What is the Best Job For Millennials in 2013?

Last week, this list of the best and worst jobs of 2013 was released. CareerCast.com put together the list based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies. They based the rankings on five criteria: physical demand, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. Topping the list were actuaries, biomedical engineers, and financial planners, while lumberjacks and news reporters took the bottom two spots.

This got me to thinking: what would be the best job for millennials in 2013? I always hear about the lack of STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — workers in the United States so it would be easy to assume the best job has to be in one of these fields. In terms of hiring outlook, the National Association of Colleges and Employers claims the industries with the greatest demand for college graduates and millennials are business, engineering, computer sciences, and accounting.  If income is your deciding factor, petroleum engineer, IT manager, and quantitatisove analyst are some of the highest paying jobs for our generation. What about work environment? Millennials who want to be surrounded by their peers may look no further than the retail industry. Payscale.com found that millennials have filled more jobs in retail than any other industry.

But what exactly are millennials looking for in a job?  Compared to our Baby Boomer parents, millennials job-hop more frequently.  According to a Department of Labor study, the average millennial has worked 6.3 jobs by the time they are 25.  Some may attribute this to that generation having grown up in the age of the Internet where job listings are much easier to find and recruiters can easily contact potential applicants via LinkedIn or other social networks. 

These high turnover rates can be attributed to job dissatisfaction. It seems we millennials expect more from our jobs than sitting in a cubicle all-day and staring at a computer. We want to enjoy what we are doing, be engaged, learn something from our jobs, and we aren’t afraid to find a job that can fulfill these roles. The average millennial left their company after 28 months and 81% are open to new job opportunities regardless of their currently employment status.  Gone are the days when our grandparents spent decades working for one company. 

It might be overly simple, but the best job for millennials is the one that makes them happy. More and more it seems like happiness comes from making a difference in the world. Instead of maximizing corporate profits, many look to maximize the number of people they can help or ways to save the environment. A new class of corporation has emerged with our generation. "B Corps" are dedicated to social enterprise, the idea that uses business to help solve humanity's problems. The success of TOMS Shoes serves as a testament to this business plan.

So what would my advice be to millennials looking for the best job of 2013? As U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said at my commencement ceremony, "Go out and get your hands dirty." Our generation is young and we should take advantage of the opportunities we have before life takes over. Apply for your dream job, take that internship or job abroad, do whatever makes you happy because in the end that is truly what makes the best job. For those of you who know you want to do something big, something excited, but do not know where to start check out Escape the City. This website is a great resources for anyone, millennial or not, to find out about some amazing jobs. And who knows, maybe I’ll meet you there.

Chad is a blogger for TheCanKicksBack, a non-partisan, Millennial driven campaign to fix the national debt and reclaim the American Dream and the founder of Purple State Politics.