all of our best jobs of 2012 are outstanding, but the top 25 make for a particularly great career choice. we’ve ranked them, comparing their projected growth to the year 2020 to their industry’s employment rate. also contributing to a job’s overall score is its average salary, predicted job prospects, and a quantitative assessment of job satisfaction. read more on how we ranked the best jobs.

the rankings

see all registered nurse job openings

#1 registered nurse overall score:8.2 growth: 711,900 unemployment: 5.5% median salary: $64,690 satisfaction: medium

the nursing profession will almost always have great hiring opportunity because of its expanse (from pediatric care to geriatric care, and everything in between). and as a substantial chunk of our population ages, the necessity for qualified rns intensifies.

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see all software developer job openings

#2 software developer overall score:7.6 growth: 143,800 unemployment: 7.9% median salary: $87,790 satisfaction: medium

these tech-smart professionals who design, construct, test, and maintain software should see abundant job growth up to the year 2020. the bureau of labor statistics predicts 27.6 percent expansion, or 143,800 new positions.

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see all pharmacist job openings

#3 pharmacist overall score:7.6 growth: 69,700 unemployment: 5.5% median salary: $111,570 satisfaction: medium

with a fairly solid job satisfaction score and a very solid average salary, the pharmacist profession nabs the no. 3 spot on our list. possessors of a pharm.d can anticipate nearly 70,000 available jobs this decade.

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see all medical assistant job openings

#4 medical assistant overall score:7.5 growth: 162,900 unemployment: 5.5% median salary: $28,860 satisfaction: medium

if you’d like to join the more than 520,000 professionals who work as medical assistants, you can expect to earn approximately $28,860 per year and to find generous job opportunities. there will be more than 160,000 new positions in this field by 2020.

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see all database administrator job openings

#5 database administrator overall score:7.5 growth: 33,900 unemployment: 7.9% median salary: $73,490 satisfaction: medium

the more digitized our society becomes, the more important the role of “database administrator” becomes. by 2020, we’ll need about 33,900 new ones to store, organize, manage, and troubleshoot all the content we store on computers.

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see all web developer job openings

#6 web developer overall score:7.5 growth: 65,700 unemployment: 7.9% median salary: $75,660 satisfaction: high

“web developer” might seem like a generic term, but a lot of schooling and skill goes into making a website look good and operate well. according to the labor department, about 65,700 new web developers will enter the working world by 2020.

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see all computer systems analyst job openings

#7 computer systems analyst overall score:7.5 growth: 120,400 unemployment: 7.9% median salary: $77,740 satisfaction: medium

having a hard time distinguishing one tech job from another on this list? think of a computer systems analyst as the one who keeps the trains running on time. they’re often a liaison between the it department and a client.

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see all physical therapist job openings

#8 physical therapist overall score:6.9 growth: 77,400 unemployment: 5.5% median salary: $76,310 satisfaction: high

use your training period to start networking and begin your search for physical therapist jobs. although there will be more than 77,000 jobs in this field this decade, the early birds will be more marketable.

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see all computer programmer job openings

#9 computer programmer overall score:6.8 growth: 43,700 unemployment: 7.9% median salary: $71,380 satisfaction: medium

c++, python, and other computer languages should be second-nature for an ambitious computer programmer. some of the most proficient could earn up to $114,000 a year.

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see all occupational therapist job openings

#10 occupational therapist overall score:6.8 growth: