few surprises, though, so let's take a look, shall we?
Glasdoor determined its ranking by considering three pieces of criteria for each job: The number of openings available, the average base salary, and how highly it ranks in career opportunities. These three numbers were then used to calculated a Glassdoor Job Score for each, with scores ranging from one to five. Numbers, by the way, are the name of the game for most of the big winners here; analysts, engineers, business, and finance jobs took many of the top slots. Interestingly, though, human resources manager landed quite high in the number four slot; meanwhile, the number one winner was physician's assistant. As SFGate noted, CareerBuilder's top jobs of 2015 list overlaps quite a bit; I guess the data doesn't lie.
It's worth noting that high paying jobs may not score higher overall. For example, the highest paying job on the list, finance manager, has an annual base salary of $122,865, but landed in the number five slot; meanwhile, at $64,806 physical therapist has the lowest salary, but scored the number 19th spot, not the 25th one. Also, let's not forget about the fact that just because you can have a high-paying job doesn't necessarily mean you should have one. Studies have found that a lot of people are happier working a job they love that pays less than a job they hate that pays more. Food for thought, right?
Check out the top 10 below; head on over to Glassdoor for all 25.
1. Physician's Assistant
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.8
Number of Job Openings: 45,484
Average Base Salary: $111,376
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.5
2. Software Engineer
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.6
Number of Job Openings: 104,828
Average Base Salary: $98,074
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.3
3. Business Development Manager
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.6
Number of Job Openings: 11,616
Average Base Salary: $94,907
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.5
4. Human Resources Manager
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.6
Number of Job Openings: 8,073
Average Base Salary: $96,443
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.6
5. Finance Manager
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.6
Number of Job Openings: 9,728
Average Base Salary: $122,865
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.4
6. Marketing Manager
(Oh goodness, can you imagine Dwight in marketing? Definitely a recipe for disaster. Anyway...)
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.6
Number of Job Openings: 14,647
Average Base Salary: $100,130
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.4
7. Database Administrator
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.5
Number of Job Openings: 9,790
Average Base Salary: $97,835
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.4
8. Product Manager
(I wonder what the product manager for Stark Industries is like?)
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.5
Number of Job Openings: 10,294
Average Base Salary: $113,363
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.3
9. Data Scientist
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.4
Number of Job Openings: 3,449
Average Base Salary: $104,476
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.8
10. Sales Manager
(This is how I imagine it must feel like being a sales manager: Hating everyone, all the time, because ugh people suck.)
Glassdoor Job Score: 4.4
Number of Job Openings: 26,193
Average Base Salary: $76,556
Career Opportunities Rating: 3.3
Images: Giphy (10)
