Welcome to the new Energy Central — same great community, now with a smoother experience. To login, use your Energy Central email and reset your password.

This “Hottest” Job isn’t for Those that Fear Heights

Rather than comment further on the unwarranted euphoria over getting the words “fossil fuels” in the final COP28 statement, I’ll finish the week on a positive note. On Monday we’ll return to the massive flaws in the COP process, along with identifying a silver lining or two.

Any idea what the hottest job in America is? The clue is in the headline. If you didn’t correctly identify it, don’t’ feel bad. I wouldn’t have guessed it in a million years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted what they believe will be the fastest growing occupations over the next 10 years. And yes, I realize this is a government entity that probably has no idea what’s really going to happen, but just go with the flow.

The second fastest growing job isn’t a surprise. It’s healthcare related - nurse practitioners. I was involved in the healthcare industry almost a decade ago and there was a shortage of nurses then that still exists today. The BLS believes nurse practitioner jobs will grow 44.5%. Healthcare also accounts for the sixth, seventh, eighth, nineth, and tenth fastest growing occupations.

Data holds the three through five positions. At 35.2% projected growth data scientists is the third hottest job followed by statisticians, and information security analysts.

But #1 is – drumroll please – at a predicted 44.9% growth rate – wind turbine service technicians.

Experienced technicians can earn around $80,000 and a college degree is not required. However, the job may require travel extensively, you will deal with extreme weather conditions, haul 50 pounds of gear up 300-foot ladders, and work in confined spaces.

Entry-level turbine techs earn from $21 to $27 an hour. That’s roughly $50k a year, but the work week is 50 hours. If you’re willing to travel and work overtime, you can expect to make another $30k or more.

Decades ago, becoming an electrician or plumber was a great career path for those that didn’t opt for a college degree. We are still in desperate need for more electricians to grow the solar sector, and now we can add wind turbine technicians to the list of good-paying opportunities for those that don’t wish to amass $200k of student debt.