If you graduated this past spring and are still trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, don’t fret.
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 16 best entry-level jobs for the class of 2016:
16. Industrial engineer
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$62,812
Immediate opportunity rank: 27
Growth potential rank: 50
Job hazards rank: 38
15. Aerospace engineer
- source
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$68,613
Immediate opportunity rank: 33
Growth potential rank: 29
Job hazards rank: 38
14. Certified nursing assistant
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$25,392
Immediate opportunity rank: 25
Growth potential rank: 56
Job hazards rank: 24
13. Chemical engineer
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$70,586
Immediate opportunity rank: 28
Growth potential rank: 1
Job hazards rank: 38
12. Electronics engineer
- source
- Ctd 2005/flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$67,524
Immediate opportunity rank: 22
Growth potential rank: 39
Job hazards rank: 36
11. Web designer
- source
- VFS Digital Design/Flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$53,849
Immediate opportunity rank: 40
Growth potential rank: 13
Job hazards rank: 13
10. Architect
- source
- goodluz/shutterstock
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$47,540
Immediate opportunity rank:16
Growth potential rank: 15
Job hazards rank: 57
9. Training specialist
- source
- WOCinTech Chat/flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$49,011
Immediate opportunity rank: 2
Growth potential rank: 42
Job hazards rank: 80
8. Software engineer
- source
- Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $63,924
Immediate opportunity rank: 4
Growth potential rank: 26
Job hazards rank: 79
7. Safety technician
- source
- USAG Livorno PAO/flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $39,990
Immediate opportunity rank: 6
Growth potential rank: 38
Job hazards rank: 61
6. Electrical engineer
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $65,976
Immediate opportunity rank: 14
Growth potential rank: 23
Job hazards rank: 36
5. Environmental, health, and safety engineer
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $54,841
Immediate opportunity rank: 10
Growth potential rank: 43
Job hazards rank: 38
4. Web-applications developer
- source
- Flickr / VFS Digital Design
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$56,299
Immediate opportunity rank: 20
Growth potential rank: 13
Job hazards rank: 18
3. Safety representative
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $57,067
Immediate opportunity rank: 1
Growth potential rank: 67
Job hazards rank: 56
2. Systems engineer
- source
- dotshock/shutterstock
Median annual salary (at the entry level):$66,935
Immediate opportunity rank: 3
Growth potential rank: 60
Job hazards rank: 38
1. Engineer
- source
- U.S. Army RDECOM/flickr
Median annual salary (at the entry level): $63,262
Immediate opportunity rank:5
Growth potential rank: 25
Job hazards rank: 38