Top Jobs for Getting Ahead in 2017

What is a great job? Salary comes to mind when contemplating that question, as does a healthy career track and speedy promotion for quality work. A great job also has to show growth – an indication of increasing importance and demand.

Recently, LinkedIn.com – a massive career information hub and communication platform – released a report on the positions the organization deems the most promising for this year – ones that allow for good pay and opportunities to move up.

TopJobsIn compiling its report, LinkedIn rated positions using weighted criteria important to job seekers. The most important criteria – amounting to 30% of a job’s score – was salary. Career advancement – based on the percentage of members employed at the end of 2015 who then started a new position at the same company during 2016 – accounted for 25% of the score. The number of current job openings was weighted at 20%, and the year-over-year growth of job openings for title represented 15% of the final tally. Also tabulated was regional availability at 10%, which is the number of different regions in the U.S. hiring for each job title.

The number one job on LinkedIn’s roster of promising positions for 2017 is Hospitalist – a doctor who works exclusively within a hospital. In the U.S., the median base salary for such a role is $222,000 a year and, on LinkedIn, there are over 1,000 positions open for the title – an 87% increase, year-over-year. For career advancement, the job scored a 6 out of 10.

In second place on the list, Pharmacist. Pharmacists in the U.S. make an annual median wage of $123,000 and there are more than 3,300 open positions for that profession on LinkedIn, increasing 45% over last year. The job earned a career advancement score of 5 out of 10.

In third place on LinkedIn’s list is the position of Sales Engineer. A sales engineer is tasked with selling technically complex machinery or tech products and must be knowledgeable about said gear. The median base salary for the position, according to LinkedIn, is $80,000 per year. There are over 3,000 listings for the title on LinkedIn and the number of openings has gone up 159% since last year. The occupation was given a career advancement score of 6 out of 10.

Here are the remaining jobs ranking in the Top 10:

4. Site Reliability Engineer. Median Base Salary:  $140,000
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 300+ (93%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10

5. Product Manager
Median Base Salary: $97,500
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 3,000+ (11%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10

6. Financial Analyst
Median Base Salary: $64,000
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 2,500+ (27%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10

7. Technical Program Manager
Median Base Salary: $129,000
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 500+ (49%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10

8. Program Manager
Median Base Salary: $97,400
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 2,300+ (17%)
Career Advancement Score 7 out of 10

9. Data Engineer
Median Base Salary: $105,000
Job Openings (YoY Growth): 900+ (85%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10

10. Scrum Master. Median Base Salary: $100,000.
Job Openings 400+ (104%)
Career Advancement Score 8 out of 10
A Scrum Master is accountable for removing impediments to the ability of a team to deliver product goals and deliverables. The Scrum Master acts as a buffer between the team and any distracting influences.