Jobs and Internships by Geographic Areas
Want to know in which geographic location your major of study is most desired? The following gives an overview of the most in-demand jobs and internships in the four main regions of the United States: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West.
Northeast
As defined by the Census Bureau, the Northeast region of the United States covers nine states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. (Some unofficial classifications of the region add Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, and West Virginia to the Northeast region.) In the Northeast, the occupations (requiring a bachelor's degree or higher) projected to grow the fastest during the 2002-2012 time period are in Healthcare, Computer/Information Sciences, and Business Administration. For example, physician assistants and physical therapists are in high demand in this region, as well as, network systems analysts, computer software engineers, and computer systems administrators. Moreover, if you are a general business, accounting, or finance major, you should have good luck finding a job in the Northeast region because, on average, the demand for personal finance advisors should increase 44% by the year 2012. For those of you majoring in the arts, specifically performing arts, it's a good idea to migrate to the major metropolitan area of the Northeast region: New York City.
South
The Census Bureau defines the southern region of the United States as being made up of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. From 2002 to 2012, occupations in Healthcare, Education, and Engineering are projected to grow the fastest in the South region. Specifically, careers as physician assistants, special education teachers, and environmental engineers. Occupations in Computer/ Information Sciences are expected to grow at a high rate as well. For instance, information technology jobs in Florida, Texas, and Virginia are among the hot spots for growth. There is also a projected increase in the wholesale and retail trade industry for the South; good news for those of you majoring in retail/merchandising.
Midwest
The Midwest region comprises the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. For the Midwest region, the projected fastest-growing careers for the 2002-2012 time period are in Healthcare, Computer/Information Sciences, Engineering, and Architecture. In addition to the Northeast and South regions, physician assistants and network systems analysts are and will continue to be in high demand in this region. Demand for engineers is high as well, especially industrial, environmental, and agricultural engineers (agriculture is very important in the Midwest, specifically in the Dakotas). For those of you majoring in architecture, look for high hiring activity in Kansas, Nebraska, and Ohio.
West
The states included in the western region of the United States are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The fastest growing occupations in the West region are in Healthcare, specifically in pharmaceutical sciences. The demand for pharmacists is projected to increase 50% by the year 2012. Look for very high demand in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Careers in Computer/Information Sciences and Education are also growing as a fast rate in this region. The outlook is especially good for those of you who would like to be network systems analysts and postsecondary teachers. Hiring activity is also likely to be strong in the finance, insurance, and real estate industries. Similar to the Northeast region, if you are majoring in performing arts, know that there are more entertainment opportunities in the major metropolitan area of the West region: Los Angeles, CA.
Information gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau and Career InfoNet.
Posted: 3/2/2006