Best-Kept-Secret Careers

Job seekers have it tough in these troubled times, especially in going after big-name careers. It's a great time to consider these hidden gems, which score well on the Best Careers 2009 selection criteria. They are Accent-reduction specialist, Child life specialist, Health informatics specialist, Orthoptist, Orthotist/prosthetist, Program analyst, Program evaluator, and Prospect researcher.

Accent-reduction

Customer-service person in India speaks perfect English but wants his accent more clearly understood by Americans. A Chinese scientist at a government lab speaks poor English and in such a heavy accent that it's hard to understand him. A corporation has executives with thick Brooklyn, African-American, Latino, or southern accents, and the company believes they'll be more credible if they sound more like a TV news anchor. These are typically the clients of accent-reduction specialists, also known as accent neutralization or accent modification specialists. Demand for this specialty is strong. Most accent-reduction specialists come from the ranks of speech therapists or English-as-a-Second-Language teachers.

Typical qualifications are a master's or Ph.D. in speech-language pathology, a license in speech-language pathology in your state, or a specialty credential in accent reduction or ESL training.

Child Life Specialist

Imagine that your child must face a difficult hospital stay. A child life specialist helps your child acclimate to his or her surroundings, role-plays scary medical procedures, and aids the family in reducing stress. While most child life specialists work in hospitals, some may also work in hospices and summer camps for children with serious diseases. A bachelor's degree (e.g., in child development) with at least 10 related courses-including a 480-hour internship-will prepare you for this rewarding, but often low-paying career.

Health Informatics Specialist/Manager

It's no surprise, hospitals, insurers, and regional collaboratives are switching to electronic medical records. Nurses and doctors, urged to do more evidence-based medicine, are using computerized expert systems to guide their diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Healthcare providers also are collecting more data to evaluate quality of care. Health informatics is an umbrella term for a range of careers. Not surprisingly, there are many opportunities for techies, but ample options exist for people persons. For example, as a health information systems analyst, you speak with physicians, nurses, and others to identify their needs and develop a blueprint to hand to the programmers for implementation. If you get a bachelor's in health information management or a bachelor's in anything plus a master's in health information management, you're likely to have a good, secure job waiting that will play a crucial role in improving the quality of American healthcare.

Orthoptist

Ophthalmologists (physicians who specialize in the eye) hire orthoptists to measure patients' vision and perform diagnostic tests to evaluate disorders such as strabismus (cross-eye) and amblyopia (lazy eye.) The orthoptist then helps the ophthalmologist develop a treatment plan, which may include eye exercises, drugs, or surgery. The orthoptist typically teaches the exercises to the patients, who usually are kids. The position requires the ability to relate to children, including those with disabilities beyond the ocular. Two years of postbachelor's training are required.

Orthotist/Prosthetist

These careers are related: the orthotist fabricates and fits custom-designed orthopedic braces. A prosthetist designs, creates, and custom-fits artificial limbs-from eyes to feet. This career requires a combination of science, hand skills, patience, and increasingly, a master's degree. Demand is projected to be high.

Program Analyst

Respond to a dirty-bomb scare in New York City. Estimate the resources needed to create a green education initiative in rural Alaska. These are just some of the tasks that could be required of program analysts, who work in federal and local government to provide needed information. Program analysts, often titled management analysts, might also be called on to gather information and write a report on the nation's model tutoring programs or the impact of new legislation on community banks. Most program analysts earn $50,000 to $100,000 annually and receive an excellent government benefits package. Master's degrees, such as in public policy, are often preferred, but many program analysts have just a bachelor's degree or even less, with in-house or outside training added later.

Program Evaluator

Notwithstanding politicians' rhetoric, is Head Start really worth the taxpayer dollars? What are the benefits and liabilities of online versus in-person training of solar energy installers? How might a teen-pregnancy prevention program further reduce teen pregnancy? How might the United Way reduce its overhead without diminishing benefits to clients? Program evaluators address such questions. This career has lots of upsides. It's interesting getting immersed in a different program every few weeks or months, and it feels good to know that you are key to making programs better, or deciding whether one is worth continuing. You get to use a combination of observation, interviewing, questionnaires, presentation skills, and statistics. Some evaluators have only a bachelor's degree with no special training. Yet some evaluations utilize Ph.D.'s from a specialized training program, such as Claremont Graduate School, UCLA, or Western Michigan University.

Prospect Researcher

One of nonprofits' hidden heroes is the prospect researcher. They mainly use computers to identify target donors-for example, wealthy people who have donated to similar causes. A prospect researcher will also dig up more detailed information about a potential major donor to help the solicitor maximize the donation: For example, the prospect's hobbies, pet peeves, past donations, and emotional hot buttons. If you'd like to direct your detective and information junkie proclivities to nonprofit ends, prospect research might be on target for you.

Source: US News and World Report, Marty Nemko, 12/11/08