Boredom-Free Careers

There's nothing boring about these 6 careers.

Bored at work? Instead of going through the motions, consider transitioning to a new career...it might be a healthy choice.

In a 2010 study by University College London, researchers found a possible link between boredom at work and a shorter life expectancy. While researchers said that a boring job alone can't kill you (phew!), they did conclude it can potentially lead to risky habits that pose possible health concerns.

Whether you want to make a career change or are planning for your first job and don't want to be bored at work, we have broken down some of the more interesting career choices by industry.

Keep reading for info on how you can prepare for these interesting careers ...

Business Careers

From marketing to PR to event planning, the business world is full of anything but boring career opportunities. Check out these boredom bashing business careers:

• #1 - Event Planner

  If you like to throw parties, you should think about a career as a convention or event planner. In this career, you probably won't be confined to a cubicle and you'll get a chance to meet new people.

  Education: To pursue this track, one option would be to earn an associate's degree in business administration. According to the Department of Labor, detail-oriented administrative assistants often transition into this career.

  Average Earnings: $48,780*

• #2 - Public Relations Specialist

  Enjoy talking to and communicating with others? A career in public relations (PR) may be for you. Whether you're working for a big or small company, the gig will probably involve communicating your message to the masses, perhaps through the press or social media.

  Education: Many entry-level PR specialists have a bachelor's degree in PR, marketing, or communications, according to the Department of Labor. Courses in advertising, business administration, and journalism can also be helpful.

  Average earnings: $59,150*

Health Care Careers

If you're exploring more interesting career options, look to an industry with real life and death stakes: health care. The timing may be good for transitioning into health care, since it currently features 10 of the 20 fastest growing careers in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Check out these two interesting health care career options:

• #1 - Pharmacy Technician

  Want to avoid a lengthy degree program and still pursue health care opportunities? This career - which can involve interacting with customers, assisting pharmacists, and helping fill prescriptions - generally doesn't need a bachelor's degree to get hired, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

  Education: Requirements vary by state in this career, according to the Department of Labor, which adds that most employers prefer to hire pharmacy techs who have prepared in a career-based program.

  Average earnings: $29,330*

• #2 - Health Services Manager

  Sick and tired of taking orders and want to pursue a job in management? As a health services manager, you'll likely be in charge of a department of a hospital or health care clinic, if not an entire facility.

  Education: Earning a bachelor's degree in health care administration, business administration, or even management could provide a strong foundation and help you pursue more entry-level positions in smaller facilities and departments, according to the Department of Labor. To pursue a manager position, you'll likely need work experience and perhaps even an MBA, according to the Department.

  Average earnings: $93,670*

Technology Careers

Mark Twain once said that if you don't like the weather in New England, wait a few minutes and it will change. It seems like technology is evolving at the same speed these days, making for an always interesting career track. Check out these two exciting career options in IT:

• #1 - Computer Support Specialist

  Helping companies and individuals overcome technical glitches and computer and software problems is the name of the game for computer support specialists.

  Education: Employers usually look for applicants with an associate's degree in IT or a certificate in tech support, according to the U.S. Department, while others may prefer a bachelor's degree. Either way, strong-problem solving skills and the ability to communicate well is also important.

  Average earnings: $49,930*

• #2 - Information Security Analyst

  There is nothing boring about fighting cyber-crime and helping prevent computer security breaches, which is what information security analysts do for a living, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

  Education: Employers generally prefer applicants with a bachelor's degree in an IT-related field like computer science or network administration, according to the Department of Labor, which adds that in some cases work experience and certification may be enough to join this cutting-edge career as well.

  Average earnings: $79,370*

*All average earnings info comes from the U.S Department of Labor using May 2010 national estimates.

Earning Potential Rises for Class of 2011

See which degrees are leading to a boost in income potential for this year's graduating class.

By Chris Kyle

In what can only be good news for the economy, the average starting salary offer for the class of 2011 is on the rise for the first time in three years.

According to a recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the average job offer to a bachelor's degree graduate this year is $50,034, up 3.5 percent over last year.

Hot fields enjoying a boost in starting offers include accounting, finance, business, and computer science.

Keep reading to learn about these degrees and see why they are helping students find work while sparking an economic turnaround:

Hot Degree #1 - Accounting
Average Starting Offer: $49,022*

The recent recession was a financial wake-up call for everyone from Wall Street to Main Street. As a result, accountants are in demand like never before to help balance budgets.

Curriculum: By earning your degree in accounting, you'll learn about generally accepted accounting principles and study courses like statistics, tax planning, auditing, corporate valuation, and accounting for mergers & acquisitions.

Potential Career Paths: Some students choose accounting to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, but an accounting degree can lead to a surprisingly wide range of careers.

According to North Carolina State University's accounting department website, your business card could eventually read accountant, financial analyst, real estate assessor, or even forensic actuary.

Hot Degree #2 - Finance
Average Starting Offer: $50,535

While the study of accounting deals more specifically with the preparation and analysis of financial statements, finance majors focus more intently on the markets and learn about financial portfolios and investments, as well as the money that's needed to start and keep a company afloat. These are skills that corporations need right now.

Curriculum: While working your way toward a degree in finance, you're likely to study courses like macroeconomics, international banking, fixed income securities, investment management, and financial derivatives.

Potential Career Paths: Financial analyst is certainly one occupation that links up well with a finance degree. There are plenty of careers that require financially savvy professionals, including buying, selling and managing commercial real estate, as well as software sales for the financial services industry.

Many finance graduates find positions within the finance departments of firms; with banks, mutual funds, and other kinds of financial institutions; in government; or in a charitable organization, according to the Princeton Review's website.

Hot Degree #3 - Business
Average Starting Offer: $48,089

Today's global economy is a key reason why a business degree is a popular choice for students worldwide. To use just a couple examples, you might study different theories on how to build and operate a business, and learn how to market a whole host of products - as well as how to market yourself.

Curriculum: While getting your business degree, you're likely to build a strong foundation of skills in areas like accounting, communications, economics, finance, leadership, management, and marketing.

Potential Career Paths: Students may choose to enter marketing, sales, operations, or finance. Other possibilities include human resources (HR) and public relations (PR).

According to Washington State University's online business degree program, possible careers include:

• Global logistics and transportation
• Import-export positions
• Multinational product management, advertising, and sales
• Travel and tourism
• International consulting
• Electronic commerce

Hot Degree #4 - Computer Science
Average Starting Offer: $61,783

Computer science plays a huge role in every industry imaginable, from medicine and entertainment to finance and disaster recovery. Though its graduates sometimes work behind-the-scenes, they're often compensated well for their efforts, and companies like Google have changed the way people think about these experts. Computer geeks, as they are often affectionately called, are most definitely chic!

Curriculum: While earning your computer science degree, you'll likely study programming and the principles of computing, data structures and algorithms, information technology (IT), cloud computing, and network systems design.

Potential Career Paths: Common careers for computer science graduates include database and systems analysts, software engineers, and computer programmers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

A computer-related degree is often paired with high starting salary offers, according to a 2010 article in "Network World", an IT-related publication and website. "Here's a tip for incoming and current college students: If you want to have a high-paying job on graduation day, study computer science," said the article.

*All salary information comes from the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Winter 2011 Salary Survey.

How to Criticize Your Boss -- Nicely

Q: How can you tell your senior manager that they use a catch phrase too much in conversation? Phrases like "well obviously," "you know," and, my personal favorite, "to be honest" can cause them to disengage with their audience and diminish their effectiveness as speakers.

San Francisco, California

A: Your concerns are well justified, but you'll want to put a lot of thought into how you approach your manager on this topic. Just as important as what you say to him or her is how you say it. Depending on the relationship you have with your boss as well as the tone you use, it could work to bring you closer or end up causing a rift, say experts.

More from Yahoo! Finance: • World's Billionaires in 2011 • 7 Networking Mistakes • 10 Reasons to Quit Your Job Visit the Career & Work Center

"Any time you are offering unsolicited advice, you run the risk of alienating versus helping," explains Jodie Charlop, founder of Atlanta-based career coaching firm Potential Matters. "It adds to the complexity if there is a power differential."

Timing also matters, says Tracey Trottenberg, a Los Angeles-based leadership trainer, coach, and speaker. "Catch them in a moment when they're more receptive and not racing around or short on time," she recommends. Still, the conversation doesn't have to be long or drawn out, she says. "It can be delivered simply and to the point."

In addition to your tone and timing, you'll also want to consider your motivation. "If you are coming from a place of truly wanting to help [your] manager, then you'll have a higher probability of finding the right words and approach," says Ms. Charlop. But if you're bringing this up with your manager because the habit is driving you nuts, don't let your emotions push you to be too blunt.

[More from WSJ.com: How to Deal With a Bully of a Boss]

It is quite common for people to feel like they need to correct or "fix" others, she says. Often, people justify their actions with the idea that they are helping the person in question. "But the fact is we are judging by our own personal standards," says Ms. Charlop.

When you're ready to bring it up, find a safe setting and ask permission to talk about something that you've observed in your informal conversations. "Share how it is impacting you," says Ms. Charlop. For example, you could say something along the lines of: "Bob, I value your expertise. I've observed in our conversations that you use the catch phrase 'you know' many times in our conversation -- so much, I find it hinders my ability to really hear you." Then, follow it up with a positive. "It's important to me that we have great communication."

[More from WSJ.com: How to Handle Office Politics]

Rather than singling out your manager, try to make him or her a part of a larger class or group, suggests crisis management expert Davia Temin.

Years ago, when Ms. Temin worked as a marketing director for a major investment bank, she was asked by the bank's president to help fix some of the senior managers' poor table manners. Rather than approach the managers directly, Ms. Temin says she hired two men to coach them as a group on communication skills. By Ms. Temin's design, the first meeting was held over breakfast in the corporate dining room and the bankers were handed copies of "Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers." Then, the consultants talked about the importance of table manners, she recalls. "I orchestrated it all, and the message got through."

[More from WSJ.com: How to Get a Raise]

Another approach is to put the onus on you, says Ms. Trottenberg. She suggests saying something along the lines of: "I've been learning about communication and that the fillers we use can make us less effective when we speak. I'm working on eliminating key phrases like 'you know' and a few others, and it might be something you want to do, too. I realize more and more that when someone says 'to be honest,' it can sound like they weren't telling the truth before, so that's definitely one to eliminate."

You could then follow it up by asking your boss his or her thoughts on the subject. "That's clean communication that opens up a discussion for more specific feedback and won't put your manager on the defensive," says Ms. Trottenberg.

Write to Elizabeth Garone at cjeditor@dowjones.com

How To Craft A Successful Career Plan

Career experts share winning strategies that many workers overlook.

By Chris Kyle

Want to get ahead in your career?

Tired of treading water at work?

Looking for professional success?

To help you find your stride at work, we asked career experts to share their best tips on getting to the top.

Keep reading to learn more about successful strategies that many workers overlook...

Career Tip #1 - Slow Down

Instant messenger, iPhone, Twitter. These are tools to help us get what we want, whenever we want it.

As much as we'd like to tell you otherwise, a successful career plan isn't a quick click, tweet, or phone call away. It takes time and patience to develop the proper blueprint.

Deborah Brown-Volkman, a certified career coach in Long Island, New York, says that most people are speeding up in today's fast-paced world when they should be slowing down.

"Many people feel like they want something new and they want it now," Brown-Volkman says. "They hop. They go to a new job and it's no good so when a recruiter calls, they go to another new job."

Brown-Volkman tells clients that they need to take a step back and figure out their long-term vision.

In other words, slow down and take a deep breath. That's our first tip and it's also the first step to putting together a successful career strategy.

Career Tip #2 - Unmask Yourself

Curt Rosengren, a Seattle-based career coach and author of "101 Ways to Get Wild About Work," says that any successful strategy starts from within.

"If you look at the percentage of people who are truly engaged and happy with their work, the statistics are pretty meager," Rosengren says. "For too many people, getting up and going to work is putting on a mask. It's putting on a costume."

Rosengren tells his clients that their long-term success is tied to finding and pursuing their true talent.

"When you are trying to do something that isn't what you're naturally built to do, you may be able to do it well but you're not going to be able to sustain it for nearly as long," Rosengren says. "The quality of your experience is going to be significantly less than something that is in line with who you really are."

"Bottom line: you can never be anyone else half as well as you can be you," Rosengren says.

Career Tip #3 - Focus

In archery there's no way you can hit your target without focusing on it first.

Every other pursuit in life is the same, whether it's archery, accounting, or web design.

This is the stage where you need to focus, says Brown-Volkman. "You need to get clear on what you want."

"It involves some work and perspective and it's not always comfortable to look at yourself, but without having a destination or asking yourself what you want, your plan is not going to be effective."

Brown-Volkman says the number one mistake people make is skipping this step.

When identifying your goals, don't be afraid to get greedy. Think of it as a career wish list.

Already know what you want? Good. You're ready to move on to our next career tip...

Career Tip #4 - Start Planning

Once you understand where it is that you want to go, it's time to plan how to get there.

Rosengren says this may involve taking a class, reading a book, or asking friends and co-workers for advice.

For people experiencing financial hardship, Rosengren recommends pursuing a parallel track.

"I'm not a fan of saying that everything is daisies and tulips and sunshine when things are hard," Rosengren says. "But I'm also not a fan of saying that things are tough now so I have to focus 100 percent of my attention on how to get through this."

Rosengren tells clients to strike the right balance for their plan. "Maybe the vast majority of your time should be focused on getting that next paycheck and there is a percentage of time - maybe it's just 10 percent - that can you use to start moving in the direction that you want to go. That's okay."

Going back to school, whether it's part-time, at night or online, may be a good option for people who want to pursue a new career or promotion without giving up their day job.

Finding the right school or degree program involves the same tips we've talked about. Figure out what you want and then plan how to get there.

Career #5 - Go For It

Congratulations are in order! Yes, yes. We know. You're not at the finish line quite yet, but you've come a long way and there is reason to celebrate getting this far.

You figured out what you want and you put together a plan. Now you need to go for it.

"Here you need to talk to people and network," Brown-Volkman says. "Even if your goal is a promotion, you need to talk to your boss and your co-workers. Ask them how you are coming across. Find out what you need to differently."

If you're introverted or afraid, this step requires a leap of faith.

"Many people have a perception of what other people are going to say," she says. "That holds them back. Most people are their own worst critics."

Just keep in mind that the most important part of this last step is your commitment to seeing it through.

"Don't stop and don't give up," Brown-Volkman says. "Most people don't get what they want because they stop and a lot of times what stops them are their thoughts. But if you have a clear vision and a clear plan and you are implementing your plan on a regular basis, you will be successful and you will get what you want."

Would You Pay $172,200 for This MBA?

Reprinted from PoetsandQuants.com

Sticker shock. The term doesn't only apply to luxury cars and yachts. For most newcomers to the Executive MBA game, one of the early and big surprises is exactly how much the top programs cost.

For all the hand-wringing over the cost of a full-time MBA, it turns out that the most expensive graduate business degrees in the world are not the highly publicized two-year, full-time experiences at places like Harvard and Stanford. Instead, the bulging price tags are on elite part-time programs designed for mid-career executives.

The most costly Executive MBA in the world? It's Wharton's 24-month MBA for executives at its West Coast campus in downtown San Francisco. At a cost of $172,200, students are effectively paying nearly $250 an hour for the pleasure of sitting in a class with 50 other people. That's nearly $100 more per contact hour with faculty than the regular full-time MBAs at Wharton pay. For every one of the roughly 700 hours a Wharton professor teaches Executive MBAs, the school is collecting a tidy $12,300.

Wharton Rakes It In

The second most expensive? It's also Wharton's Executive MBA program, this time on the East Coast, where the tuition and fees now come to $162,300. Those considerable sums compare with the $108,000 in total tuition and fees forked over by the full-time students back on the main Philadelphia campus. Wharton's Executive MBA business alone now brings in more than $35 million in annual revenues, with little more than 400 total students.

Why the Difference In Cost

Why is there such a big difference in the cost of these top-ranked EMBA programs over those at other schools? "It's like anything else, whether you're talking about buying Pepsi or Sam's brand of cola," says Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council, the trade group representing EMBA programs. "There is a value inherently tied to a brand."

In fact, the average cost of an EMBA program, says Desiderio, is only $65,655. "So it's a huge continuum, ranging from a low of $30,000 to a high of $170,000."

Anjani Jain, Wharton's vice dean, MBA Program for Executives, obviously thinks Wharton programs are worth the premium. "The cost of the program, when normalized with respect to the number of contact hours and the inclusion of room and board during program weekends, is actually comparable to that of peer institutions," Jain insists. "Many other EMBA programs have substantially fewer contact hours, or don't include room and board in the base tuition."

Of course, at the high end, as Jain points out, Wharton's program is a premium experience that includes meals, accommodations, and professors who are among the best business faculty in the world. In Philadelphia, execs stay on alternating Friday nights in Wharton's fairly plush executive education residence facility, while in San Francisco, they're put up in at the upscale Hotel Le Meridian in the financial district within walking distance of Wharton's West Coast campus. For another, many business schools believe there is less price sensitivity in a market catering to already successful executives in their mid-to-late 30s who don't have to quit their jobs to get the executive version of the MBA degree.

Executive MBA Programs Tend to Be Costly

No wonder there are now nearly two dozen Executive MBA programs around the world that cost six figures. Increasingly, the most expensive programs feature international excursions for which meals and accommodations are covered (though airfare is not). Duke University's Global Executive MBA program, for example, boasts five residential sessions, with 60% of the classroom time in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It carries a $146,600 price tag that includes lodging and meals. Or there is Trium, a three-way collaborative program among New York University, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris. That program costs $140,000.

Six Figures: World's Most Expensive Executive MBA Programs
School	Tuition & Fees	App Fee
1. Pennsylvania (Wharton), San Francisco, CA	$172,200	$180
2. Pennsylvania (Wharton), Philadelphia, CA	$162,300	$180
3. Northwestern (Kelloggg), Evanston, IL	$153,900	$150
4. Berkeley (Haas)/Columbia, Berkeley, CA & New York, NY	$150,000	$200
5. Columbia Business School, New York, NY	$148,320	$250
6. Duke (Fuqua) Global EMBA, Durham, NC	$146,600	$200
7. London Business School/Columbia, London & New York	$144,156	$260
8. New York (Stern), New York, NY	$144,000	$215
9. Chicago (Booth), Chicago, IL	$142,000	$100
10. Trium: NYU/LSE/HEC, New York, London, Paris	$140,000	None
11. Cornell (Johnson), Ithaca, NY	$138,800	$150
12. IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland	$132,500	$210
13. Michigan (Ross), Ann Arbor, MI	$130,000	$200
14. London/HKU/Columbia, London, Hong Kong, New York	$127,920	$200
15. Kellogg/HK Univ. of Science & Tech, Evanston, IL & Hong Kong	$124,500	$200
16. INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France	$122,400	$270
17. Southern California (Marshall), Los Angeles, LA	$111,000	$150
18. Georgetown (McDonough), Washington, D.C.	$110,000	$175
19. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ	$110,000	$110
20. UCLA (Anderson), Los Angeles, CA	$108,240	$200
21. Pepperdine (Graziadio), Los Angeles, CA	$105,650	$100
22. Cornell/Queens, Ithaca, NY & Kingston, Ontario	$103,680	None
*Source: School websites

What's Driving Up the Costs

One of the biggest trends in Executive MBAs is the spread of global programs, often among schools in different areas of the world. Efforts to give executives a true international experience, sometimes on several continents, have driven up the costs of many of these programs and resulted in novel and unusual partnerships.

One example: The Trium program among New York University's Stern School, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris that includes modules in China and India for $140,000 a pop. More recently, Spain's IE Business School launched a new Executive MBA program with Brown University in Providence, RI., a university with a great brand but no business school. At $95,000, that program is comparatively a bargain.

Just as surprising, even some of the super-premium, super-priced programs aren't all-inclusive. Take INSEAD's Global Executive program in Singapore, France, and Abu Dhabi. Now in its eighth year, the program requires 12 weeks of residential study. But even at a hefty price of $122,400, accommodations and dinners are not included. The same is true of IMD's Executive MBA program, whose students are brought to India, China and Silicon Valley. Even though the program costs $132,500, it fails to include either lodging -- and IMD estimates that the estimated cost of accommodations during the program is more than $27,000.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about these high prices is that over the past ten years, fewer and fewer executives are now sponsored by their companies. So now the executives who enroll in these programs more often than not have to pay their own pay. "When many of these programs were started, most students were fully sponsored and some schools wouldn't accept you unless you had a sponsorship letter," adds Desiderio. "At the 210 schools in our membership today, only 35% of the student population is fully funded. That is a dramatic change from a decade ago. Part of it is just the way companies have changed in how they view reimbursement with so many people moving from company to company. I also think companies have felt the pinch and they may want their employees to have some skin in the game."

Marketing the Program: An Experience with a Hefty Price Tag

At the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, where the Executive MBA program includes stints in London and Singapore, the $142,000 tuition looks steep but a bargain compared to some others. Patty Keegan, associate dean of Booth's EMBA program, says the actual tuition for the executive classes is the same as it is for full-time MBA students. "We don't charge a premium," Keegan insists. The cost of an Executive MBA is higher because "it's what is included in the experience. We package the program as an experience with one price tag."

No matter how you cut it, these are expensive experiences. The question is, are they worth it?

Family inherits fortune generations later

Want to avoid raising spoiled kids?

Consider the Wellington Burt School of Wealthy Parenting.

Wellington R. Burt was a rich timber baron from Saginaw, Mich. He died in 1919 with a multimillion-dollar fortune -- one of America's largest at the time.

© The Saginaw News/AP

Wellington R. Burt

Yet rather than risk messing up his kids lives with a huge inheritance, he created an unusual will.

He stated that his fortune would be distributed to the family -- but only 21 years after his grandchildren's death.

[More from WSJ.com: Avoiding Stumbles With 'Living' Trusts]

His children and grandchildren weren't entirely deprived. Burt gave his "favorite son" $30,000 a year but the rest of his children got allowances roughly equal to those he gave his cook and chauffeur, according to the Saginaw News.

"I'm pretty sure he didn't like his family back then," said Christina Cameron, an heir and a great-great-great grandchild of Burt's.

Now that it's 21 years since the death of the last grandchild, the fortune is finally being turned over to Cameron and 11 others, including three great-grandchildren, seven great-great grandchildren and another great-great-great grandchild. The fortune is valued at more than $100 million. (She'll get a little more than $2.6 million, since those further up the family tree get more under a master agreement).

[More from WSJ.com: How to Help Grandkids]

Saginaw County Chief Probate Judge Patrick McGraw said the estate is "one of the most complicated research projects" he's faced in his 12-year career in Saginaw.

Of course, skipping a generation is not unusual among rich parents who want to send a message to their kids (but somehow not their grandkids). Generation-skipping trusts and other estate-planning structures have been around for ages.

[More from WSJ.com: Is Donating to Charity Still OK?]

But Burt's will takes kid-skipping to a new, almost punitive level. Who knows, maybe his kids and grand-kids were better off for the lack of inheritance, or maybe the money would have allowed them to lead fuller, happier lives. We'll never know. It would be interesting to compare the lives of his new heirs with those who were shut out.

What do you think of Burt's School of Parenting?

Jobs For People Who Want To Make An Impact

See great-paying career options for ambitious people who want to make a difference.

By Chris Kyle

Want a career that lets you make an impact...without going broke?

There's nothing wrong with wanting to get paid to make a difference.

Having a career that lets you help others is one way to have an impact. Being in a position to make significant changes is yet another possibility. So is working in management.

As you can see, there are many ways to channel your ambition and make a difference, so finding the right career may depend on what suits you and your personality best.

[Want to make an impact? Find schools now.]

With that in mind, check out our list of careers that pay you to make a difference...then see how you can get the job.

Career #1 - Marketing Manager

Want to make an impact in the business world? Marketing managers promote their product to the public and the results have a profound effect on a company's bottom line, making them critical, game-changing players.

Education: Studying marketing or business administration is the best way to get started, but often a bachelor's degree isn't enough. To break into management, many people earn an MBA as well.

Salary: $120,070

[Search for Marketing and Business degree programs]

Career #2 - Paralegal

In the legal world, the difference between winning and losing usually happens long before a case goes to trial and more often than not there's a paralegal who is a pivotal player in that process. Working alongside lawyers, paralegals have a huge behind-the-scenes role, analyzing cases and researching and interviewing witnesses.

Education: An associate's degree in paralegal studies can prepare you to become a paralegal. If you already have a degree, you can earn a certificate in paralegal studies in as little as six months.

Salary: $50,080

[Find Paralegal schools near you]

Career #3 - Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

CPAs are among the very few people who actually understand the tax code, let alone the new federal banking regulations that Congress just passed. And unlike unlicensed accountants, CPAs can file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), making them an influential ally of public companies registered with the SEC.

Education: The road to becoming a CPA varies, depending upon the state in which you practice, but the minimum requirement is generally a bachelor's degree in an area like accounting or finance.

Salary: $48,468 - $73,440

[Search for Accounting degree programs now]

Career #4 - HR Manager

HR managers are the gatekeepers to companies large and small. Not only do HR managers actively work to recruit and retain the best workers, their efforts have a huge impact in shaping a company's culture.

Education: Going to business school is a good investment for aspiring HR managers. A bachelor's degree is required and many managers also have an MBA.

Salary: $105,510

[Find Business schools now]

Career #5 - Computer Programmer

As a computer programmer, your co-workers might not fully understand what you do for a living, but they do understand that you're an invaluable part of today's digital world. Using computer languages like C++ and Python, programmers write the code that powers ideas to life.

Education: To attract employers, you'll want to demonstrate your expertise with a technology-related degree, whether it's an associate's or bachelor's. Certificate programs are another great resumé builder.

Salary: $74,690

[Find Technology degree programs]

Career #6 - K-12 Teacher

When talking about making an impact, it's impossible to overstate the difference teachers make in the lives of their students. By simply doing your job, you'll be reaching the next generation and helping map their futures.

Education: You'll need a bachelor's degree and your teacher certification. Earning a master's degree can also help.

Salary:
Elementary School Teachers: $53,150
Middle School Teachers: $53,550
Secondary School Teachers: $55,150

[Search for Teaching programs]

Career #7 - Database Administrator

Unlike in the past, finding information isn't the problem these days. The tough part is figuring out how to sort and make sense of it all. Enter database administrators, who are often charged with safeguarding data from hackers and computer meltdowns.

Education: Employers want to hire database administrators who have a bachelor's degree in an area like information systems or database technology. Earning a master's degree can increase your opportunities.

Salary: $74,290

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'Austerity,' 2010 Word of the Year

AP – In this Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010 photo, the word 'austerity' is shown on an index card file at dictionary …

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – As Greece faced a debt crisis, the government passed a series of strict austerity measures, including taxes hikes and cutting public sector pay.

The move sparked angry protests, strikes and riots across the country as unemployment skyrocketed and the crisis spread to other European nations. The move also incited a rush to online dictionaries from those searching for a definition.

Austerity, the 14th century noun defined as "the quality or state of being austere" and "enforced or extreme economy," set off enough searches that Merriam-Webster named it as its Word of the Year for 2010, the dictionary's editors announced Monday.

John Morse, president and publisher of the Springfield, Mass.-based dictionary, said "austerity" saw more than 250,000 searches on the dictionary's free online tool and came with more coverage of the debt crisis.

"What we look for ... what are the words that have had spikes that strike us very much as an anomaly for their regular behavior," Morse said. "The word that really qualifies this year for that is 'austerity'."

Runners-up also announced Monday included "pragmatic," "moratorium," "socialism," and "bigot" — the last word resulted from public uses by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former CNN host Rick Sanchez and former NPR senior analyst Juan Williams.

Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, said this year's top 10 words were associated with a news event or coverage, which editors believe resulted in prolonged jumps in searches.

"Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint the searches on one particular news event, but typically that is what sparks people's curiosity in a word," Sokolowski said.

For example, "socialism" was searched, editors believe, because of coverage around federal bailouts and Democratic-backed federal health care legislation. And editors noticed that "pragmatic" was looked-up a number of times after midterm elections.

According to Morse, the dictionary's online website sees more than 500 million searches a year — with most of those being usual suspects like "effect" and "affect." But he said words selected for the dictionary's top 10 were words that had searches hundreds of thousands of out-of-character hits.

Also making the top ten list was the word "doppelganger." Sokolowski said the word saw a jump in searches after George Stephanopoulos of ABC's "Good Morning America" called "Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert "Julia Roberts' doppelganger." Roberts played Gilbert in the book's film adaptation and resembles the writer.

"Doppelganger" was also used in the popular television show, "The Vampire Diaries."

"Sometimes, that all it takes," Sokolowski said.

Words "shellacking," "ebullient," "dissident," and "furtive" also made this year's top list.

Allan Metcalf, an English professor at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., and author of "OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word," said the list of words shows how the country is evolving because the public is looking up words that used to be very common.

"Around 20 to 30 years ago, everyone would know what 'socialism' was," said Metcalf, who is also executive secretary of the American Dialect Society. "Same with bigot. That fact that they have to be looked up says something about us."

That's true with some words like "shellacking," said Jenna Portier, an English instructor at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. Although Merriam-Webster editors said searches for the word spiked after President Barack Obama said he and his party took "a shellacking" from voters in midterm election, Portier said the word is very common in southern Louisiana. "Where I'm from, it means to varnish something like wood," Portier said.

Shana Walton, a languages and literature professor also at Nicholls State University, said she understands how news events maybe influenced the dictionary's list.

"If 'moratorium' is one of the most looked-up words, that's clearly a reflection of how often the word was used in the wake of the BP oil spill," said Walton, a linguistic anthropologist who is doing research on oil and land in south Louisiana. "Many people in south Louisiana expressed much more outrage about the moratorium, frankly, than about the spill."

Metcalf said the American Dialect Society will release its "Word of the Year" winner in January, but it's selected by the group like Time's Person of the Year.