If you’re thinking about a new career, you probably want to consider the potential for growth of the industry and in the job itself. LinkedIn reviewed salary data and job openings to rank 20 jobs with the most potential for growth in 2017.


LinkedIn looked at their own data to come up with the list, explaining their methodology:

Job rankings were based on a weighted score across five areas: salary, career advancement, number of job openings in the U.S., year-over-year growth in job openings, and widespread regional availability. We looked at data from member profiles, job openings and salaries to rank the best jobs for career opportunity. If the scores were tied, we ranked the title with the most open job listings higher.


In short, they considered salary, availability, and potential for advancement. They also looked at the most in-demand skills for that industry. Based on this information, the top five jobs with the highest potential for growth were:

1. Hospitalist

Median Base Salary: $222,000

Job Openings (YoY Growth): 1,000+ (87%)

Career Advancement Score (out of 10): 6.0

Top Skills: Healthcare Management, Inpatient Care, Electronic Medical Record, Patient Safety, Internal Medicine

2. Pharmacist

Median Base Salary: $123,000

Job Openings (YoY Growth): 3,300+ (45%)

Career Advancement Score (out of 10): 5.0

Top Skills: Medication Therapy Management,Community Pharmacy,Patient Counseling,Pharmacy Automation,Immunization


3. Sales Engineer

Median Base Salary: $80,000

Job Openings (YoY Growth): 3,000+ (159%)

Career Advancement Score (out of 10): 6.0

Top Skills: Solution Selling, Sales Management, Project Engineering, Automation, Sales Engineering


4. Site Reliability Engineer

Median Base Salary: $140,000

Job Openings (YoY Growth): 300+ (93%)

Career Advancement Score (out of 10): 8.0

Top Skills: Linux, Python, Bash, Apache, Shell Scripting


5. Product Manager

Median Base Salary: $97,500

Job Openings (YoY Growth): 3,000+ (11%)

Career Advancement Score (out of 10): 8.0

Top Skills: Product Development, Competitive Analysis, Product Launch, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Marketing Strategy


Keep in mind, the data comes from LinkedIn, and while LinkedIn is a huge resource for employment, there are some industries that might have less of a presence on the site. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has interesting overall data on the jobs with the highest projected growth (personal care aides, registered nurses, home health aides, food service employees, and retail workers.) They also report there’s a labor shortage for computer programmers, correctional officers, occupational therapists, registered nurses, HR managers, and secondary teachers.

On the other hand, LinkedIn’s methodology does take it a step further and consider salary and advancement opportunities, so there’s that to consider, too. Check out their full list at the link below.


Photo by Army Medicine.

LinkedIn Data Reveals the Most Promising Jobs of 2017 | LinkedIn