A Snapshot of the Top 50 Jobs in Indiana

Indiana's Department of Workforce Development has released a list of the top fifty jobs in the state based on several statistical factors for both long and short term job growth and salary growth. The figures were laid out in detail recently at a breakfast in Fort Wayne for high school guidance counselors hosted by ITT Technical Institute. "Many of those careers, we offer associate or bachelor degrees in that area," says Fort Wayne ITT Tech Director of Marketing Sandra Cockrell.

It's a blend of projected employer needs and the rate at which salaries in the field have been growing; the survey also provides educational requirements for each position. We rummaged through the list looking for positions that 1) show sustained growth potential, and 2) don't require an enormous investment in preparation or education. While these are state statistics, they are a fairly accurate reflection of the national job market.

The top three positions are all computer and technology jobs that require a bachelor's degree but have an enormous range of business sectors where those skills can be put to use. They are for software engineers, data system analysts and network analysts.

Ranked at #6 in the state and #1 in several regions of the state are registered nurses. Nursing school graduates can sit for the licensing exam with an associate degree and in Indiana, work towards a salary in excess of $50,000. This is a wide open job market that is just going to continue growing.

Ranked #4 across the state for growth is the dental hygienist career. This field requires an associate's degree, although there are bachelor's programs now being offered. It pays well, and many in the field work in multiple dentists' offices doing their own scheduling. The #14 job in the state is dental assistant, a career that is available to people with an associate's degree, a certificate or in some cases develops through on the job training.

Dropping down to the midway point at #24 we find the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) career, also called LVN, or Licensed Vocational Nurse. This job requires some degree of vocational training, usually provided through a certificate or diploma program. The median salary range is about $36,000 in Indiana; the job opportunities are found in a variety of locations that include hospitals, nursing homes, in-home service agencies and clinics.

In Indiana law enforcement jobs rank #36 on the list, with the educational requirements often met at a police academy after being accepted for the position. However many agencies consider people with an associate's degree in police science or criminal justice to be the best candidates; moreover, this survey does not take the federal positions available through the Department of Homeland Security into account. There is certainty associated with this field; law enforcement jobs are never going to become obsolete.

There are multiple occupations in the construction field that pay well and for which there is usually a marketplace. Several of these professions - plumber, electrician, and carpenter - provide on-the-job training, but it's provided through formal apprentice programs that usually last four years. You get paid to learn the profession, but it's a long stretch to journeyman status.