In Arkansas, jobs in the healthcare, technology, and medical sectors are popular but there’s so much more. The hospitality and leisure industries are booming, education jobs are in demand, and the world of cosmetology is also popular. So let’s take a look at what jobs are in demand in Arkansas.
Employment options in Arkansas are growing and progressing and it looks like businesses in the state are constantly evolving so the demand for well-educated and trained workers is higher than ever before.
Just take a look at the jobs listed here. Not all options are in the industrial sector and new jobs are added to the Arkansas economy in significant numbers. Technology and innovations are vital to the state’s economic health. You may be surprised by some opportunities as it’s not only about traditionally high-scoring jobs.
Nurse
One of the fastest-growing sectors in the healthcare industry is the field of nursing. Like all across the U.S., the demand for trained nurses is still increasing and many students are willing to answer that call.
There are a number of state colleges in Arkansas that offer good nursing degree programs and there are a great many private educational institutions as well. There several options to become a nurse and each level requires schooling of a different length. You can be a CNA, LPN, RN, and there are more options.
Although not technically a nurse, a certified nurse aid (CNA) is becoming a big part of healthcare in Arkansas. CNAs provide basic care and comfort to all kinds of patients in many different medical settings. There are many Arkansas nursing schools that offer CNA programs and many of them take less than six months to complete.
A licensed practical nurse (LPN) is a fully-fledged nurse and it takes about two years to become one via nursing schools. After graduation, students take the Arkansas licensing exam and when they pass that, they can begin working as an LPN right away.
LPNs are supervised by RNs – registered nurses – and to become a registered nurse, you will need about a year longer. RNs are able to perform more specific medical tasks and procedures than LPNs and are of course paid more money to do so. Some nursing schools offer LPN to RN programs while some offer accelerated RN programs as well.
If you are not sure whether becoming an LPN is something for you, take a free career test. Upon successful completion of such a program, you become eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam.
After successfully passing the NCLEX-PN exam, you can apply for a practical nursing license and officially hold the title of an LPN. Usually, an LPN will be called upon to assist in planning, implementing, and assessing patient care, usually under the direct supervision of an RN, physician assistant, or doctor.
Mechanical Engineer
In the 21st Century, manufacturing has come to mean much more than simple production of goods, and schools are offering impressive courses to deliver top-notch mechanical and physical engineers. Check out this post about the color of personalities that may help you to see if this position might be good for you.
It encompasses economics, science, and industry in an effort to manufacture products, goods, and services that are of better quality, value, and quantity than their competitors. Manufacturing engineering continues to require innovative technology that is always moving forward toward the next best thing.
As the demands of a competitive society increase daily, manufactures from every division of industry continue to rely more heavily on science as a means of creating the best product for the cheapest price.
The scientific applications in the manufacturing industry are also constantly evolving and impacting and improving the existing status quo. This has resulted in many jobs that are in high demand.
Technological developments continue to advance, and so are the demands for the manufacturing engineering experts and the overall manufacturing industry. See also this post about engineering start-ups that are worth watching. they could play crucial roles in future developments.
Engineers are relying more often on computers and computer-driven technology in order to manipulate things such as electricity, human cells, atoms, and nanoparticles, or when they’re developing alternative fuel systems for the automotive industry.
All these elements and technologies are more and more incorporated into highly futuristic inventions and they serve to aid in the discovery, development, and understanding of all sorts of intangible and tangible products for human consumption, use and application, and life improvement in general.
You’ll learn all these things in manufacturing and mechanical programs offered by technical schools and community colleges across Arkansas. A good example is manufacturing engineering research in the medical field that is constantly evolving in an ongoing effort to learn more about stem cells and their potential uses and restorative benefits for the human body.
X-Ray Technician
How about becoming an X-Ray Tech? College tuition for education and training is available at many educational institutions across Arkansas without having to break the bank. You’ll need to hold a high school degree or GED (yes, a GED will also allow for a college education).
As an X-ray technician, you will take X-rays and CAT scans. In some cases, it will be necessary to introduce a dye or other nonradioactive material into the patient’s bloodstream to help enhance the image. X-ray techs use shielding and other techniques to minimize the patient’s exposure to harmful radiation and to comply with government regulations.
X-ray tech schools also train you to understand how to set the imaging equipment to get the desired images, develop the image, and then transmit it to the doctor with your observations. In many cases, part of this communication is done by entering data into a computer system.
During radiography training, you will receive hands-on experience using modern X-ray equipment, which will allow you to gain simulated practical experience with radiography equipment.
Radiography courses will also teach you the critical safety procedures in using radiography equipment. All radiography training programs are taught by professionals with academic and clinical expertise in diagnostic and therapeutic radiography.
Radiological techniques are also used in various other disciplines, for example, to discover the age of objects or natural materials. Radiology technicians are trained and educated to make these images on film, digitally, or to be displayed on monitors. They can come up with images like MRI scans, CT scans, X-rays, or Ultrasound images.
After entering the professional field, X-Ray Techs may go on to specialize in a specific area that may vary from mammography to cardiac-interventional (CI) radiography.
Animal Trainer
Animal trainers train animals for obedience purposes, or for security, riding, performance, harness purposes, or to assist individuals with disabilities. They train animals to ensure they are accustomed to human contact and voice, and they will be conditioning animals to become responsive to commands by humans.
Animal trainers will educate animals in accordance with set and documented standards for competition or show, and they may train various animals to be carrying pack loads or to let them work in pack teams. Working as an animal trainer is becoming increasingly popular in Arkansas and the job prospects are good.
Animal trainers may be working with a variety of animals in all sorts of settings, and some common situations are where they train horses for various competition purposes, or where they train dogs for police assistance or guiding services. There are also quite a few pet store workers, and professional circus workers, or professionals who are training marine animals, such as dolphins, in theme parks.
While some jobs for animal trainers require not more than a high school diploma or GED, some other applicants need to have a bachelor’s degree in an academic area that is related to training that specific type of animal. Most animal trainers typically don’t train family pets, as they work with animals towards particular professional goals or train animals for the completion of certain tasks.
A dog trainer, for example, may specialize in training dogs for law enforcement tasks, or to become therapy animals or companion pets for persons with illnesses or disabilities. Horse trainers often work to enhance the performances of animals in horse shows, but they may also train horses to turn them into therapy animals for disabled or injured children, or for entertainment purposes.
Many animal trainers specialize via specific professional certification, and following these voluntary courses will definitely have a positive effect on their income potential. See also: Are you a left-brain or a right-brain thinker.
Postal Service Mail Carrier
Being a traditional Postal Service Mail Carrier is becoming popular again in Arkansas. To become a Postal Service Mail Carrier you have good reading and memory skills. Postal Service workers interact with their customers on a regular basis so, consequently, they need to be tactful, courteous, and provide well-rounded client service.
Postal Service mail carriers prepare, deliver, and collect different sorts of mail. They usually have assigned routes with daily schedules. Sometimes they deliver mail on foot, then again by vehicle or on foot, all depending on the area of their assigned routes.
Postal Service mail carriers must deliver mail in any type of weather, and they are required to conduct and behave themselves in an efficient and professional manner. Fundamental basic knowledge of and familiarity with the local geography is absolutely required, and extensive knowledge of regulations, basic postal laws, and products is a necessity as well.
Postal Service mail carriers are not required to have followed any specific post-secondary education, but to become a successful carrier they must command skills such as a perfect command of English. Applicants for the position of Postal Service carriers need to be at least 18 years of age, have a high school or GED and they are required to be U.S. citizens (though those holding permanent residency status may qualify as well).
All applicants for these jobs must take and pass an exam that will assess accuracy and speed at checking numbers and names as well as their ability to deal with and memorize the procedures of mail distribution. Interested applicants may contact their favorite post office or preferred mail processing center to learn when these assessments are given.
When they pass the exam, and if they are accepted, applicants are required to have an extensive background check, and they must pass a drug test and a demanding physical exam.
Explosives Worker-Blaster
To become an Explosives Worker-Blaster you need to prepare yourself for the task. It’ll be your responsibility to surround the area of a blast with safety cones and inform other workers about the danger. You will also see to it that other workers have cleared the sites completely before the detonation is carried out.
Explosives workers, blasters, and ordnance handling experts place and detonate explosives that are needed for demolishing, removing, loosening, or displacing earth, rock, or other materials. These specialists will evaluate the area where blasting will happen and determine which and what amount of explosive charges are required for a project.
To prepare explosives for detonation, they need to insert, pack, and pour the explosive materials. They may use a number of materials, such as dynamite, black powder, ammonium nitrate, or slurry for the explosions. When the explosives are ready, they will place them into blast holes. To perform their tasks, explosive workers and blasters use transport trucks, stake bed trucks, or tractor-trailer trucks.
They also will ensure that all safety regulations are observed and that the project is carried out in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. They usually are also responsible for storing, documenting, and handling the materials they use.
They are additionally responsible for marking location, depth, and pattern of charge holes that need to be drilled and they will supervise the operation and issue instructions as needed.
If you want to become active in this fascinating field, you must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Several community colleges additionally offer programs that lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and applicants usually learn their trade via apprenticeships and on-the-job training.
Biochemist
The world of Biochemistry and Biophysics is becoming more and more popular for people with an academic degree. To become a Biochemist, you need to be able to think creatively, analyze data, and process information. Biochemists usually are involved in fundamental research about genetic mutations in various organisms that may lead to diseases such as cancer. Others research the evolution of animals and plants as they try to understand the process of genetic traits being carried through a number of successive generations.
To start out in this profession, you need to have completed a bachelor’s degree programs that usually come with required laboratory coursework, and this is actually an excellent preparation track for graduate school, or to obtain an entry-level job. If you work for a university lab, you’ll get great laboratory experience and that will also be the case if you secure a valuable internship with a pharmaceutical or medicine manufacturer.
Biochemists are often using highly advanced technological devices, for example, lasers or electron microscopes to perform their scientific experiments, or for analysis purposes. They use sophisticated computer modeling software programs to identify 3-dimensional structures of proteins or other molecules.
They are often involved in biotechnological research projects where they conduct fundamental or applied research work. Basic or fundamental research is general academic research without any known or immediate application, and they do this to develop and expand our scientific understanding and knowledge.
Applied research work is typically directed toward studying and coming up with solutions for a specific problem. Biochemists performing fundamental research may, for example, be studying genetic mutations in organisms that lead to cancer and some other disease, while others may be studying the evolution of animals or plants in order to get a better understanding of how genetic traits work through various generations.
Biochemists usually work in offices and laboratories where they conduct their experiments and research and analyze and evaluate the test results. Their research projects are often multidisciplinary, so we often see that biochemists are working in teams with experts from other fields, for example, chemistry, physics, computer science, or various engineering disciplines.
Flight Attendant
The first and foremost responsibility of flight attendants, of course, is the aircraft cabin’s and its passengers’ safety. Flight attendants are required to comply with the Federal Aviation Regulations that say that flight attendants are on an aircraft for only one reason: the performance of safety-related tasks and duties. Duties, however, include also a broad range of functions related to passenger service.
Flight attendants are required to be always prepared and ready for unexpected situations, and they must be able to change from passenger services into their critical role regarding safety in a split second.
For passengers, flight attendants are the most visible employees of any aircraft. Flight attendants will spend the most time with an aircraft’s passengers of all airline employees. They need to deal with a wide array of requests and needs. Flight attendants must provide the highest possible level of individualized service to each one of the passengers for the entire duration of a flight.
The cockpit flight crew is mainly responsible for transporting passengers from one point to their destination in the safest and comfortable way, flight attendants must focus on their tasks in the cabin while at the same time, they too are dedicated to and responsible for the comfort and safety of their passengers.
Keep in mind these are the typical minimum requirements to become a flight attendant and holding a high school diploma or GED is just one of them It is always a good idea to look for ways to help separate yourself from the other applicants by for example getting more education or more experience in customer service.
There are several Flight Attendant Training Schools. The best-known are these: InFlight Institute; Flight Attendant Express; The Travel Academy; The Airline Academy, Inc; Institute for Private Flight Attendants; AirLine Coach; FlightSafety; Friedenberg Corporate FA Training.
Air Traffic Controller
To become an Air Traffic Controller you need to be a super-organized person. To be employed by the FAA, air traffic controllers who do not have prior experience must begin their careers before they reach their 31st birthday. Private air traffic controllers must hold an appropriate medical certificate. Air traffic controllers may have to undergo background checks and drug screenings.
Aspiring air traffic controllers must be U.S. citizens and hold at least a Bachelor’s degree or have sufficient relevant work experience, and of course, they are required to pass various medical and background checks. The work as an air traffic controller is highly stressful and demanding.
Applicants are required to complete the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative Program (AT-CTI). This two or four-year degree program is designed to get students ready to function well as air traffic controllers. The program includes courses that focus on subject areas that are essential in the world of aviation such as airspace, aviation weather, clearances, federal regulations, map-reading, and many more related topics.
Applicants will be tested through the ‘biographical assessment’ (a biodata test) to see if their response patterns make them the right ones for additional education to become air traffic controllers. Candidates who pass both the biographical assessment and the AT-SAT qualify to sign up for a highly intensive training program at the FAA Academy.
Most air traffic controllers get educated and trained at the FAA’s Oklahoma City Academy, and the duration varies with the applicant’s earlier education and position. After they graduate from the FAA Academy, students will be assigned to a certain air traffic control facility and work as a ‘developmental controller’ until they have completed the requirements to become a certified air traffic controller.
Rotary Drill Operator
Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operators (also referred to as drillers) typically perform tasks such as implementing well plans, maintaining drill rigs, introducing and implementing safety procedures.
They are required to train crews to work securely and effectively, and the need to move levers and throttles and observe a number of pressure gauges to control rotary tables’ speeds and for regulating the pressure of tools that are placed at the drill holes’ bottoms. They need to observe gauges that are monitoring well flow and prevent overflow.
They also need to keep records of the location and nature of certain layers that are drilled, of the used tools and materials, of the services that were performed, and of how much time the operations required.
It is also their task to start pump operations and examine this to make sure circulations are optimal and to ensure the consistency of drill fluids or mud in a specific well. They can use highly specialized tools for the recovery of broken or lost bits of equipment, drilling pipes, or casings.
The work of oil and gas drill operators makes that they mostly are full-time employed and that they frequently need to work overtime. The oil and gas rigs typically are operational 24/7 meaning there can be no flow in operations. Those who work at land drilling rigs normally make long shifts of 8 to 12 hours and there are land drilling rig operators that are working seven days per week with no days off the rig before the well is completed.
In general, these professionals work one or two weeks on, and then the same amount of time off. As the locations offshore oil rigs are often very remote, some workers will be required to live on the site for weeks in a row. What makes this a high-in-demand and popular job is most probably good financial compensation.
Film Producer
To become a Film Producer, no formal education is required besides a high school degree or GED, but attending a film academy is highly recommended. Film producers manage funding, film staff, and contracts to make movies a reality. Travel is often required, and producers often work long hours and sometimes in unpleasant weather conditions.
Film school offers aspiring filmmakers hands-on training and knowledge of how to create films. Schools will teach you how to handle cameras, give direction on screenwriting, how to properly handle directing, learn different editing techniques, and how to handle overall production design, just to name a few. Making a film is a major undertaking with a lot of moving parts.
Film school provides you with the opportunity to learn in a supportive atmosphere to help make your film projects successful. Keep in mind, though, that not every creative type is fit to be successful in this tough and highly competitive world.
In order to become a movie producer, you must first realize what role producers play on set. They are the supervisors of the project. They handle everything from finding the material to produce, to negotiating actor contracts, to finding money to create the project. This profession is definitely not the best ticket for everybody.
One way to become a producer is to find a script or a book or a writer to create some material for you to turn into a film on your own. You will then need to find a way to raise the capital necessary to make the film. Once you have the script and money you are well on your way to becoming a producer. The next steps are to find the people necessary to make the film a reality like a director and actors. Another way is to get a job in development at one of the studios in Hollywood and working your way up the food chain.