One of the Best Jobs in America

Clinical Psychology Ranks As One of the Best for 2009

According to a recent survey of 35,000 U.S. workers, clinical psychology ranks at 23 out of 50 jobs described as the best jobs in America. Some of the key reasons why clinical psychology ranks so highly include:

 Clinical Psychologists

One survey ranks clinical psychology as one of the best careers in American in 2009.

* Excellent Salaries: The median annual income for an experience clinical psychologist was $81,100. The highest reported yearly income was $172,000.

* Great Projected Job Outlook: Job demand in clinical psychology is expected to grow by 16% through the year 2016. CNN Money reports that online classified ads seeking clinical psychologists grew by 28% between April and August of 2009.

* Strong Quality of Life Rankings: The clinical psychologists surveyed reported excellent rankings of personal satisfaction, benefit to society, job security and future growth.

Of course, looking at statistics can never offer a full view of the many aspects of a job. If you are considering clinical psychology as a career, spend some time carefully researching your options in order to determine if this field is a good fit for your personality, needs and long-term goals. Don't let a single factor, such as projected salary, guide your decision-making process.

Instead, look at the entire career as a whole including the educational and licensing requirements, job outlook, work settings and typical job duties. As Facebook user Cassandra Adams explains in the CNNMoney.com comments section, "Getting into, paying for, and completing the PhD is a labor of love. Do NOT do it for the money...With that said, I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing and that makes it worthwhile. I love the flexibility I will have in terms of job duties and settings and hopefully, I'll spend my work hours making someone's life more fulfilling."

Careers in psychiatry aslo ranked high on the survey. Psychiatrists came in third on the list of the highest paying careers, with a median annual salary of $177,000. CNNMoney.com notes some of the advantages of psychiatry including low overhead costs and fairly low malpractice insurance rates.

Money and PayScale.com rate top 50 careers

Job title and growth (10 years forecast)

1		Systems Engineer	45%
2		Physician Assistant	27%
3		College Professor	23%
4		Nurse Practitioner	23%
5		Information Technology Project Manager	16%
6		Certified Public Accountant	18%
7		Physical Therapist	27%
8		Computer/Network Security Consultant	27%
9		Intelligence Analyst	15%
10		Sales Director	10%
11		Anesthesiologist	14%
12		Software Developer	28%
13		Pharmacist	22%
14		Occupational Therapist	23%
15		Nurse Anesthetist	23%
16		Software Product Manager	28%
17		Business Analyst, IT	29%
18		Attorney/Lawyer	11%
19		Physician/General Practice	14%
20		Human Resources Manager	13%
21		Senior Financial Analyst	34%
22		Physician/Obstetrician/Gynecologist	14%
23		Clinical Psychologist	16%
24		Psychiatrist	14%
25		Veterinarian	35%
26		Marketing Manager	14%
27		Speech-Language Pathologist	11%
28		Technical Writer	20%
29		Finance Director	13%
30		Telecommunications Network Engineer	53%
31		Director of Communications	17%
32		Hotel General Manager	12%
33		Securities Trader	25%
34		Account Executive	10%
35		Education/Training Consultant	22%
36		Corporate Paralegal	22%
37		Quality Control Engineer	20%
38		Manufacturing Engineer	20%
39		Computer Software Program Manager	28%
40		Applications Systems Analyst	29%
41		Senior Internal Auditor	18%
42		Commercial Property Manager	15%
43		Creative Director	26%
44		Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative	12%
45		Associate - Investment Banking	34%
46		Training & Development Manager	16%
47		Product Marketing Manager	14%
48		Quality Assurance Manager	16%
49		Financial Research Analyst	34%
50		Outside Sales Representative	12%

Sources: PayScale.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, and MONEY research. * Job growth is estimated for 2006-2016 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Kendra Van Wagner

http://psychology.about.com