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- Some jobs typically need an associate’s degree, such as respiratory therapists.
- That occupation makes above the median annual wage and is projected to see 31,100 new jobs from 2020 to 2030.
- The following are 20 jobs that are projected to grow over the decade, pay at least the median annual wage, and typically require an associate’s degree.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 2,300
Median annual wage in May 2020: $58,230
On-the-job training:None
19. Radiation therapists
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 1,600
Median annual wage in May 2020: $86,850
On-the-job training: None
18. Broadcast technicians
Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 3,200
Median annual wage in May 2020: $43,570
On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training
17. Avionics technicians
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 2,100
Median annual wage in May 2020: $67,840
On-the-job training: None
16. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 2,800
Median annual wage in May 2020: $57,320
On-the-job training: None
15. Chemical technicians
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 3,300
Median annual wage in May 2020: $49,820
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
14. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 3,600
Median annual wage in May 2020: $46,850
On-the-job training: None
13. Medical equipment repairers
Arctic-Images/Getty Images
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 3,900
Median annual wage in May 2020: $51,610
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
12. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
Monty Rakusen/Getty Images
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 3,400
Median annual wage in May 2020: $74,690
On-the-job training: None
11. All other calibration technologists and technicians and engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 4,100
Median annual wage in May 2020: $64,190
On-the-job training: None
This is a catchall title that includes calibration technologists and technicians and photonics technicians.
10. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 4,700
Median annual wage in May 2020: $59,100
On-the-job training: None
9. All other life, physical, and social science technicians
Tom Werner/Getty Images
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 5,800
Median annual wage in May 2020: $52,460
On-the-job training: None
This is a catchall title that includes quality control analysts and remote sensing technicians.
8. Computer network support specialists
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 14,200
Median annual wage in May 2020: $65,450
On-the-job training: None
7. Occupational therapy assistants
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 15,600
Median annual wage in May 2020: $62,940
On-the-job training: None
6. Diagnostic medical sonographers
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 14,400
Median annual wage in May 2020: $75,920
On-the-job training: None
5. Radiologic technologists and technicians
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 18,300
Median annual wage in May 2020: $61,900
On-the-job training: None
4. Dental hygienists
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 23,100
Median annual wage in May 2020: $77,090
On-the-job training: None
3. Respiratory therapists
Mary Ann Chastain/AP
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 31,100
Median annual wage in May 2020: $62,810
On-the-job training: None
2. Physical therapist assistants
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Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 33,200
Median annual wage in May 2020: $59,770
On-the-job training: None
1. Paralegals and legal assistants
Worawee Meepian/Shutterstock
Projected new jobs between 2020 and 2030: 41,400
Median annual wage in May 2020: $52,920
On-the-job training: None
How we ranked the above occupations
Some jobs typically need an associate’s degree, such as paralegals or physical therapy assistants.
Insider was interested in looking at jobs that not only pay at least the median annual wage but are projected to grow over the decade. To do this, we took the geometric mean of median annual wages in 2020 and projected employment growth from 2020 to 2030. Both of these datasets come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We focused on jobs that are projected to see employment growth over the decade and that pay at least $41,950, or the median annual wage in 2020 per BLS data.
After ranking that list based on the geometric mean, where a higher value meant a higher spot in the ranking, we filtered out jobs so only those that typically need an associate’s degree for entry were left. This educational requirements data is also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The above occupations are all ones that typically require an associate’s degree, are projected to see some kind of growth over the decade, and pay at least $41,950.
We also included on-the-job training for each occupation. Many of the 20 jobs above, however, don’t require on-the-job training. BLS writes that those that don’t need this kind of training mean “there is no additional occupation-specific training or preparation typically required to attain competency in the occupation.”
The most recent employment projections use 2020 as the base year, when the pandemic devastated employment across industries in the US. That means the employment projections were also affected.
“Many industries are expected to experience cyclical recoveries in the earlier part of the projections decade as industry output and employment normalize, returning to their long-term growth patterns,” BLS wrote in a news release. “Projected robust growth for industries in which employment fell in 2020 also is projected to result in strong growth for the occupations employed by those industries.”
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