Engineer

How would you like to design the next-generation iPhone? A more energy-efficient air conditioner? Or software that would more quickly decode a person's genome? If you're an inveterate tinkerer, with enough math and science ability to survive a five-to-six-year engineering or computer science bachelor's degree, engineering could be your calling. Turnover is very low, although twice as many women as men leave the profession. And there's strong demand for engineers, who are among the highest-paid bachelor's-level professionals.

One trend to keep an eye on: Employers are offshoring ever more lower-skill engineering work to low-cost countries like India and China, where thousands of bright engineers are willing to work for a fraction of the going rate in the United States. While the job market for many engineering specialties will be strong in the private sector, as in many fields, the most secure jobs will be in the government.

A Day in the Life. On your computer, you draft a design for a valve for an improved artificial heart, running simulations of how well different materials would work. You then work with a model maker at your medical device company, who will create a prototype of your design. Meanwhile, a fellow engineer is devising a machine to test your prototype. Once the prototype has been tested, you'll meet with your boss and three other engineers—each of whom developed a different prototype valve. You'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, so you can settle on one that incorporates the best features of all three.