Best jobs for fast growth

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13. Software Dev. Engineer, Test

best jobs, fast growing, systems administrator
Median pay: $83,400
Top pay: $114,000
10-year job growth: 13%
Total jobs: 90,000
The job: As companies upgrade their technologies to stay competitive, there are more IT jobs available than almost any other area. Software engineers design, develop and debug many types of software from games and iPhone apps to entire operating systems, and that makes you a valuable commodity in this job market.

How to switch: It's not the easiest field to break into since most job applicants should have a degree in computer science, software engineering or mathematics as well as strong programming and coding skills. But those who fit the bill are highly sought after.

Quality of life ratings:
Personal satisfaction Benefit to society Low stress Flexibility
B B C A

By Jessica Dickler, Anne C. Lee and Greg Swiatek

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Do Software Development Engineers have great jobs, or what?
From the November 2011 issue
Notes: All pay data from PayScale.com. Median pay is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in the field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile. Job growth is estimated for 2008-18. Total current employment level is estimated number of people working in each specific job.

Sources: PayScale.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and MONEY research
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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. More

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