FAQ and sources
How we picked the Best Jobs
- Using Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts for 7,000 titles, MONEY and compensation experts PayScale.com identified jobs requiring a bachelor's degree that have strong growth prospects, and eliminated any with fewer than 10,000 positions nationwide, plus those requiring advanced degrees that take more than three years.
- Cut jobs with median pay below $50,000 for experienced workers ($40,000 for the "Save the World" and "Wind Down" categories).
- Incorporated quality-of-life data from a PayScale.com survey of more than 300,000 workers.
- Applied specific criteria for each category, such as prevalence of flextime, telecommuting, and on-site day care; former military as a percentage of staff; and the number of workers over 40.
- Interviewed industry experts and career changers to finalize the list.