Career Exploration

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

By 2028, the number of jobs in this cluster is expected to grow by 4% in Virginia. The Animal Systems pathway is projected to expand by a greater percentage (33%) than any other pathway in Virginia, with two veterinary occupations in that pathway among the top five fastest-growing occupations in the state.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The 9% job expansion projected for the Architecture and Construction cluster is greater than the 7% average job growth projected for all occupations in Virginia. Approximately 34,300 new jobs are projected to be created within the cluster by 2028, and about 47,600 job openings are expected throughout Virginia annually.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The overall job growth rate for this cluster is expected to be 2% through 2028. Choreographers in the Performing Arts pathway have one of the five highest-paying occupations among those having a predominant education level of high school diploma, with a Virginia 2018 median annual wage of $61,167.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The Business Management and Administration cluster is expected to experience 4% job growth from 2018 to 2028. There were 591,821 jobs classified in this cluster in 2018, making it the largest in Virginia. Over 21,200 new jobs are projected to be created within this cluster in Virginia by 2028.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

By 2028, the number of jobs in this cluster is expected to increase by about 5% in Virginia. The pathway in this cluster with the strongest job growth forecast through 2028 is Professional Support Services, with Interpreters and Translators in that pathway expected to see an especially strong percentage of job growth in Virginia (18%).

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

Virginia’s newest career cluster is also its smallest. There were about 12,400 jobs classified in the Energy cluster in 2018. By 2028, the number of jobs in this cluster is expected to increase by 4%. Of the four pathways in this cluster, the Energy Transmission, Distribution, and Storage pathway is expected to see the highest rate of job growth (8%) through 2028.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The Finance cluster is projected to expand 6% by 2028. Although the Accounting pathway is projected to have the lowest rate of job growth (3%) of all the pathways within the Finance cluster, it is also the largest pathway and is expected to offer the most annual job openings (11,111) between 2018 and 2028 of any pathway in the cluster.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The Government and Public Administration cluster is expected to grow by 6% from 2018 to 2028. Among all occupations in this cluster, Urban and Regional Planners are projected to experience the highest percentage of job growth (11%), with more than 150 new jobs in this field anticipated throughout Virginia by 2028.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The 15% job growth projected for the Health Science cluster from 2018 to 2028 is more than double the 7% average growth expected for all occupations in Virginia. All five pathways in the cluster are anticipating higher-than-average growth. Nearly half (48%) of Virginia’s 50 fastest-growing occupations are in the Health Science cluster.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The expected job growth rate for the Hospitality and Tourism career cluster in Virginia is 10% by 2028. The Restaurants and Food/Beverage Services pathway is the second largest career pathway in Virginia, consisting of an estimated 343,327 jobs in 2018 and accounting for about 84% of all jobs in the Hospitality and Tourism cluster.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The 18% job growth projected for the Human Services cluster from 2018 to 2028 is the second highest among all career clusters in Virginia. The Personal Care Services pathway—the largest in the cluster—is expected to have the second-highest percentage of growth among all career pathways in Virginia, expanding by 24%.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The 19% job growth projected for the Information Technology cluster from 2018 to 2028 is the highest of all career clusters in Virginia. Information Security Analysts in the Network Systems pathway are projected to have the most job growth of any occupation in Virginia (45%), with more than 6,600 new jobs in this field expected by 2028.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

Slightly more than 149,000 jobs were classified in Virginia’s Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security cluster in 2018. Over 3,200 new jobs are projected within the cluster by 2028, an increase of approximately 2%, and about 13,800 new job openings are expected annually throughout Virginia.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

There were approximately 179,200 jobs classified in Virginia’s Manufacturing cluster in 2018. About 1,600 fewer jobs are projected to exist within the cluster by 2028, representing a decline of about 1%; however, approximately 19,400 job openings in the cluster throughout Virginia are expected to occur each year.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

The anticipated job growth rate for the Marketing cluster, the second largest in Virginia, is 1% by 2028. Professional Sales is the largest pathway in Virginia, and three pathways in the cluster will likely have higher-than-average growth rates through 2028— Marketing Management (8%), Marketing Communications (9%), and Marketing Research (22%).

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

Between 2018 and 2028, the total number of jobs in the STEM cluster is projected to expand by 8%. All occupations in this cluster have a predominant education level higher than a high school diploma, and in 2018, all occupations in the cluster also had a median annual wage higher than the state median of $41,741.

Analyzing Education, Employment, and Earnings Data

In 2018, there were about 298,400 jobs in the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics cluster. About 9,200 new jobs are projected to be created in the cluster by 2028, representing a 3% increase over the decade. Roughly 35,600 job openings in this cluster per year are expected throughout Virginia.