How the Best Careers 2009 Were Selected

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Don't waste your time reading this crap. I would like to know what research if any went into this article. Regarding the architect comments above, I am an architect as well and I do not know a single one who is still employed. You will spend your first 10 years drafting for the company for very little pay.. then they will lay you off or get rid of you because they feel you are too expensive and will replace you with a fresh student. The cycle continues... Do something you enjoy.. nothing else matters.

Architect of HI 12:37AM September 02, 2009

Is this what passes for professional research these days? This is worse than your run-of-the-mill hackjob journalism. It's more like a smoldering mountain of horse turd wrapped in off-white polyester lace from the Martha Stewart Collection at Kmart. They listed Hair Stylist/Cosmetologist alongside Veterinarian. Have you ever heard a hair stylist brag about his/her terrific health insurance and retirement benefits? No, because the overwhelming majority of them don't have any! Veterinarians require as much education and training as regular doctors, and the cost of that education and training is equally staggering. Nobody rolls out of bed one day and decides to be a veterinarian. If U.S. News really wants to give people useful advice, it should start by hiring writers who perform research that goes beyond Googling over a Starbucks vente frappucino.

Ty of MD 1:29PM August 02, 2009

I whole heartedly agree with the last comment. I felt compelled to write this purely to warn anyone who may follow this article's advice and go back to school for landscape architecture. I am a recently laid-off landscape architect, and cannot believe the change in job postings from when I started in Southern California three years ago to now. There are no available jobs in this field. So now the question must be asked - do I retrain for one of your other mentioned careers?

CSW of CA 9:25PM July 09, 2009

Marty, I have to say that when you listed Landscape Architecture as one of the top 30 Best Careers of 2009, you really missed the boat.
I do believe that Landscape Architecture is an incredible career. I am in school to become an L.A. because of the factors that went into choosing the Top 30 Careers of 2009 - Job Satisfaction, Difficulty of Training, Prestige, and Pay.
But, I looked into your sources, especially those related to Job Outlook, because I am in need of some hope. However, the numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are from 2006, when no one, especially those in the government, could foresee the economic crisis that hit in 2008.
There were approximately 28,000 landscape architects employed in 2006, which was near the height of the housing boom, in CA at least, where I live. I wonder how many landscape architects are still employed now, in the spring of 2009. I can tell you - not many.

Theresa Nelson Chada of CA 1:58PM May 11, 2009