4 Non-traditional Careers in Need of Women in 2018
Women looking to break into a new career will find ample opportunities across many industries. Women are underrepresented in several industries, including science, technology, engineering, math and construction to name a few.
Non-traditional occupations are a great choice thanks to higher entry-level wages and overall pay.
The careers that are in the highest demand for women going into 2018, that the Department of Labor deems “non-traditional for women,” include:
1. Truck Drivers
Truck driving is an interesting field. The retail industry relies on trucking, yet the industry is also in the middle of a transition. Automation and self-driving vehicles are becoming a hot topic in the industry.
Sooner or later, truckers are likely to be replaced through self-driving vehicles.
But there’s also a chance that companies won’t adopt the technology. Truckers earn a great salary of $64,000, according to Indeed.com. The problem is that fewer and fewer women are entering the field.
In 2015, the number of women in this career shrank to 177,000, down 10%. And if this doesn’t sound too bad, keep in mind that women account for just 5.1% of the trucking industry, which had 3.5 million truckers in 2015.
2. Carpenter
US News reports that carpenters earned $42,090 in 2015 on average. Women make great carpenters, and it is a field that women can break into with training. But there is a problem: women are scarce in the industry.
Less than 2% of the industry’s workers are women.
It’s a dilemma.
The industry is in need of more women, and the Department of Labor suggests that the industry will grow at a rate of 20% between 2010 and 2020 – faster than the average. Women have remained at less than 2% of the industry for over 35 years.
Women that want to enter a new field will find ample opportunities as a carpenter.
3. Plumber
Plumbers are in high demand thanks to an aging infrastructure around the country. These professionals earn $50,620 annually, on average. The industry is also changing, with new advances leading the way for younger, tech-savvy professionals to enter the field.
Trenchless sewer repair, sewer camera inspection and new leak detection methods provide a variety of work options for these professionals.
Training is needed to enter the field, yet studies show that just 1.5% of 553,000 plumbers are women. Women make up less than 3% of the workforce.
4. Computer Programmer
Computer programmers are in very high demand, with the average programmer earning $79,530 per year. A bachelor’s degree can help a programmer land a job, but a person that has experience with open source projects and other projects can enter the field.
Freelancing is also a great option.
When you choose the title of “software developer,” you’ll find that the salary rises to over $100,000 per year.
Certifications, tech schools and college can all be used to break into this field. Statistics show that the number of women that were majoring in computer science fell from 37% in 1984 to 18% in 2014.
Women are expected to make up just 20% of the industry’s professionals by 2025.