Hot Entry-Level Jobs for 2011 and How to Get Them

The labor market at the moment is anything but hot -- in fact expressions like 'on ice' and 'barely alive' seem more apt -- but even dreary situations have bright spots. You just have to look really, really hard. Which is what online training company mindflash.com has done, crunching BLS data along with info from Payscale.com and other sources to find the ten most in-demand jobs in the U.S. in 2011.

Mindflash also appears to understand that finding shelter in these fast-growing professions is often easier said than done without the right training or experience, so their list also explains what skills and qualifications are needed to actually land one of these gigs. For young people still choosing their direction or older workers in search of a new career path, these jobs are worth considering:

Mobile Applications Developer. Training required: bachelor's degree preferred; programming experience in top mobile platforms, including Java ME, Symbian, iOS, and others.
Biomedical Engineer. Training required: license required in all states if you offer public services. Requires a degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program, four years of relevant work experience, and passing a state exam.
Home Health Aid. Training required: to work for agencies that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement, aides must receive formal training and pass a competency test.
Physician Assistant. Training required: Accredited PA training program (up to two years); Become PA certified (optional) by passing the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination.
Software Engineer: Training required: bachelor's degree preferred; programming experience in popular languages like Java, C/C++, PHP, Python, etc.
Environmental Engineer. Training required: license required in all states is you offer public services. Requires a degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program, four years of relevant work experience, and passing a state exam.
HVAC Technician. Training required: six months to two years of vocational career training from accrediting agencies, such as HVAC Excellence.
Financial Analyst. Training required: bachelor's degree preferred; master's degree required for some positions; licensure depends on sector.
Medical Records Technician. Training required: associate's degree; Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT) credential (preferred).
Elementary School Teacher. Training required: bachelor's degree with teaching credential.

For more information on the gigs, including starting salaries (which range from $21,620 to $102,500), projected hiring growth, key skills and information on who's hiring, check out the complete infographic.

And if you're children or engineering-phobic or unhappy with the starting salaries on offer in the Mindflash list, there are other options. AOL Jobs and PayScale.com have also teamed up to compile a list of high-paying entry-level jobs. These will all start you out on at least $40,000 a year, but again they may require significant training and, unlike the Mindflash list are not all necessarily boom industries:

Investment Banking Analyst
Assistant Actuarial Analyst
Junior Tax Associate
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Auditor
Wind Turbine Technician
Health Care Research Analyst
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Analyst
Forensic DNA Analyst
Law Research Associate

Median salaries and more information are available here.
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(Image courtesy of Flickr user isubiker, CC 2.0)

Jessica Stillman

Jessica lives in London where she works as a freelance writer with interests in green business and tech, management, and marketing.

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