BUSINESS

Take a look at the top 100 careers with big growth, great pay, and satisfying work. Spoiler alert! No artists. No teachers. And no geographers. (CNN Money)

Why isn’t “geographer” on that list?!

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• Before diving in to the list “top jobs,” consider the source of the information. What aspects of a job do you think CNN Money and PayScale valued most in their evaluation of a “good” job?
  • Money and pay, clearly! The list also evaluated job growth, personal satisfaction, benefit to society, the ability to telecommute, and stress level. These are all important factors to consider when choosing or evaluating a career.

• What other aspects of a job might you evaluate when making a list of the “best jobs”?
  • Some aspects might include:
    • amount of critical thinking allowed
    • benefit to, or impact on, the local, regional, or global community
    • environmental impact
    • ability to travel
    • ability to work outdoors
    • how the job allows you to interact with other people
    • where the job is physically located
    • academic or licensing background required
    • intellectual skills required
    • physical skills required
    • whether or not you wear a uniform
    • hours demanded
    • diversity of the work environment

Without further ado . . .

• 1. Software Architect
  • Software architects are managers who outline a design plan for computer programs and systems.
  • Learn how software developer and Nat Geo Emerging Explorer Ken Banks is changing the world—one text message at a time.

• 2. Video Game Designer
  • Possibly the job with the highest “cool factor” on the list—get your video game career started by learning to code!

• 3. Landman
  • A landman is a person who negotiates leases between energy companies and landowners. Companies that value land for mineral, petroleum, or gas reserves may use landmen. Increasingly, companies that value land as potential sites for wind or solar farms may also use landmen to negotiate with landowners.

• 4. Patent Agent
  • Patent agents look at inventions and decide if they should be patented. Use this activity to learn more about patents and intellectual property rights.

• 5. Hospital Administrator
  • Hospital administrators juggle the priorities of medical professionals, patients, and staff. Use our collection to explore the broad subject of health care.

• 6. Continuous Improvement Manager
  • Continuous improvement managers identify goals that make a company more efficient, teach employees how to work toward those targets, and review how well these practices are embedded in the culture. Watch these videos to better understand how geographic competency helps inform “continuous improvement” business models.

• 7. Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • These nurses work closely with other nurses and staff on complex or high-risk patients. Learn more about nurses and their importance to the health care community here.

• 8. Database Developer
  • Database developers make sure companies can access all data they’ve collected from customers, by coming up with ways to organize it all into something that makes sense. Get a head-start on some basic database development with these graphic organizers.

• 9. Information Assurance Analyst
  • Information assurance analysts are cyber-security experts who determine how to make information easily available to those who need it, while keeping it out of the wrong hands. Listen to a former CIA director share his experience about the current state of cyber-security and the need for information assurance.

• 10. Pilates/Yoga Instructor
  • The mindful debate—yoga or Pilates? Let Nat Geo help sort it out for you.

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

CNN Money: Best Jobs in America

Nat Geo: Geography—What Do You Do with That?

Nat Geo: Real-World Geography—Explore Cool Careers