If you haven't settled on a career yet, this interactive chart from Rasmussen College can help you find the best options. It organizes occupations into four quadrants based on salary, expected job growth, and number of opportunities available.


The chart looks confusing at first, since it's a bunch of dots spread on a grid, but the data visualization is actually very smart. The higher the dot is placed on the vertical axis, the higher the median annual salary (that top spot belongs to anesthesiologists, by the way). The farther to the right the dot is on the horizontal axis, the more opportunities there are, based on total number of people employed in that occupation for 2011. And the color of the dot represents how much the occupation is growing (or declining).

The data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of April 2013). You can find out more about each occupation by clicking on the dot.


Naturally, your skills and interests should inform your career decision, but an occupation's salary and other economic factors also are important. Rasmussen College's What Career Is Right for Me? page is a good guide that covers all of these considerations.

Check out the chart yourself via the link below.

What Career Should I Choose? | Rasmussen College