The top 10 emerging careers in the United States for college graduates in 2017 are:

10. Management analysts

SKILL SET: ACTIVE LISTENING, READING COMPREHENSION, SPEAKING, CRITICAL THINKING, COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING

"We are pretty much in every industry. I have clients in education, government, manufacturing and restaurants. I think what is changing is that people are realizing that the approach is important. Companies are looking for people with different skill sets. It's important to have statistical skills, but emotional intelligence is crucial. If they don't have the people piece, they won't be as successful." — Tracy O'Rourke, Managing Partner and Executive Advisor, GoLeanSixSigma.com

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 639,679

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 733,772

PERCENT CHANGE: +15

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $39.87

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $81,320

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $150,220

9. Meeting, convention and event planners

SKILL SET: ACTIVE LISTENING, HIGH-LEVEL ORGANIZATION, INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING

"A trend we are seeing in the field is no longer just people with titles like 'meeting and event planner.' Now you have jobs with the title of 'experience designer.' It's much more than simply a meeting and event—you are really trying to create an experience. We are elevating the way we approach our work—going beyond just logistics to how you are going to touch the minds and hearts of the attendees." — Annette Gregg, Regional Senior Vice President, AlliedPRA

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 90,610

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 104,727

PERCENT CHANGE: +16

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $23.07

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $46,840

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $82,050

8. Information security analysts

SKILL SET: CRITICAL THINKING, READING COMPREHENSION, COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING, SPEAKING, ACTIVE LISTENING

"The field is changing very quickly for the very simple reason that new devices keep coming into the market. Each of these products is a gateway into you. There are still attacks on unprotected software and operating systems like before, but now we're also dealing with data breaches on personal devices and the internet of things. Many things we used to only see in the movies are becoming reality." — Arun Khan, Open Source Technologist, Consultant 

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 92,076

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 109,981

PERCENT CHANGE: +19

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $43.77

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $90,120

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $143,770

7. Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors

SKILL SET: ACTIVE LISTENING, JUDGMENT, INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, SPEAKING AND READING COMPREHENSION

"The field is changing pretty dramatically with the marriage of mental health care with substance abuse issues. It used to be very separate. Now people realize the cause of substance abuse is a combination of elements and that mental health issues have a lot of influence. Where you find one, 60 percent of the time you will find the other." — Laurian Cornia, Addictions Counselor/Supervisor, Naval School of Health Sciences 

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 89,516

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 107,657

PERCENT CHANGE: +20 

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $19.51

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $39,980

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $63,030 

6: Market research analysts and marketing specialists

SKILL SET: READING COMPREHENSION, ACTIVE LISTENING, COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING, CRITICAL THINKING AND DECISION MAKING

"Social media has created many new opportunities, specifically in data analytics. These days you need a deep understanding of your customer demographics and even psychographics. This means not just collecting data on who your customer is, but also what makes them tick. What are their hobbies? What keeps them up at night? That is another huge area of market research." — Sashi Whitman, Founder, Affinite Magazine 

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 526,446

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 638,019

PERCENT CHANGE: +21

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $30.72

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $62,150

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $120,460 

5. Software developers, applications

SKILL SET: COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING, PROGRAMMING, SYSTEMS ANALYSIS, JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING

"It's an exciting time for new developers. They have an easier time getting in the field as well as more choices regarding the tools and languages they want to use. We have more programming choices, more languages and more open source than ever before. Gone are the days of the lone-star programmer. Software development today is about working as part of an agile team." — Kent Yang, Senior Technical Manager, G2 Software Systems

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 774,712

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 948,527

PERCENT CHANGE: +22 

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $48.09

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $98,260

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $153,710 

4. Computer systems analysts

SKILL SET: COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, ANALYTICAL THINKING, COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING

"I think analysts today are more specialized. In the commercial world, it's all about collecting data—big data. In a sense, the term, analyst, is becoming outdated. Data scientist is a more up-to-date career path. Before, I would rely on my experience in the field to do the data analysis. Now data scientists are using algorithms and tools instead. It is more automated and more specialized." — Kun Chap, Senior Principal System Engineer, Leidos 

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 574,613

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 705,594

PERCENT CHANGE: +23

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $41.78

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $85,800

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $135,450

3. Personal financial advisors

SKILL SET: FINANCIAL ACUMEN, STRATEGIC THINKING, ACTIVE LISTENING, INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND READING COMPREHENSION

"When I first got in the industry, it was commission and sales driven. Now it's ever more important for people coming into the industry that they be better stewards of their client's interests. We can be held liable for not recommending the most appropriate thing for the client. It forces people in the industry to work on a more professional level." — Matt Anderson, Financial & Tax Advisor, Reason Financial

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 207,048

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 260,865

PERCENT CHANGE: +26

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $44.19

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $89,160

75^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $153,320

2. Operations research analysts

SKILL SET: HIGH-LEVEL MATH KNOWLEDGE, COMPUTER SKILLS, ANALYTICAL THINKING

"If you have data science and cybersecurity experience, you are a unicorn. You are in high demand and you are hard to find. Major in STEM (short for science, technology, engineering and math) and focus on mathematics and computer science. They are the building blocks for data science, cybersecurity, and of late, artificial intelligence." — Philip Koo, Scientist/LSS Black Belt, SPAWAR Systems Center, Pacific

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 101,944

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 130,872

PERCENT CHANGE: +28

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $38.37

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $78,630

90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: $132,500

1. Interpreters and translators

SKILL SET: NATIVE-LEVEL LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, ACTIVE LISTENING, SPEAKING AND READING COMPREHENSION

"In the internet age, most interpreting is done via video conferencing. It's easier to hire me sitting in my kitchen in Barcelona than it is to fly me someplace. Presenting in front of a camera is much different than in person. The art of public speaking is another key skill for interpreters now. They have to be able to do the speech like the speaker would and even better." –Teri Newman, Director, Medical Connections GmbH

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2016): 52,015

EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY (2026): 67,985

PERCENT CHANGE: +31

MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS: $21.90

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY: $44,190

TOP 90^TH PERCENTILE SALARY: 78,520