Top 10 Jobs And Industries In Virginia

High School Diploma, GED, Or Home School Completion

The top three jobs for individuals that have a High School Diploma, a GED certificate, or neither one of these credentials will be service related jobs.These positions will earn the average wages listed below through the end of the 2010s, until Federal and State Minimum Wages increase above $7.25 - $8.50 per hour or so around the USA. In 2015, many government jobs' pay was increased to $10/hour to start at entry level, followed by the same action around McDonald's franchises.

The top service positions through 2020 are Cashier, Retail Sales Person, and Restaurant Wait-staff. Average wage for any of these three jobs is low when compared with jobs available to persons that have higher education.

There will be approximately 16,000 openings in the following 3 jobs per year in America, with additional openings available in a number of lower-paying occupations through the second decade of the 21st century.

Yearly Openings........ Title......... Annual Wages

5,836................... Cashiers........... $15,860

5,738................... Retail Sales....... $20,250

4,103................... Wait-staff.......... $15,400

Other available jobs that will require high school or less education in Virginia include Clerks, Janitors, Receptionists, Food Prep Workers, Laborers, and Truck Drivers. Of all these, Truckers will make the most money, at over $32,000 per year average wages to start, and often higher, since a boom in truck driving jobs occurred in 2014 - 2016.

Some College Courses Completed

The top 3 jobs for people who have accumulated some college credits include Service and Health Care positions.

The particular jobs I notice in this regard are Customer Service Rep, RN, and Sales Rep. The average annual wages for most of these positions are double those wages of the jobs listed above that require only high school or less education.

There will be additional jobs available in other occupations that require some college, from a few courses to complete certifications in programs that take less than 2 years to finish. There will be about 6,000 openings in these top three jobs each year.

Yearly Openings.............. Title............... Annual Wages

2,394................... Customer Service Rep.... $26,840

2,055................... Registered Nurses......... $47,610

1,605................... Sales Rep.................... $48,330

A number of other jobs are available to individuals at this level of education in Virginia. They include Trades People, LPNs, Secretaries, Bookkeepers, and Law Enforcement Posts.

College Degree Or Graduate Degree

The top jobs and the best opportunities overall are for individuals that complete a college degree, from 2-year degrees to advanced and professional degrees, including openings in Management, IT, and Teaching career fields. These top 4 jobs below will develop approximately 6,000 openings per year.

Yearly Openings................. Title................... Annual Wages

1,810................... General & Operations Mgrs.... $85,030

1,436................... Management Analysts........... $75,670

1,423................... Elementary School Teachers.. $44,080

1,398................... Computer Software

.......................... Engineers, Applications......... $67,050

Additional occupations open in Virginia at this level of education include additional levels of Teaching, IT related jobs, and Lawyer.

Jobs calling for the most future employees in the want ads in March 2016 include:

• CDL Truck Driver - A dozen major trucking and freight companies operate in or around the transportation hubs of Virginia.
• Retail Salespeople and Manager - CVS/Health, PetSmart, DIY stores, Dollar General, Dollar Tree
• Food related jobs - Casual Dining and Grocery jobs.
• IT jobs - Positions listed with government contractors and privatized aerospace companies.

The best place to find jobs in the Commonwealth of Virginia are:

Richmond VA, Arlington VA, Virginia Beach VA, Alexandria VA, McLean VA, Fairfax VA, and Norfolk VA.

Virginia has access to even more jobs for those willing to commute into the Maryland and Washington DC urban and suburban areas. Many government agencies, government contractors, and private companies proliferate in this region.

The following occupations are projected to offer the highest numbers of job openings:

1. Office Clerks and Other Support
2. Retail Salespeople
3. Business and Finance
4. Management Occupations
5. Primary, Secondary, and Special Education School Teachers
6. Computer and Mathematics jobs - Includes IT and Aerospace & Defen
7. Transportation and Freight
8. Healthcare Primary Providers, Nurses, Assistants, and Techs
9. Construction and Extraction - Ore mining, Oil & Gas, etc.
10. Factory Manufacturing
11. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
12. Construction Trades and Helpers
13. Financial Specialists
14. Financial Clerks
15. Protective Services
16. Architecture and Engineering
17. Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides
18. Computer Software Engineers
19. Combined Food Prep & Service
20. Entertainment, Sports & Media jobs

• Baptist Theological Seminary At Richmond
• Beta Tech
• Bon Secours Memorial School Of Nursing
• Braxton School
• Bryant And Stratton College-Richmond
• Ecpi Technical College
• Industrial Training Company
• Insurance Seminars
• ITT Technical Institute
• J Sergeant Reynolds Community College
• Janards Beauty School
• Johnsons Beauty Academy
• Moseley-Flint School Of Real Estate
• Richmond Barber School
• Richmond Virginia Seminary
• St Marys Hospital School Of Radiologic Sciences
• Twin Image Beauty Academy
• Union Theological Seminary And Presbyterian School
• University Of Richmond
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Virginia Institute Of Pastoral Care
• Virginia Union University