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May 13, 2007
Engineers, architects and animal lovers are in high demand across Washington, according to a recently released look at the state’s 25 hottest jobs.
The state ranked the occupations that will have the highest annual growth rates between now and 2014, based on occupational projections and a job vacancy survey.
The findings: Most high-demand jobs require at least a four-year college degree, or an equivalent amount of on-thejob training.
Certain fields are especially hot. Take animal care. Veterinary technologists, veterinary assistants and veterinarians will be in high demand in the coming years, according to the rankings. So will architects, landscape architects and architectural drafters.
Pay ranges widely in high-demand fields, with gaming dealers earning a median hourly wage of $8.19, and chemical engineers making a median hourly wage of $39.72.
The Columbian found four people in fast-growing careers to talk about how they spend their days and what it takes to succeed in these hot jobs.
ARCHITECT
Name: Kathy Dietrich, Architects Associative.
Age: “Over 39.”
Years on the job: 26.
How do you spend a typical day at work?
There is no typical day. There’s desk time, I’m on the computer, on the phone, e-mailing, in meetings. And sometimes I go out in the field to look at buildings under construction or do research for projects under design. There are lots of different things to do, it’s very interesting.
What kind of training do you have?
I have a master of architecture degree from the University of Washington. There is a mandatory two-year internship working for a licensed architect after you complete your education, then you can take the licensing exam. It’s a long haul. You can get a five-year architecture degree as an alternative path, and the state of Washington also allows you to apprentice to become an architect, which I believe takes eight years.
What kind of person should consider becoming an architect?
It’s good to be a people person. You need some spatial ability: the ability to visualize things in more than one dimension. It doesn’t hurt to have artistic ability, although these days we’ve really switched overt to doing almost everything on computers. People still do sketch a lot by hand during the design phase. You should be pretty good in math and science, you need to take structural engineering and you have to understand about earthquakes.
The state says the median salary for an architect is $28.96 per hour, or $60,236 annually, if you work 40 hours a week. Does that sound about right?
It sounds right, although it’s widely variable. If you’re the principal of a firm, it’s probably at least $100,000. When they’re starting out, intern architects make $34,500 to $39,800, according to an architect salary survey. Salaries are higher in urban areas.
ROOFER
Name: Rick Nikkila, owner Garon Roofing & Sheet Metal.
Age: 50.
Years on the job: 30.
How do you spend a typical day at work?
As the owner of the company, when I get to work I have about 15 roofers that I send out to different jobs. I can do roofing, but mostly I’m busy bidding jobs and going to jobs to make sure they’re getting done correctly.
Our roofers work with tanker trucks that have hot tar at 500 degrees, we put a pipe up to the roof. They work hard. Safety is always the first concern.
What kind of training do you have?
To become a roofer, you go through an apprentice program through the Roofer’s Union that takes about four or five years. After you’re an apprentice, you make it to journeyman, hopefully a foreman, and possibly a superintendent. All the training is on-the-job or through the apprentice program.
What kind of person should consider becoming a roofer?
Somebody that’s willing to work hard. The pay is pretty good, but you have to earn it.
The state says the median salary for a roofer is $18.04 per hour, or $37,500 a year, if you work 40 hours a week. Does that sound about right?
That might be an average, but it seems low. Apprentices make around $18 an hour. Our journeyman scale is around $25 an hour, and our foremen are making up over $30 an hour. The minimum is laid out by the union, and then there are people who are reliable and work hard and I pay them over scale.
SECURITY GUARD
Name: Mike Richey, Evergreen Safety Patrol and Pacific River Patrol.
Age: 32.
Years on the job: 3.
How do you spend a typical day at work?
I lock up complexes for clients. I assist tenants with noise complaints and parking complaints. I might do field interviews with people outside a complex to see what they’re doing after certain hours. I go from property to property making sure people’s personal effects are safe. Security guards are still private citizens, not actual police officers. Our primary job is to observe and report. When there’s a life-or-death situation, we contact the police right away.
What kind of training do you have?
I have armed and unarmed certification in Oregon and Washington. With armed certification, you have to pass a shooting test in each state. There is also a list of other certifications I have, including low-light training, anti-terrorism training, tactical baton training. I’m certified with a Taser, use of deadly force, handcuff training, pepper spray.
What kind of person should consider becoming a security guard?
Somebody that has the interest of other people at heart, somebody that is a night owl and likes to be up during the dark hours of the night. You have to deal with people, and sometimes they get hostile, so you have to have the ability to defend yourself and possibly protect others.
The state says the median salary for a security guard is $11.17 per hour, or $23,233 a year, if you work 40 hours a week. Does that sound about right?
That would be a mediocre salary. There’s high turnover in this field, and until you find someone who can pull it off you might start them low. If they don’t have as many certifications they’ll also make less. You can work your way up and make more.
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