The Hottest Part-Time Jobs
The testy economy has forced many Americans to rethink their notions of work and careers. Many are happy just to have a steady job. Still others have had to take jobs outside of their chosen professions or add part-time jobs to supplement their income. There are solid choices for part-time jobs with good pay for workers who are looking to re-train, students who are already in a college degree program but need to work to pay for tuition, and working parents who require flexible schedules.
Among the hottest part-time jobs today, you’ll find several that require candidates to have completed as little as one or two years of college training. With the flexibility of many online associate’s degree programs, you can work your way into a new profession without compromising the hours you put into your current work and family commitments.
Let’s look at several part-time positions with solid growth potential, along with the education you’ll need to qualify and the hourly wages.
Computer Support Specialist
Computer support specialists are lucky. They’re needed by every employer that relies on an efficient, secure computer network to support the organization. Computer support specialists work as part-time or as on-call technicians that install, configure, and lend support to employees. Industries like health care, banking, sales, construction, and manufacturing depend on well-trained, reliable support specialists to handle help-desk tickets.
You can learn the tools of the tech trade while earning an online associate’s degree at a college or tech school career training program.
Veterinary Technician
Jobs for veterinary technicians are expected to rise by 41 percent during the 2006-2016 decade. According to the Labor Department, more than half of America’s pet owners take their animals to a vet for routine or emergency treatment. Learn how to support veterinarians through an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program to qualify for vet clinic or hospital work.
Massage Therapist
More than 60 percent of working massage therapists in the U.S. are self-employed professionals. Others work in clinics and in partnership with other alternative health practitioners like acupuncturists and chiropractors. Follow massage therapy career training and licensing guildelines for your state, then build your own clientele and set your own hours.
Bill or Account Collector
Especially now, companies around the country are hiring bill and account collectors to help round up stragglers. The Labor Department projects a 23 percent increase in jobs for bill collectors over the 2006-2016 decade. Not everyone will work for financial institutions or retailers. Many of the jobs will be in doctor’s offices and with hospitals. Employers will prefer college-trained employees for their collection teams, the Labor Department says, but may offer career training. You can gain practical knowledge through online associate’s degree programs in bookkeeping, accounting, or business.
Dental Assistant
Dental assistants can train for office and chair-side procedures in as little as a year through a certificate program, although there are also degree programs available that take two years. Work part-time hours taking X-rays, prepping patients, and handling the desk. It can be a great part-time, stepping-stone job to hold while you complete dental hygienist training for substantially better pay. Still, the hours and benefits can be nothing to sneeze at if you need a part-time job.
Product Promoter
Product promoters work in salesrooms, malls, supermarkets, computer and technology trade shows, fairs, and festivals, hawking everything from the latest vacuum cleaner to a speedy computer processor. You’ll need strong “people skills” and training in the nuts-and-bolts of the products you’re selling. Jobs are predicted to rise by a solid 18 percent between 2010 and 2020. Build your product knowledge through online or campus-based courses in computers, business, fashion design, or sales and marketing.
Don’t underestimate the perks of part-time work, including free time to devote to studies, family, or a job search effort in the field of your choice.