In Colorado, we see many job opportunities in the fields of technology, education, healthcare, and science. So let’s take a closer look at what jobs are in high demand in Colorado.
Today, many jobs require you to hold at least a high school degree or GED and preferably some post-secondary training or education as well. So what you may need to do is developing a solid education and career plan to qualify for one of the positions listed here.
High in-demand jobs are found in the professional areas of data communication and network systems, software engineering, environmental engineering, mining, administration, pharmacy, physical therapy, teaching, and physician assistants are sought after as well. Let dig a little deeper.
Home Health Worker
Home Health Workers are playing an ever-increasingly important role in our healthcare system. These professionals take care of patients at their homes and who often suffer from disability or chronic illnesses. They typically also are taking care of elderly persons who no longer are able to take care of themselves. Home Health Workers provide care while these elderly individuals are living in their own homes.
Frequently, Home Health Workers are closely working together with nurses. They are keeping records of the ones they care for and alert the responsible nurse or physician in case of any sudden change in a patient’s health.
Home Health Workers are performing a lot of fundamental care tasks. They change bed linens, give medication, clean their patient’s homes, and wash and iron their patient’s laundry. Home Health Workers additionally take their patient’s temperature and check their pulse and respiration, and help their patients with simple exercises or using braces or applying artificial limbs.
The tasks and work of Home Health Workers are interesting and challenging and can result in a very satisfying and rewarding career. If you think about this career path, be aware that you really must sometimes have a lot of patience, and you should have a well-developed understanding of all the things your patients will be going through. Home Health Workers need to be flexible and understand how to deal with all the different situations that may occur in their professional settings. To see if this is good for you, take a free career aptitude test offered for free on this website.
Colorado requires formal training provided by vocational schools, community colleges, or home healthcare agencies. Home Health Workers may earn a certificate from an accredited school program in about one and a half semesters at practically every community college. The Home Health Aid certificate is qualifying graduates for entry-level positions as aides.
Dental Assistant
Becoming a dental assistant in Colorado is a very good career choice for anyone who wants to begin a career in the medical field. The hours you will work are often flexible, the working conditions are pleasant, and the demand for hiring dentist assistants is very strong.
A career as a dental assistant career can usually be completed in less than a year because there are many schools that specialize in this specific medical career. Combine this with the high demand for dental assistants, and you can’t go wrong with this career choice. You may think a dental assistant is just an extra set of hands for the dentist. This is true, but a certified dental assistant does much more than this. You are “the right-hand person of the dentist”.
One of the main duties of a dental assistant is to have superb “chair assisting skills”. You may not have heard of this term before, but this is a very common term in the dental field. Basically, chair assisting skills include preparing dental instruments, inventory supplies, preparing equipment, helping to manage the patients during a dental procedure, recording the patients’ health history, and assisting the dentist during procedures.
A large portion of a dental assistant’s duties revolves around patients and patient care. This job requires good communication skills and the ability to assist people at a dentist’s office. Most dental assistant education programs require two years to complete and are offered by community colleges, dental career colleges, and vocational schools.
Phlebotomist
A phlebotomist is responsible for collecting blood from patients according to doctor’s instructions, separating the blood into different test tubes so that it can be used in different tests, accurately labeling the tubes, and ensuring that the right samples are sent to the lab.
To do this, the phlebotomist must have very steady hands and be very precise and detail-oriented, as errors can cause incorrect medical diagnoses and treatment. The phlebotomist must also have excellent people skills in order to help the patient remain calm and relaxed. A phlebotomist can find work in a doctor’s office, lab, clinic, blood center, nursing homes, or insurance office.
Phlebotomist schools provide you with training in venipuncture and capillary collection. Phlebotomist schools provide courses in general medical science as well as the writing and computer skills necessary to work as a phlebotomist.
Classroom work is complemented by clinical laboratory courses that allow students to work as a phlebotomist in the lab before having to do so on the job. In many cases, this is further enhanced by an internship experience at a site that works in conjunction with the schools.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists help patients with a wide range of physical ailments. Treatment begins by examining their patients, testing range of motion, physical strength, balance and coordination, and other aspects of a patient’s condition. Treatment often includes exercises designed to improve the patient’s flexibility, strength, and endurance.
In some cases, treatment includes electrical stimulation, hot packs, cold compresses, and ultrasound treatments. Physical therapy programs usually include exercise programs that the patient is expected to follow at home between sessions with the therapist.
Physical therapy programs include basic science courses such as biology, chemistry, and physics. More specialized physical therapy classes include biomechanics, neuroanatomy, human growth and development, manifestations of diseases, examination techniques, and therapeutic procedures. Physical therapy requires knowledge of all of these areas as well as strong interpersonal skills, in order to be able to communicate with the patient.
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts study all sorts of market conditions to assess the opportunities for potential sales of services or products. Market research analysts help companies and other organizations understand which service or what products people or the market want, which people will buy these services or products, and at which price.
To become a Market Research Analyst you need to be a detail-oriented person. Many people active in this field hold a bachelor’s degree in a related field though, for the best research positions, a master’s degree will be required. When you think about becoming a market research analyst, you should take math classes and develop your analytical skills already in high school. Keep also in mind that an increasing number of large employers offer tuition assistance programs so can further your academic education at the employer’s expense.
Many applicants hold a degree in related academic fields as math, statistics, or computer science, but there are also those who have a background in communications, business administration, or the social sciences. To be successful in this field, attending courses in statistics, marketing, and research methodology are essential, but knowledge of social sciences, economics, communications, sociology, and psychology may prove to beneficial as well.
Certification in this field is offered through the MRA (The Marketing Research Association), an organization that offers the PRC (Professional Researcher Certification) for professional market research analysts. Applicants must have at least three years of experience in relevant marketing research, be a member of a relevant professional organization, and take and pass an exam.
Certified Nurse Assistant
Many people dream about a career in the healthcare industry. Let’s see what it take to become a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). First, you must enroll in a CNA training program. Second, you need to pass the certification test. Finally, after you have completed the first two steps, then you need to get a job as a CNA.
Many community college and vocational schools offer CNA training programs that will only take about six weeks to three months to complete. Within that time frame, you will learn all the necessary skills that you will need to become a certified nurse aide. You will learn how to properly care for patients, have an understanding of your necessary duties, and you will learn the basics of medical terminology.
All through your training program you’ll be continually learning the necessary skills to help patients, as well as what you need to know to pass the certification test. This could well be your first job in the healthcare industry but it offers you ample possibilities to advance in nursing and healthcare.
In Colorado, you must pass a certification exam to become a CNA that’s divided into two separate sections. One section is the written part of your test. This is a series of multiple-choice questions that you must answer correctly. The second part of your certification is a clinical test. The clinical part of the certification test is an actual hands-on test. You will be observed by a state-certified instructor and you must complete tasks that every CNA should know how to do.
Graphic Designer
Graphic designers work closely with product designers to help create products that grab people’s attention. Graphic design students learn about color, composition, design, computer graphics, electronic imaging, production, and more.
Tools used in graphic design include scanners, digital cameras, computer-based hardware, and software, the latest graphics software, fonts, environmentally friendly ink, biodegradable plastic, and more. A key part of what graphic design students learn at graphic design schools is creative problem solving to develop solutions to real problems in today’s business world.
Graphic design school graduates have acquired the training and portfolio needed to obtain employment are advertising agencies, design studios, publishing companies, corporate marketing departments, TV studios, and more. Graphic design careers may lead to work not only as graphic designers, but also as production artists, assistant art directors, assistant designers, computer artists, or production coordinators.
Information Technology Programmer
To become an Information Technology Programmer, you need to be familiar with project management software, customer management software, server operating systems, web platform development software, and language platforms. As an IT major, you will learn how different aspects of information technology work in practical settings. You will master how operating systems, hardware, and applications come together to solve actual problems.
IT or Computer Programmers usually hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a closely related field, and the majority of programmers have specialized in several programming languages. Programmers who are work in particular professional sectors such as accounting or healthcare may be required to take additional courses to enhance their knowledge and in general, employers will value relevant experience, which most students gain via high-profile internships.
To be able to keep up with continually changing technology, these specialists are required to attend continuing education as well as professional development seminars. They must learn various new programming languages and upgrade their knowledge about existing programming languages.
To find a job in the Information Technology field you will need to be a good problem solver, organized, and most importantly, a good communicator. IT professionals sometimes handle crisis situations that require them to keep calm and be able to communicate clearly to others who might not understand the problem at hand. Most companies will require you to have a bachelor’s degree. There are a number of different majors that relate to this field of work such as Management Information Systems (MIS), computer science, or information science.
Computer Hardware Engineer
Engineering is hot and there are many fields of engineering. Let’s see what it takes to become a computer hardware engineer. These engineers are active in the field of researching, designing, developing, and testing computer components and systems such as circuit boards, processors, memory devices, or routers.
They are developing new directions and concepts in computer hardware so they are also responsible for some of the important and rapid developments in computer technology and applications. There are perhaps engineering positions that pay more, but if you like computers, computer hardware engineering could just be right for you.
These professionals generally are working in research & development laboratories where they are building and testing a variety of different computer models. Most computer hardware engineers are employed by high-tech computer manufacturing companies. Computer hardware technicians and engineers must first get their high school diploma or GED credential, after which they will have to earn at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university program.
The employment options for the world of computer hardware engineering are projected to remain stable over the next decade. Most innovations take place in software development and that’s where the most growth can be expected.
Agricultural Engineer
Agricultural engineers (sometimes also referred to as biological engineers) are active in a variety of fields. Their activities may range from land farming and forestry to aquaculture where foods such as fish are raised. They also may be found working in the development of biofuels or improving conservation, to the animal-environment improvement business or in the food industry where they may be working on methods to improve processed foods.
A lot of agricultural engineers are working mainly in their offices, but there are also those who are spending most of their time at various in or outdoor sites, and others need to travel to farms or other agricultural sites to make sure machinery and equipment will be functioning in accordance with all instructions and in line with state or federal regulations.
Agricultural engineers must at least have a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering or a related field such as biological engineering. Practical experience is highly valued, and many colleges and universities provide engineering certificate programs as well. The job outlook for these engineers will be pretty stable over the coming decade and most growth will come through the development and application of new high-tech developments, especially in water resource management, alternative energy, and the food processing industry.