The 21 Best Jobs for College Graduates

The 21 Best Jobs for College Graduates

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Best jobs for college grads

Attending college allows you to develop a wide range of skills that prepares you for many different careers. Here are 21 of the best jobs for college graduates.

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1. Teacher or substitute teacher

National average salary: $14.62 per hour Primary duties: Teachers are responsible for preparing and developing lesson plans and instructing students. Many teach a range of subjects, while others specialize in a specific subject. While many college students pursuing a career in education will seek a degree in teaching, 

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1. Teacher or substitute teacher

you don't necessarily need a teaching degree to be eligible for a substitute teaching position. Additionally, some college graduates may be eligible to teach at the community college level.

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2. Computer technician

National average salary: $15.82 per hour Primary duties: Computer technicians use a good working knowledge of computers to troubleshoot customer computer problems. They may provide direct assistance to customers and businesses with their computer problems.

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2. Computer technician

College graduates often take courses or use common computer programs when completing college assignments, making them a great fit for computer technician roles.

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3. Customer service representative

National average salary: $13.56 per hour Primary duties: Customer service representatives assist customers by educating them on the product and helping them place their orders. A customer service representative may work for many different industries including retail,restaurant, technology and hospitality.

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3. Customer service representative

College graduates tend to have developed skills in communication and problem-solving, both of which assist in the customer service representative role.

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4. Administrative assistant

National average salary: $15.76 per hour Primary duties: Administrative assistants perform administrative tasks for an organization. They might complete tasks like answering phones, assisting customers, filing documents and entering data into the computer database.

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4. Administrative assistant

The same developed communication and project management skills of college graduates will also assist them in succeeding in an administrative assistant role.

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5. Marketing coordinator

National average salary: $45,144 per year Primary duties: Marketing coordinators oversee the planning and facilitating of a client's marketing campaigns. They may assist with creative strategies, analytics or the overall marketing strategy in both digital or print advertising methods.

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5. Marketing coordinator

The organizational and project management skills that students develop during college are useful and important in completing the tasks of the marketing coordinator role.

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6. Human resource representative

National average salary: $49,612 per year Primary duties: Human resource representatives assist with all the recruiting and hiring responsibilities of an organization. Human resource representatives will manage all employee records while also managing employee complaints and conflict.

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6. Human resource representative

Skills learned in college like problem-solving, as well as good interpersonal skills are crucial when working as a human resource representative.

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7. Research assistant

National average salary: $16.03 per hour Primary duties: Research assistants use investigative and evaluative skills to assist with research projects. Because students will often complete numerous research projects and papers during their education, it is likely that they already have these skills.

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8. Auditor

National average salary: $67,952 per year Primary duties: An auditor reviews and audits financial documents of a business to identify any errors. Auditors might also evaluate a business's payroll and taxes to ensure they are meeting all state and federal regulations.

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8. Auditor

Auditors have great mathematical and analytical skills that assist them in understanding the financial needs of a business while also evaluating the current finances.

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9. Sales representative

National average salary: $65,067 per year Primary duties: Sales representatives educate customers on the use of a product or service. They use good interpersonal and customer service skills to develop working relationships with potential clients, while also working to increase the sales of an organization.

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10. Business operations manager

National average salary: $80,323 per year Primary Duties: A business operations manager is responsible for overseeing all business operations within the entire organization. The business operations manager may evaluate current operational practices and make recommendations to management to improve.

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10. Business operations manager

They might also make recommendations on improvements to the training program or the individual resources used for training.

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11. Account manager

National average salary: $60,049 per year Primary duties: Account managers manage multiple client accounts within an organization. They are the direct point of contact if the customer or client has any questions or concerns about their account.

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11. Account manager

The organizational and management skills learned in college will assist college students in an account manager role.

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12. Tutor

National average salary: $25.18 per hour Primary duties: College students will develop study skills during their education that will assist them in the role of a tutor. Tutors assist school-age or college-level students in completing homework assignments or preparing for an upcoming test.

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13. Pharmaceutical sales representative

National average salary: $75,576 per year Primary duties: Pharmaceutical sales representatives use a background in chemistry and science to understand the use of different pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical representatives use this knowledge and understanding to educate medical providers 

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13. Pharmaceutical sales representative

customers to sell the product. Pharmaceutical representatives create and develop professional relationships with medical providers to sell more products.

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14. IT manager

National average salary: $86,667 per year Primary duties: IT managers manage all information technology (IT) components of an organization. They might be involved with updating hardware/software programs or troubleshooting IT problems within the business.

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15. Information technology (IT) security administrator

National average salary: $93,826 per year Primary duties: IT security administrators use strongly developed IT skills to implement confidentiality and security techniques within an organization. IT security administrators oversee the protection of an organization's confidential client data.

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16. Recruiter

National average salary: $69,815 per year Primary duties: Recruiters evaluate the management and employee needs of an organization and then look for employees to fill those needs. Recruiters typically have good interview and interpersonal skills that are beneficial when networking and reaching out to potential candidates.

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16. Recruiter

College students typically have the opportunity to learn the different elements of a corporation, assisting them during their recruiting efforts.

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17. Project manager

National average salary: $81,408 per year Primary duties: Project managers evaluate project goals and then encourage all team members toward the completion of that goal. Project managers use strong organizational and planning skills to break down each element of a project, aligning it to the organization's intended timeline. 

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17. Project manager

They also use delegation skills to assign employees to individual tasks based on their strengths.

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18. Software engineer

National average salary: $1010,526 per year Primary duties: A software engineer uses experienced mathematical and analytical skills to develop software programs. Software engineers may also troubleshoot current programs and make updates to existing engineering programs as needed.

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19. Database administrator

National average salary: $97,007 per year Primary duties: Database administrators are in charge of organizing and maintaining all of the data within an organization. Database administrators oversee troubleshooting data and designing new organizational methods for data.

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20. Financial manager

National average salary: $99,796 per year Primary duties: Financial managers predict and evaluate the finances of a business. Financial managers evaluate the previous year's financial documents and use that information to determine this years' financial goals.

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21. Account Executive

National average salary: varies from industry to industry, anywhere from $46,000 – $130,000 Primary duties: This is the job that most business students envision when pursuing the major. Just about every company in every industry requires account executives to manage expenses and budgets, 

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21. Account Executive

implement strategies to achieve territory sales goals, communicate with clients, and analyze business data.

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