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What is the best career right now?
What is the best career for those who are in high school right now?
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Wong’s Answer
There is no single "best" career for everyone because the best career depends on your interests, skills, values, and goals. However, some careers are growing quickly and are expected to have strong demand in the future.
For high school students today, fields related to technology, healthcare, business, and engineering offer many opportunities. Examples include artificial intelligence, software development, cybersecurity, data science, nursing, physical therapy, and business management.
If you enjoy technology and problem-solving, careers in AI, programming, or cybersecurity may be a good fit. These fields continue to grow and often offer good salaries.
If you enjoy helping people, healthcare careers such as nursing, physical therapy, and healthcare administration can be rewarding and stable.
For high school students today, fields related to technology, healthcare, business, and engineering offer many opportunities. Examples include artificial intelligence, software development, cybersecurity, data science, nursing, physical therapy, and business management.
If you enjoy technology and problem-solving, careers in AI, programming, or cybersecurity may be a good fit. These fields continue to grow and often offer good salaries.
If you enjoy helping people, healthcare careers such as nursing, physical therapy, and healthcare administration can be rewarding and stable.
Updated
Deepak’s Answer
Hey, this is genuinely one of the most important questions a high school student can ask. And the fact that you are thinking about it now puts you ahead of a lot of people who only start worrying about careers after college. Let me give you a real answer, not a list of buzzwords.
The Truth About "Best Career" Questions
Here is something worth knowing before I give you any list.
There is no single best career that works for every person. What works for your friend might feel wrong for you. A career that pays really well might drain all your energy. A career that excites you might take time to start paying well.
So when people ask what the best career is, what they usually mean is: which careers are growing right now, pay decent money, and have real demand for new people?
That is a much better question. And I can answer that one.
Careers That Are Actually Growing Right Now
Digital Marketing
Every business today needs to be visible online. A small bakery, a hospital, a startup, a school, everyone needs someone who understands how to use social media, run ads, get found on Google, and write emails that people actually open.
Digital marketing is one of those fields where you do not need a fancy degree to get started. You need skills, a certificate to prove those skills, and a little bit of practice. High school students can start learning this right now and have a resume-worthy certificate before they even finish school.
It also has branches. You can go into SEO, content writing, paid ads, social media management, email campaigns, or analytics. Any one of these can become a full career on its own.
Data and Analytics
Companies collect a huge amount of data every single day. Website clicks, sales numbers, customer behaviour, social media reach, all of it generates numbers. Someone has to make sense of those numbers and help businesses make decisions based on them.
That person is a data analyst. The demand for this role has shot up over the last few years and it is not slowing down.
You do not need to be a maths genius. Basic statistics and learning tools like Excel, Google Sheets, and eventually Python or SQL puts you in a strong position. A lot of this can be self-taught with free and low-cost online resources.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI is everywhere right now and companies are struggling to find people who actually understand it. This one takes more time and study compared to digital marketing, but if you start exploring it in high school, you will be in an incredibly strong position by the time you finish college.
The good news is you do not have to be a programmer to start learning about AI. There are beginner-friendly courses that explain how AI works, what it does, and how businesses use it. Getting familiar with the concepts early gives you a serious head start.
Cybersecurity
Every time a company gets hacked, a cybersecurity professional gets hired somewhere. The number of online threats grows every year and so does the demand for people who know how to stop them.
Cybersecurity is also one of those fields where skills matter more than which college you went to. Certifications like CompTIA Security+ are recognized globally and can be earned without a traditional four-year degree.
Content Creation and Video Production
This one surprises people but it is real. Companies need video content, written content, podcast scripts, and social media posts constantly. People who can create quality content consistently have more work available than they can sometimes handle.
You can start building this skill literally today with your phone. The barrier to entry is low. The ceiling on how good you can get is high.
What High School Students Specifically Should Do
Being in high school is actually a great position to be in. You have time. You have energy. And you do not yet have the pressures of rent, EMIs, and full-time work eating up your day.
Here is what I would suggest doing right now, while you are still in school:
Pick one career direction that genuinely interests you
Do not try to learn everything at once. Pick one thing you are curious about from the list above. Curiosity makes learning easier. If you pick something just because it pays well but have zero interest in it, you will probably not follow through.
Start learning online with free or affordable courses
You do not need to wait for college to start building career skills. There are platforms that offer beginner-friendly courses on digital marketing, coding, AI, data, design, and more. Some are completely free to learn and only charge a small fee when you want the certificate.
Platforms like EasyShiksha have courses built specifically for students and freshers. They cover subjects like digital marketing, web development, artificial intelligence, Python, and more. What makes them useful for high school students is the internship option. You can pair a course with a virtual internship and get a real internship certificate with official documents, even without stepping into an office. That certificate goes on your resume and LinkedIn before you even finish school. They have 1000 plus courses and the learning itself is free, with a small fee only when you download your certificate.
Build a small project or portfolio
Whatever you learn, try to apply it somewhere. If you learn digital marketing, help a small local business with their Instagram page. If you learn coding, build a small website. If you learn content writing, start a blog.
You do not need clients or money to practice. You need something to show people when they ask what you have done.
Do not ignore communication and writing skills
This is the most underrated advice I can give you. Every career, no matter the field, becomes easier when you can communicate clearly. Write well. Speak confidently. Learn to explain complex things in simple words.
These are not natural talents. They are skills. And they can be practiced every single day for free.
A Note on College vs Skills
A lot of students feel pressure to pick the right college or the right degree. And while higher education still matters, the job market today rewards people who can actually do things, not just people who hold degrees.
A degree plus skills is the strongest combination. But if you can only build one right now, build the skill. The degree can come later. The skill starts paying off faster.
High school is the perfect time to figure out what you enjoy, try a few things, and start building a foundation. You do not need to have your whole life mapped out. You just need to start somewhere.
To Directly Answer Your Question
The best career right now combines three things: growing demand, skill-based entry (not just degree-based), and variety in how you can apply it.
By that measure, digital marketing, data analytics, AI, cybersecurity, and content creation are all excellent choices right now.
For high school students specifically, I would say start with digital marketing or content creation because the barrier to entry is low, you can practice on your own without needing special equipment, and you can have real certificates and mini-projects done before you graduate.
Then keep learning as the world changes. The students who do well long-term are not the ones who picked the perfect career at age 16. They are the ones who stayed curious and kept adding to their skills.
The Truth About "Best Career" Questions
Here is something worth knowing before I give you any list.
There is no single best career that works for every person. What works for your friend might feel wrong for you. A career that pays really well might drain all your energy. A career that excites you might take time to start paying well.
So when people ask what the best career is, what they usually mean is: which careers are growing right now, pay decent money, and have real demand for new people?
That is a much better question. And I can answer that one.
Careers That Are Actually Growing Right Now
Digital Marketing
Every business today needs to be visible online. A small bakery, a hospital, a startup, a school, everyone needs someone who understands how to use social media, run ads, get found on Google, and write emails that people actually open.
Digital marketing is one of those fields where you do not need a fancy degree to get started. You need skills, a certificate to prove those skills, and a little bit of practice. High school students can start learning this right now and have a resume-worthy certificate before they even finish school.
It also has branches. You can go into SEO, content writing, paid ads, social media management, email campaigns, or analytics. Any one of these can become a full career on its own.
Data and Analytics
Companies collect a huge amount of data every single day. Website clicks, sales numbers, customer behaviour, social media reach, all of it generates numbers. Someone has to make sense of those numbers and help businesses make decisions based on them.
That person is a data analyst. The demand for this role has shot up over the last few years and it is not slowing down.
You do not need to be a maths genius. Basic statistics and learning tools like Excel, Google Sheets, and eventually Python or SQL puts you in a strong position. A lot of this can be self-taught with free and low-cost online resources.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI is everywhere right now and companies are struggling to find people who actually understand it. This one takes more time and study compared to digital marketing, but if you start exploring it in high school, you will be in an incredibly strong position by the time you finish college.
The good news is you do not have to be a programmer to start learning about AI. There are beginner-friendly courses that explain how AI works, what it does, and how businesses use it. Getting familiar with the concepts early gives you a serious head start.
Cybersecurity
Every time a company gets hacked, a cybersecurity professional gets hired somewhere. The number of online threats grows every year and so does the demand for people who know how to stop them.
Cybersecurity is also one of those fields where skills matter more than which college you went to. Certifications like CompTIA Security+ are recognized globally and can be earned without a traditional four-year degree.
Content Creation and Video Production
This one surprises people but it is real. Companies need video content, written content, podcast scripts, and social media posts constantly. People who can create quality content consistently have more work available than they can sometimes handle.
You can start building this skill literally today with your phone. The barrier to entry is low. The ceiling on how good you can get is high.
What High School Students Specifically Should Do
Being in high school is actually a great position to be in. You have time. You have energy. And you do not yet have the pressures of rent, EMIs, and full-time work eating up your day.
Here is what I would suggest doing right now, while you are still in school:
Pick one career direction that genuinely interests you
Do not try to learn everything at once. Pick one thing you are curious about from the list above. Curiosity makes learning easier. If you pick something just because it pays well but have zero interest in it, you will probably not follow through.
Start learning online with free or affordable courses
You do not need to wait for college to start building career skills. There are platforms that offer beginner-friendly courses on digital marketing, coding, AI, data, design, and more. Some are completely free to learn and only charge a small fee when you want the certificate.
Platforms like EasyShiksha have courses built specifically for students and freshers. They cover subjects like digital marketing, web development, artificial intelligence, Python, and more. What makes them useful for high school students is the internship option. You can pair a course with a virtual internship and get a real internship certificate with official documents, even without stepping into an office. That certificate goes on your resume and LinkedIn before you even finish school. They have 1000 plus courses and the learning itself is free, with a small fee only when you download your certificate.
Build a small project or portfolio
Whatever you learn, try to apply it somewhere. If you learn digital marketing, help a small local business with their Instagram page. If you learn coding, build a small website. If you learn content writing, start a blog.
You do not need clients or money to practice. You need something to show people when they ask what you have done.
Do not ignore communication and writing skills
This is the most underrated advice I can give you. Every career, no matter the field, becomes easier when you can communicate clearly. Write well. Speak confidently. Learn to explain complex things in simple words.
These are not natural talents. They are skills. And they can be practiced every single day for free.
A Note on College vs Skills
A lot of students feel pressure to pick the right college or the right degree. And while higher education still matters, the job market today rewards people who can actually do things, not just people who hold degrees.
A degree plus skills is the strongest combination. But if you can only build one right now, build the skill. The degree can come later. The skill starts paying off faster.
High school is the perfect time to figure out what you enjoy, try a few things, and start building a foundation. You do not need to have your whole life mapped out. You just need to start somewhere.
To Directly Answer Your Question
The best career right now combines three things: growing demand, skill-based entry (not just degree-based), and variety in how you can apply it.
By that measure, digital marketing, data analytics, AI, cybersecurity, and content creation are all excellent choices right now.
For high school students specifically, I would say start with digital marketing or content creation because the barrier to entry is low, you can practice on your own without needing special equipment, and you can have real certificates and mini-projects done before you graduate.
Then keep learning as the world changes. The students who do well long-term are not the ones who picked the perfect career at age 16. They are the ones who stayed curious and kept adding to their skills.
Jennifer Bloomquist- CIPP/US/E, CIPM
Risk Specialist for Privacy and Confidentiality Impact Accessments
23
Answers
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
Hi Leslie, that's a really important question to consider. It's good that you're curious about it. I'm going to agree with other advice you've been given that there is no one, best career that will fit everyone. There are a few steps I'd consider thinking about and making an actual list.
1) What am I good at that I want to continue to do, either as a hobby or job?
2) What do I enjoy doing, either as a hobby or job?
3) What am I not good at or as good at as I'd like to be that I want to continue getting better and learning?
Sometimes these don't align. Sometimes we can be really good at certain types of tasks but really dislike doing whatever the tasks are. Sometimes we pick up something we really enjoy but that skills needs a lot of development, which is where I think a large chunk of people find themselves, especially now that AI is reshaping the job market.
Once you've identified the tasks and skills for steps 1-3, then I'd consider which things you enjoy that you think you'd continue to enjoy if you do them every day for 8+ hours versus enjoying them in smaller chunks of time. Considering this can help you determine what might be good to keep as a hobby vs. develop into a career.
Some of the best job fields right now are the ones where people are an expert at a topic and can make decisions that AI can't make or jobs where people with deep knowledge can identify places where AI hallucinates. Deep knowledge of things you enjoy or skills you want to cultivate are where this type of job type has a lot of success. I consider this type of career to be where you become a subject matter expert in a field that uses AI or will use AI.
If you're enjoy technology, coding, etc., there's also a need for people who can make judgements about AI generated code that needs revision. There is a lot of vibe coding happening that produces unintended results, and someone needs to make heads or tails of it to either to fix it or start the coding from scratch.
Cultivating certain skills that are used across many different industries is really important for white collar work. Learning to write well is one such skill. Another is learning how to analyze data. If blue collar work is what you think you'll enjoy doing, then getting the right training and practical experience with hands-on instruction will be important.
There are a lot of people who think blue collar work is the way to go because AI is changing so much about white collar work right now. It's good to consider, but I think blue collar work should be a career choice for people who enjoy that type of work and not as a catch-all that everyone should do just to avoid AI disrupting certain white collar work.
My dad was a plumber/pipefitter. He really enjoyed what he did because he knew how important it was. He did work in new construction, existing construction, and at several nuclear facilities. Especially at the work at nuclear facilities, he had a lot of pride in knowing that what he was doing was part of keeping people in the community at large safe. If everyone decides to be a plumber, though, then there wouldn't be enough customers to keep all the plumbers employed. There needs to be a variety of people doing different kinds of work. That's why I'm stressing pursuing skills you enjoy.
There are 3 skills that I think people who have them do well in any career path they choose because these skills aren't taught in school specifically.
1. People who learn and practice how to take feedback as a way to improve rather than react defensively.
2. People with a desire to always continue to learn and take on new types of tasks when opportunities arise.
3. People who adapt to change with a positive attitude, especially outwardly.
There is also right now in the job market a need for people who are risk-minded. That can be a job in risk specifically, but it also applies to a lot of different fields. Weighing risks is especially important in privacy work, engineering, product development, customer relationship management, finance, compliance, accounting, and policy-setting/writing. It's also a skill not taught in school as a standalone course but is useful nonetheless in our increasingly AI-driven career landscape.
1) What am I good at that I want to continue to do, either as a hobby or job?
2) What do I enjoy doing, either as a hobby or job?
3) What am I not good at or as good at as I'd like to be that I want to continue getting better and learning?
Sometimes these don't align. Sometimes we can be really good at certain types of tasks but really dislike doing whatever the tasks are. Sometimes we pick up something we really enjoy but that skills needs a lot of development, which is where I think a large chunk of people find themselves, especially now that AI is reshaping the job market.
Once you've identified the tasks and skills for steps 1-3, then I'd consider which things you enjoy that you think you'd continue to enjoy if you do them every day for 8+ hours versus enjoying them in smaller chunks of time. Considering this can help you determine what might be good to keep as a hobby vs. develop into a career.
Some of the best job fields right now are the ones where people are an expert at a topic and can make decisions that AI can't make or jobs where people with deep knowledge can identify places where AI hallucinates. Deep knowledge of things you enjoy or skills you want to cultivate are where this type of job type has a lot of success. I consider this type of career to be where you become a subject matter expert in a field that uses AI or will use AI.
If you're enjoy technology, coding, etc., there's also a need for people who can make judgements about AI generated code that needs revision. There is a lot of vibe coding happening that produces unintended results, and someone needs to make heads or tails of it to either to fix it or start the coding from scratch.
Cultivating certain skills that are used across many different industries is really important for white collar work. Learning to write well is one such skill. Another is learning how to analyze data. If blue collar work is what you think you'll enjoy doing, then getting the right training and practical experience with hands-on instruction will be important.
There are a lot of people who think blue collar work is the way to go because AI is changing so much about white collar work right now. It's good to consider, but I think blue collar work should be a career choice for people who enjoy that type of work and not as a catch-all that everyone should do just to avoid AI disrupting certain white collar work.
My dad was a plumber/pipefitter. He really enjoyed what he did because he knew how important it was. He did work in new construction, existing construction, and at several nuclear facilities. Especially at the work at nuclear facilities, he had a lot of pride in knowing that what he was doing was part of keeping people in the community at large safe. If everyone decides to be a plumber, though, then there wouldn't be enough customers to keep all the plumbers employed. There needs to be a variety of people doing different kinds of work. That's why I'm stressing pursuing skills you enjoy.
There are 3 skills that I think people who have them do well in any career path they choose because these skills aren't taught in school specifically.
1. People who learn and practice how to take feedback as a way to improve rather than react defensively.
2. People with a desire to always continue to learn and take on new types of tasks when opportunities arise.
3. People who adapt to change with a positive attitude, especially outwardly.
There is also right now in the job market a need for people who are risk-minded. That can be a job in risk specifically, but it also applies to a lot of different fields. Weighing risks is especially important in privacy work, engineering, product development, customer relationship management, finance, compliance, accounting, and policy-setting/writing. It's also a skill not taught in school as a standalone course but is useful nonetheless in our increasingly AI-driven career landscape.