- source
- Nazareth College/flickr
‘Tis the season for caps and gowns – and frantically searching for the right job.
To help those entering the job market figure out where the greatest opportunities lie, personal-finance site WalletHub used data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, Indeed.com, and Salary.com to find the best and worst entry-level jobs.
To compile its ranking, WalletHub analyzed 109 entry-level occupations to determine their immediate opportunity, growth potential, and job hazards. It assessed these factors based on 11 metrics, including median starting salary, unemployment rate, projected job growth by 2024, income-growth potential, probability of the job being replaced by a computer, and number of fatal-occupational injuries.
Each of the 11 metrics were given a value between 0 and 100 – 100 represents the most favorable conditions for a specific entry-level position and 0 the least. WalletHub then calculated the score for each position using the weighted average across all metrics and ranked the jobs accordingly. Read more about the methodology here.
Below are the 15 best entry-level jobs for the class of 2016:
No. 15. Aerospace engineer
- source
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/flickr
Median annual salary:$68,250
Immediate opportunity rank: 33
Growth potential rank: 29
Job hazards rank: 38
No. 14. Certified nursing assistant
Median annual salary: $30,250
Immediate opportunity rank: 25
Growth potential rank: 56
Job hazards rank: 24
No. 13. Chemical engineer
Median annual salary: $70,200
Immediate opportunity rank: 28
Growth potential rank: 1
Job hazards rank: 38
No. 12. Electronics engineer
- source
- Ctd 2005/flickr
Median annual salary: $67,100
Immediate opportunity rank: 22
Growth potential rank: 39
Job hazards rank: 36
No. 11. Web designer
- source
- VFS Digital Design/Flickr
Median annual salary: $70,600
Immediate opportunity rank: 40
Growth potential rank: 13
Job hazards rank: 13
No. 10. Architect
- source
- goodluz/shutterstock
Median annual salary: $72,650
Immediate opportunity rank: 16
Growth potential rank: 15
Job hazards rank: 57
No. 9. Training specialist
- source
- WOCinTech Chat/flickr
Median annual salary:$48,700
Immediate opportunity rank: 2
Growth potential rank: 42
Job hazards rank: 80
No. 8. Software engineer
- source
- Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Median annual salary: $63,550
Immediate opportunity rank: 4
Growth potential rank: 26
Job hazards rank: 79
No. 7. Safety technician
- source
- USAG Livorno PAO/flickr
Median annual salary:$39,750
Immediate opportunity rank: 6
Growth potential rank: 38
Job hazards rank: 61
No. 6. Electrical engineer
Median annual salary:$65,600
Immediate opportunity rank: 14
Growth potential rank: 23
Job hazards rank: 36
No. 5. Environmental, health, and safety engineer
Median annual salary: $54,500
Immediate opportunity rank: 10
Growth potential rank: 43
Job hazards rank: 38
No. 4. Web-applications developer
- source
- Flickr / VFS Digital Design
Median annual salary:$55,950
Immediate opportunity rank: 20
Growth potential rank: 13
Job hazards rank: 18
No. 3. Safety representative
Median annual salary: $56,750
Immediate opportunity rank: 1
Growth potential rank: 67
Job hazards rank: 56
No. 2. Systems engineer
- source
- dotshock/shutterstock
Median annual salary:$66,550
Immediate opportunity rank: 3
Growth potential rank: 60
Job hazards rank: 38
No. 1. Engineer
- source
- U.S. Army RDECOM/flickr
Median annual salary:$62,900
Immediate opportunity rank:5
Growth potential rank: 25
Job hazards rank: 38