What Should I Go Back to School For? 15 Exciting Careers for the Future (2024)

Whether you’ve never been to college or you’ve completed a college degree and want to pursue advanced education, there are many reasons to go back to school.

One of the most popular reasons people decide to go back to school is because they want to change jobs and find themselves in an exciting new career field. Maybe you don't feel fulfilled by the job you currently have, you need new skills for a job search or have reached a ceiling in your current career path. All of these motivations can lead you to go back to college.

However, choosing the right program takes careful consideration, as there are many options for going back to school. If you’re looking for your next career move, let’s look at 15 high-growth careers that will inspire you to go back to school.

15 High-Demand Careers That Make Going Back to School Worth It

If you’re considering investing the time, money and energy into getting a degree, you want to make sure there will be a rewarding career after you graduate. Let’s look at 15 fast-growing, high-paying jobs that are the careers of the future.

According to leading labor market analytics firm EMSI, each of these careers are expecting double-digit growth over the next 10 years.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

• Education:Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing
• Median Salary: $65,811
• Job Growth (2031): 19%

Market research analysts and marketing specialists are responsible for the promotion of a company’s products and services. This may include customer research, advertising campaign development and campaign performance monitoring.

This career is rewarding for both data-driven and creative individuals who enjoy customer psychology and developing persuasive messaging that meets the needs of target audiences.

Nurse Practitioners

• Education: Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
• Median Salary: $111,675
• Job Growth (2031): 43%

Nurse practitioners are responsible for basic and clinical care of individuals with acute and chronic medical conditions. They often work in primary care settings, hospitals or managed care facilities.

You will find it rewarding to become a nurse practitioner if you enjoy helping people, working with people of different ages and are comfortable with applying evidence-based practices to solve patient care problems.

Management Analysts

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Master of Business Administration
• Median Salary: $87,651.20
• Job Growth (2031): 13%

Management analysts are in charge of keeping the costs of a company low by analyzing data, creating reports and making recommendations for policy changes. They are often called upon to evaluate the performance of employees in an organization, and make changes that will improve the process.

You will enjoy being a management analyst if you are intrigued by quantitative and qualitative research that focuses on people-centered problem solving.

Financial Managers

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Management or Master’s Degree in Business Analytics
• Median Salary: $134,181
• Job Growth (2031): 15%

Financial managers are the backbone of an organization's financial planning process. Financial managers assist executive management by leading the assessment of financial performance, strategies and tactics that maximize the efficient utilization of resources in support of approved business objectives.

You will find this job rewarding if you enjoy solving big-picture financial problems supported by detailed data.

Medical and Health Services Managers

• Education:Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
• Median Salary: $104,270
• Job Growth (2031): 28%

Medical and health services managers are responsible for administration of a healthcare facility. They are usually responsible for hiring employees, increasing revenue, and developing strategic plans for the future that improve patient care outcomes.

You will find a career as a medical and health services manager rewarding if you enjoy working with people, helping people, and are comfortable with responsibility. It’s also important that you like working in a team because you will be working with other employees from different departments.

Computer and Information Systems Managers

• Education:Master’s Degree in Information Technology
• Median Salary: $151,154
• Job Growth (2031): 11%

Computer and information system managers focus on the planning, development, and maintenance of computer systems used by an organization. As new technologies and complex information continue to advance, this career will be vital to the success of organizations.

You will succeed as a computer and information systems manager if you have strong technical skills, attention to detail and leadership abilities.

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Software Developers

• Education:Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
• Median Salary: $110,136
• Job Growth (2031): 20%

The role of a software developer is to create computer applications and software systems that interact with end-user systems. Developers both create new applications for computer platforms, as well as maintain and enhance existing applications.

You will excel as a software developer if you’re detail oriented, creative, and enjoy staying current with new technologies.

Information Security Analysts

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity
• Median Salary: $103,584
• Job Growth (2031): 27%

Information security analysts are in charge of security when it comes to the business world. They focus on the protection of an organization's computers, networks and data from internal and external attackers.

You’ll find working as an information security analyst rewarding if you are detail oriented, naturally curious and ​​a strong problem solver.

Training and Development Specialists

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management
• Median Salary: $62,691
• Job Growth (2031): 10%

Training and development specialists are human resource professionals that specialize in the professional development and education of employees. These professionals will develop programs that help employees build a variety of job-specific skills, as well as mandate training in areas of safety and compliance.

You will succeed as a training and development specialist if you have strong interpersonal skills and enjoy teaching others.

Personal Financial Advisors

• Education:Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Planning
• Median Salary: $89,336
• Job Growth (2031): 10%

Personal financial advisors help individuals develop a plan to help them reach their financial goals. They work with clients through individual coaching, life insurance, retirement planning, development of investment strategies and planning for future education of children.

You will find this career rewarding if you have strong interpersonal, organizational and analytical skills.

Data Scientists

• Education:Master’s Degree in Data Analytics
• Median Salary: $98,238
• Job Growth (2031): 27%

Data scientists specialize in extracting meaning from large amounts of data. They write programs that organize and manage data to help identify patterns and relationships between different pieces of data.

You’ll find this career engaging if you enjoy working with computers, have an analytical mindset and are very organized.

Operations Research Analysts

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Operations and Supply Chain Management or Master’s Degree in Business Analytics
• Median Salary: $86,195
• Job Growth (2031): 22%

Operations research analysts are responsible for applying mathematical models and procedures to problems that may involve resources, human performance, or the business environment. They also work with large database sets and ask specific questions to analyze the data.

You will enjoy this career if you enjoy data-driven problem solving that has big-picture business implications.

Public Relations Specialists

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Communication
• Median Salary: $62,816
• Job Growth (2031): 10%

The role of a public relations specialist is to deliver the message of a business to its target market. A public relations specialist is responsible for communicating results of research, developing a product or service, marketing the product or service, and handling consumer complaints.

You will find this career rewarding if you‘re an outgoing person with strong written and spoken communication skills.

Statisticians

• Education:Master’s Degree in Data Analytics
• Median Salary: $92,269
• Job Growth (2031): 30%

Statisticians play a vital role in making sense of the ever-growing amounts of data collected by businesses. They gather, analyze, and interpret data to aid in many business decision-making processes.

You will succeed in this career path if you are detail oriented, mathematically inclined and enjoy problem solving.

Nurse Midwives

• Education:Doctor of Nursing Practice
• Median Salary: $111,134
• Job Growth (2031): 11%

Nurse midwives are responsible for providing pregnant women with prenatal and postnatal care, as well as counseling. They ensure a woman's physical, mental and emotional health throughout the different stages of pregnancy and childbirth.

You will find this career rewarding if you are a natural caregiver who wants to help improve the outcomes of women who choose to become mothers.

How Do I Decide What to Go Back To School For?

There are a multitude of options for college degrees and programs of study. To help you narrow down your choices, take these 5 steps to help determine what you should go back to school for:

• Assess your strengths and weaknesses to determine what programs are a natural fit for your abilities.
• Document financial, work/life, and cultural-fit goals for careers you are considering.
• Determine what you are truly passionate about and can imagine yourself doing every day.
• Ask yourself what your long-term career goals are and how a degree program will help you achieve them.
• Ask your friends, family and peers to provide feedback on what careers they think would be a good fit.

Choose The Right University For Your Goals

Going back to school is an exciting and empowering experience for adults. The key to success is to find a university that’s tailored to your needs as an adult returning to school.

Franklin University offers degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels that can help you reach your career goals. Our commitment to cutting-edge curriculum, student support and career readiness—all in an online format—can help you level up your career.

Learn more about our online degree programs to see if Franklin is the right fit for your needs.