Amid ongoing doomsday predictions that 70% of jobs could be replaced by AI, workers today need to be more focused than ever on which occupations will still be in demand in 10 years’ time.
While lazy girl jobs (low-stress, remote roles that are well-paid and mainly entail repetitive tasks like responding to emails) may no longer exist in the future thanks to automation, America’s fastest-growing occupation still boasts “remote” working, pays up to $103,000 a year, and doesn’t require a college degree. You’ll even get paid to travel across the continent.
However, the job is far from lazy: Candidates must be willing to endure extreme weather and lug 50 pounds of gear up long ladders to confined spaces.
Still keen? Then look no further than wind turbine service technician roles. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s the fastest-growing occupation in America right now, with employment in the sector expected to almost double over the next decade.
Boom in wind tech
Workers who want to future-proof their careers would be wise to focus on gaining skills and experience in fast-growing industries. While job postings for wind turbine techs are experiencing a major boost (thanks in part to the government’s renewable energy push), the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects almost 40% of copy-and-paste jobs to disappear by 2032.
“On a great day you usually get done about 3 or 4 p.m.,” Andrew Slate outlined the typical day in the life of a wind tech to Insider. “On a really bad day, you may be there ’till 11 o’clock at night—you may have to work 18 hours straight.”
“Being on the road for so long does take a toll on your mental health, but you get addicted and crave the views and the adrenaline whenever you get up-tower,” Slate added. “And the pay is great.”
Entry-level turbine technicians can expect an annual salary of around $40,000 a year, with the possibility of it rising to over $103,000 with experience, according to Indeed’s data. However, the average turbine tech takes home around $60,000.
Plus, although a college degree is not needed, new wind techs should expect to complete around 12 months of on-the-job training.
Medical professions are in, but not AI
Perhaps surprisingly, AI roles are notably absent from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ ranking. Despite previous research from the World Economic Forum forecasting that AI and machine learning specialists will be the most in-demand workers in the near future, such roles didn’t make the BLS’ top 10 fastest-growing roles.
Instead, with an aging population on its hands, the government research body expects an increased demand for health care providers in the coming 10 years. In fact, five of the top 10 fastest-growing jobs in America are in the health care industry.
Just behind wind turbine service technicians, nurse practitioners hold the second fastest-growing job with a projected growth rate of 44.5%. What’s more, with an average annual salary of $121,610 per year, it pays significantly more than turbine techs and won’t require any tower climbing.
Meanwhile, the employment of medical and health services managers, epidemiologists, physician assistants, and physical therapist assistants is expected to increase by around 26% to 28%.
No artificial intelligence roles appear, though other information technology roles make the list (and could include some AI functions)—including data scientists, information security analysts, and software programmers.
America’s fastest-growing jobs
1. Wind turbine service technicians
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 44.9%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $57,320 per year
2. Nurse practitioners
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 44.5%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $121,610 per year
3. Data scientists
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 35.2%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $103,500 per year
4. Statisticians
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 31.6%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $98,920 per year
5. Information security analysts
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 31.5%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $112,000 per year
6. Medical and health services managers
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 28.4%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $104,830 per year
7. Epidemiologists
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 26.7%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $78,520 per year
8. Physician assistants
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 203: 26.5%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $126,010 per year
9. Physical therapist assistants
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 26.1%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $62,770 per year
10. Software developers
Projected growth rate from 2022 to 2032: 25.7%
Median annual wage in May 2022: $127,260 per year