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It feels good to be wanted, even if it’s by the police. (They are hiring by the way.) But if a career in public service doesn’t glaze your donut, don’t worry. There are plenty of under-saturated job markets in Utah’s hoppin’ economy. (Especially if you speak tech.)
The Department of Workforce Services has slipped us a list of seven of the most in-demand jobs in Utah. Find out the salary you can expect in this busy Beehive State from the May 2017 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates.
See if your degree is in high demand, or plan your next career move as an Industrial Registered Nurse Accountant Computer Administrator. Sounds fun!
1) Mobile App Developer
Median annual salary in Utah: $94,320
Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in computer science or other related field preferred. Master’s degrees are required for some positions. However, as with many tech positions, employers value technical skills more than formal education.
Mobile developers design and create the apps you install on your phone or tablet.
They often have the duty of creating, maintaining and implementing the source code that makes up the application or program. Developers are capable of great things, like changing the dress code of an entire industry from business to very casual. Candidates should have fluency in multiple computer languages and familiarity with database management–system software, program testing software and web platform–development software. Employers will often look for competence in Swift, Objective and Java. Can you hack it? Find a job here.
2) Computer User Support Specialist
Median salary in Utah: $46,740
Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Computer Information Systems. Hands-on experience can be gained through internships and employment. Note that employers value technical skills more than formal education.
I.T. specialists should be patient listeners and enjoy helping people.
I.T. specialists help folks diagnose and fix those obnoxious tech problems that plague us all. They live in the Cloud, and then come to earth on a SIM card to reboot systems and retrieve deleted data. If they can’t fix it, they’ll probably give you permission to throw your computer off the roof.
In their spare time, they enjoy fixing problematic LAN and WAN networks. Familiarity with desktop communications software, database user interface and query software, and web platform development software is a must. They gotta solve complex problems through critical thinking and analysis. I.T. Specialists should be patient listeners and enjoy helping people. Sound like you? Search for jobs here.
3) Network Administrator
Median salary in Utah: $77,600
Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in computer or information science. A degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering can work too. Sometimes a master’s degree is required. Note that employers value technical skills more than formal education.
Admins develop, create and implement networks to meet the needs of the company. They’re responsible for day-to-day operation of LAN networks, WAN networks and intranets. They install and maintain computer hardware and software. They troubleshoot network problems. Intimate knowledge of computers and all their parts (sounds gross) is a must. Familiarity with database management–system software, network-monitoring software, program-testing software is mandatory. They don’t wear shorts, only smarty pants. Think your brain is better than the rest of ours? Then find a job here.
4) Accountants
Median salary in Utah: $62,890
Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree in accounting and/or a master’s degree in science and accounting or taxation. On-the-job or vocational training is desired.
If you enjoy being exasperated by society’s general lack of financial acumen, consider becoming an accountant. With one eye on the law and the other on the books, they look cross-eyed into a company's fiscal future. Accountants prepare, maintain and analyze budgets and then keep track of where all the money goes. Knowledge of tax liability and auditing processes are vital. People skills, like telling the boss that the money set aside for fresh asparagus water is gone, are almost as important as math skills. Can we count you in? Good. Look here.
5) Marketing Managers
Median salary in Utah: $103,330
Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in marketing. Hands-on experience through internships with ad agencies, sales or public relations.
Have you ever thought to yourself, 'People need more stuff and I want to sell it to them'?
Have you ever thought to yourself, “People need more stuff and I want to sell it to them”? Then we’ve got the job for you! Marketing managers formulate strategies to sell products all while managing a budget and overseeing underlings. Must have knowledge of market characteristics and be able to adapt to a quickly changing industry. Should be able to create and implement fresh ad campaigns and then analyze the return on investment. People skills are mandatory, as are knowledge of analytic software and search engine optimization tactics. Look here to be the next Dawn/Don Draper.
6) Industrial Engineers
Median salary in Utah: $83,510
Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.
What do Hershey’s, Disneyland and NASA have in common? They all employ Industrial Engineers. IE’s use math and science to analyze complex systems like factories or space station production lines and try to make them more efficient, saving company money in the process. The best part of being an IE is the broad range of employment opportunities. You’ll never get bored of finding a better way to get the exact amount of almonds in each and every chocolate bar, or finding a way to make the Space Mountain line move faster. You want in? Check it out here.
7) Registered Nurses
Median salary in Utah: $61,470
Education/Experience: Associate Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Medical care centers across the state are having a midwife crisis. There’s a desperate need for nurses of all kinds to help patients in hospitals, nursing homes, emergency rooms and clinics. Nurses administer some medications, treat acute injuries, assist doctors during surgeries and diagnose medical conditions (and much, much more).
Nursing is demanding work but it can be rewarding to care for your fellow humans. Nursing has great job security and opportunities to traverse the country as a travel nurse. Want to give it a shot? Look here.
We wish you the best of luck in finding a career that suits you. Don’t see what you’re looking for in this list? KSL Jobs has thousands of job listings that are updated daily. Click here to get started becoming a bird catcher, a courier, a CEO, a cheese taster...
