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What Are The Best, Worst Entry-Level Jobs?

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- College students majoring in engineering are the most likely to have a job upon graduation, making it one of the most-attractive entry-level careers.

That's one of the key conclusions of a new jobs study by WalletHub, which was released on Wednesday. Of the top five jobs with the most openings, the top three were all in engineering.

However, there were other careers with bright futures, WalletHub found.

Web designers and computer software and network engineers also are all looking good, as those occupations are all among the best entry-level jobs, according to the Wallet Hub study.

The Top 10 Entry-Level Jobs

1. Training Specialist
2. Web Applications Developer
3. Network Engineer
4. Attorney
5. Environmental Engineer
6. Software Engineer
7. Designer-Web
8. Information Security Analyst
9. Financial Analyst
10. Programmer

On the flip side, WalletHub found that of the 109 occupations studied in the report, these are the 10 worst.

100. Welder
101. Building Inspector
102. Policy Processing Clerk
103. Electronics Assembler
104. Boilermaker
105. Claims Processing Clerk
106. Consumer Loan Servicing Clerk
107. Refinery Operator
108. Sheetmetal Mechanic
109. Floor Assembler

(Click on the image to enlarge)

best-worst-entry-level-jobs-artwork

Other findings:

> A tax attorney's median starting salary--the highest among the careers studied--is 6 times higher than a teaching assistant's.

> Employee relations specialists have three times higher earning potential than bank tellers.

> Certified occupational therapist assistants are expected to see the most job growth by 2022 (42.6 percent).

> While web application developers, web designers, software and network engineers, and programmers are all among the 10 Best Entry-Level Jobs, computer operators have the grimmest outlook, with 17 percent of jobs in the field projected to be cut by 2022.

WalletHub looked at 11 key metrics, and grouped them into three overall categories for analysis: immediate opportunities, prospects for growth, and potential hazards associated with each type of job.

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