10
Fast-Growing Careers
addition to college degrees or military service, have at least 2,500
hours of flying experience on particular aircraft and a Federal
Occupation
% Growth New Jobs Created
(2002–2012) (2002–2012)
Aviation Administration (FAA) airline transport pilot certificate.
recreational vehicle service Technician 30.8% 200 On the ground, air traffic controllers, who help ensure the safe
bus driver, school 27.4% 8,050
operation of commercial and private aircraft by coordinating
their movement, are almost exclusively hired by the FAA. Many
airline pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer 25.2% 2,650
air traffic controllers are now retiring, which opens positions at
flight attendant 24.3% 3,150
airport towers and control centers around the country. They earn
aerospace engineering and operations Technician 22.2% 100
from $37,200 to as much as $74,940 annually, and a college degree
aircraft mechanic and service Technician 20.8% 2,950 is preferred, but not required, according to the National Air Traffic
Traffic Technician 20.0% 50
Controllers Association.
Taxi driver and chauffeur 18.3% 1,400
Keep the goods Moving
Truck driver, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer 18.2% 23,100
Opportunities are also expanding at home and abroad for those
automotive service Technician and mechanic 17.5% 10,250
assisting with the flow of goods from around the world, says
This is a projection of 10 fast-growing careers in Transportation, Distribution & Logistics in Texas from the Laurie Denham, executive director of the American Society of
year 2002 to 2012 and the number of new jobs created in each occupation. Note that whereas the percentage
of growth in jobs may be high, the actual number of jobs created may be low. For example, there will be only
Transportation and Logistics.
50 new jobs for traffic technicians created in Texas during the decade that the data covers. Source: Texas
Workforce Commission.
With increased U.S. imports clogging rails, roads, and ports,
those with responsibility for the distribution of goods have
increasingly critical jobs, Denham says. “And
Opportunities abound no matter where
because of the increased global work, there are lots
you choose to work. With a certification Texas Has approxImaTelY
of international opportunities,” she says.
from the U.S. Coast Guard and a high school
diploma, for example, you can start out as a
12,000 mIles
Jobs in this area are often at warehouses
or distribution centers. At these facilities,
deckhand on a boat or ship and work your way of maInlIne raIlroad
forklift operators unload pallets of cargo
to seaman, able seaman, mate, master, and
TracK, THe mosT of anY
from trucks. Warehouse workers retrieve
even captain.
sTaTe In THe u.s.
items from storage to fill orders. At
the executive level, logistics managers
On-the-Job Training
are responsible for the warehousing,
“You receive training on the job,” says Bill Mallini, Galveston
transportation, inventory management, and customer service
Island ferry operations manager. Crews on boats operated by the
for a manufacturer, retailer, or other company.
Texas Department of Transportation assist with the safe loading,
unloading, and transport of vehicles and their passengers between
Galveston Island and Port Bolivar on the Texas mainland.
10
Top-Paying Careers
“Someone who is assertive can move up. It’s possible to work
your way from the bottom to the top,” says Mallini, who adds that
the same goes for those working below decks in the vessel’s engine
Occupation
Average Entry-Level Experienced
Wage Wage Wage
room, where responsibilities can include repairing or overhauling
airline pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer $66.78 $27.65 $86.35
machinery, reading electrical diagrams or mechanical drawings,
flight attendant $34.21 $16.85 $42.89
and performing welding or carpentry.
A beginning-level marine oiler who keeps ship and boat
commercial pilot $26.15 $14.07 $32.19
engines oiled and greased, Mallini says, can advance to become
aerospace engineering and operations Technician $25.02 $16.80 $29.13
a marine engineer in charge of installation and maintenance of captain, mate, and pilot of water vessels $24.70 $16.37 $28.86
maritime engines.
postmaster and mail superintendent $24.54 $17.89 $27.87
first-line supervisor of
high-flying salaries
Transportation machine and vehicle operators
$22.56 $13.75 $26.97
Perhaps you prefer soaring to sailing. Job candidates with college
aircraft mechanic and service Technician $21.19 $15.13 $24.23
degrees or military experience can earn some of the highest-paying
postal service mail carrier $20.78 $16.81 $22.77
salaries in the Transportation, Distribution & Logistics cluster by
entering aviation.
Tank car, Truck, and ship loader $17.20 $11.38 $20.11
Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers earn from $58,900
This is a chart of hourly wages for 10 of the top-paying careers in the Transportation, Distribution &
Logistics cluster in Texas. Note how entry-level wages are often much lower than pay for the average worker
to $145,600 annually. Airlines usually require that pilots, in and experienced workers in each profession. Source: Texas Workforce Commission.
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