Certain IT Jobs Among Fastest Growing in America

Fortune Magazine just published a story on the fastest growing jobs in America, and a few IT professions were fortunate enough to make the grade.

Network systems and data analysts showed up on Fortune’s list as one of the top growing careers. Since network and data administrators build and maintain the systems that connect us to the Internet, Fortune points out that they’re in high demand.

This occupation is the second-fastest growing one in the U.S., according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The future outlook also looks bright for those of you who manage networks and databases. The latest information from the BLS forecasts that jobs in this sector will climb by 53.4 percent to employ an additional 448,000 professionals between 2008 and 2018.

Software engineering was another hot IT career cited by Fortune. The magazine pointed out that those of you in this profession have a variety of paths and options, from designing business software to developing operating systems to creating games to building mobile apps. As a result, the number of software engineers and developers needed by the industry is expected to hit 689,900 by 2018, up from 514,800 in 2008, according to the BLS.

Fortune particularly cited the need for mobile app developers as smartphone users are increasingly looking for more advanced software to run on their portable gadgets.

And finally, though it may not strictly be an IT profession, biomedical engineers will be in the greatest demand over the next several years. Combining the two top sectors of healthcare and technology, this field will be the fastest growing profession, climbing by 72 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the BLS.

People in this occupation can do everything from build artificial organs and pacemakers to refining imaging technology to help doctors better examine patients, Fortune noted. But overall growth in this field will be prompted by the need for new treatments of diseases and the desire by our aging population to stay active.

Beyond these high-tech professions, Fortune also tagged nurses, accountants and auditors, and veterinarians as other fast growing careers.