Five Thriving Jobs that Didn't Exist Ten Years Ago

Career hunting can be a little like stock trading; it's fine to get in on the already established stuff, but better to buy shares on the up and comers—especially while they're selling cheap, and there's not too much competition yet.

Kiplinger's "Jobs that Didn't Exist 10 Years Ago" is like one big stock tip for careers on the rise. Here's Vault's favorite five from the list:

1. Search Engine Optimization Specialist

SEO Specialists have one mission and one mission only: get a website higher up the list of search engine results. Of course, the strategies for getting there are many, as are the required skills: a mix of marketing, search engine logarithms, and a good understanding of web-users' behaviors.

And since internet usage only increases in depth and breadth, companies will both have a greater need to compete online, and a larger number of other companies to beat out in search engines—making the outlook for SEOers very bright indeed.

Read the Vault industry profile for Online Media and Blogs

2. Sustainability Manager

Though the eco-revolution began on an individual level, companies quickly took note of their customers' interest in environmentally friendly products and policies.

Thus, sustainability is a fast-growing field, and recycling and carbon-footprint managing programs—which are getting ever more sophisticated—require highly trained managers and supervisors. And since corporate support generally signifies that a fad has achieved "trend" status, 'going green' definitely seems like a safe bet for the future.

Read the Vault profession profile for Sustainability Manager

3. Social Media/Online-Community Manager

Speaking of corporate endorsements for pop culture whims, it seems that Goldman Sachs' attachment to Facebook in news headlines has officially elevated its "trend" status to "a way of life."

With 500 million users on Facebook alone, it's long been apparent that social media is a very powerful tool for reaching customers, sourcing potential employees, and developing a brand's reputation. Thus, companies are firming up everything from social media usage policies for their employees to formal advertising initiatives—and they'll need trained individuals with equal parts marketing and web talent to head things up.

Read the Vault profile for Read the Vault industry profile for Online Media and Blogs

4. Educational Consultant

Frankly, this career is genius: it pairs the satisfaction of teaching with the immediate gratification and project variety of consulting.

As the concept of children having different learning styles becomes more commonly accepted, parents are seeking out educational consultants to recommend programs, schools, and classroom environments for their children to learn and thrive in.

This career is doing some thriving itself, now that corporate is jumping on the bandwagon-- internal educational consultants are being hired within companies to diagnose training needs among staff. And according to a recent listing for the position at a bank, they can earn six figure salaries doing so.

Read the Vault industry profile for Consulting

5. Elder-Care Services Coordinator

Health care jobs are hot in general (the BLS's projections for 2018 include a 50.01% increase for Home health aides), but the future for positions in elderly care is especially promising.

The reason is simply an aging population combined with a greater interest in at-home care. The result is a more formalized niche for elderly in home (and "like home") care services, and a need for people to run them.

Coordinators will need an advanced degree in Gerontology to do the job, but since there looks to be no shortage of need in the area, the time and money may be an excellent investment.

Read the Vault industry profile for Home Health Care

Read the full list from Kiplinger

Related: Five Industries that are Disappearing—Fast

--Posted by Cathy Vandewater