The advent of technology in online education has strong ties to the role of technology in the workforce. Check out these 10 emerging fields of study that have come into existence, or taken on new significance, in this decade's education evolution.
1. Forensic Nursing
With crime and forensics-related education programs experiencing huge enrollment boosts, it's no surprise that this swell of interest translates to nursing. According to an International Association of Forensic Nurses survey, members' potential earnings can be as much as $55-$300 per hour to care for victims of negligence, abuse, or violent crimes.
2. Game Art and Design
Today's gamers want detailed characters and storylines, lifelike action, competitive graphics, and an endless palette of features and options. In the same way that the Internet connects gamers around the world, it demands that the game design professional bring world-class skills to the table.
3. Holistic Health and Nutrition
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growing emphasis on disease prevention has sparked an increase in job opportunities in nutrition, fitness, and other health-related careers. This upward momentum has boosted salary potential as well, with food scientists and technologists bringing in an average of $50,840 in 2004.
4. Natural Resource Management
While Al Gore has made many of us aware that global warming is an inconvenient truth, environmental awareness in the public eye is certainly a convenient truth for natural resource management professionals. Learning how the world's living systems function and ways they can be better managed is a skill set that is only gaining viability over time.
5. Digital and Graphic Design
Art and technology intersect in the graphic design world, and applications have never been broader, with marketing agencies, corporations, and even small-time business owners becoming increasingly dependent on the Internet to reach consumers.
6. Criminal Justice
The popularity of television shows like "CSI" and "Law & Order" has given birth to a generation of students enamored with the cutting-edge technology used to achieve justice. In fact, a recent National Research Center for College and University Admissions survey cited high school students ranking criminal justice 11th out of nearly 70 occupations.
7. IT Networking and System Management
Networking has become the backbone of a company's ability to function, with every component of communication, data storage, record-keeping, and security being intertwined. Managing that ball of cyber-string can come with big rewards -- recent reports cite the average earnings of a Cisco-certified IT professional as just under $60,000.
8. Homeland Security
Because of the threat of terrorism, the U.S. Department of Labor is predicting that the employment of security management personnel will grow faster than all other occupations. Professionals in increasingly high demand include those with knowledge of investigative services, surveillance systems, and risk management training.
9. Information Technology Security
According to MATRIX Resources, one of the nation's top IT staffing firms, managers are putting a high priority on security and data recovery professionals. Though most IT fields saw a pay increase of 3.1 percent in 2006, those demanding the hottest skill sets -- with security at the top of the list -- saw increases of up to 4 and 5 percent.
10. Executive Coaching
In 2002, the Harvard Business School Journal indicated that employers are willing to pay fees ranging from $1,500 to $15,000 a day for executive coaching. With applicability in any business setting, executive coaching provides established business professionals the opportunity to increase overall effectiveness.
Copyright 2007 ClassesUSA.com. All rights reserved. ClassesUSA, one of the Web's leading higher-education portals, enables professionals to find an online or career-specific, campus-based degree or certificate program best suited to advancing their personal and professional goals.
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