Other Recommended Education: Business, accounting, finance and economics.

Training Options: Bachelor's degree or graduate school. Most states require Certified Public Accountant (CPA) students to complete at least 150 undergraduate hours before becoming eligible for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.

Average Minimium Hourly Pay: $21.53
Average Minimum Salary: $44,782

Average Salary Range: $47,622 - 60,203

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation and sick time, cellular phone and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: Beginning accountants can advance to top jobs such as chief financial officer, treasurer and controller. They could also become a chief executive officer.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Accountants prepare, analyze and verify financial reports and taxes, and monitor systems that furnish this information to managers of business organizations.

Central Ohio Career Outlook: Although graduates from accounting and business schools will be many, the demand for those with accounting skills will remain steady.

Other Recommended Education: Communication, business, liberal arts, building design, computer courses architectural history and drafting.

Training Options: Professional degree. A three-year internship is required before architects can take a non-division, computerized exam to become registered with the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Average Minimum Hourly Pay: $16.10
Average Minimum Salary: $33,488

Average Salary Range: $41,684 - 76,855

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation and sick time, cellular phone, travel expenses and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: The entry-level architectural position is a draftsman, and promotions could lead to a principal designer position. This involves more responsibility and greater complexity of architectural designs.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Architects design physical solutions for building needs or problems. They work with construction documents and specifications, create building models and furniture and equipment designs. 

Central Ohio Career Outlook: Prospective architects may face competition, escpecially if the number of architecture degrees awarded remains high.  However, the building industry is strong, requiring many design needs.

Banker

Suggested High School Courses: Reading, math, statistics, writing, communication and computer courses.

Other Recommended Education: Business, accounting, finance and economics.

Training Options: Two or four-year degree in finance, accounting, economics or business and on-the-job training.

Average Minimum Hourly Pay: $12.80
Average Minimum Salary: $26,624

Average Salary Range: $51,296 - 82,520

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation, sick time, cellular phone and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: Beginning bankers can advance with experience to top jobs such as financial officer, treasurer and controller. They could also become a bank president or executive officer.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Bankers prepare, analyze and verify financial requests for construction companies, and monitor monetary systems.

Central Ohio Career Outlook: Many banking needs are now performed through computer technology, which enhances productivity and accuracy, so the demand for bankers will remain average.

Other Recommended Education: Thermodynamics, heat transfer, electrical circuits, blueprint reading, control systems, surveying, geology and structural systems.

Training Options: Bachelor's degree in engineering, possibly graduate school. A professional engineer's (P.E.) license is required.

Average Minimum Hourly Pay: $25.25
Average Minimum Salary: $52,523

Average Salary Range: $58,995 - 67,399

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation and sick time, cellular phone and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: With a graduate degree in engineering, engineers can advance into management positions or focus on a specialized portion of the industry, such as mechanical, civil or electrical engineering.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Engineers design machinery, products, systems and processes for the construction of buildings and highways. They also test products and determine how to fix structural problems.

Central Ohio Career Outlook: The employment demand will equal the number of engineering graduates. Job opportunities look good through the year 2008 due to the amount of construction in the area.

Other Recommended Education: Logistics, history, philosophy and a general knowledge of a variety of subjects.

Training Options: Bachelor's and law degree, and passage of the state bar exam.

Average Minimum Hourly Pay: $22.02
Average Minimum Salary: $42.245

Average Salary Range: $63,377 - 263-598

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation and sick time, cellular phone and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: Lawyers begin as a research assistant and can become a partner of the firm, or begin a law practice of their own. Specialty areas of practice, such as construction law, is a growing field.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Lawyers act as advocates and advisors. They represent one of the opposing parties in a trial, presenting evidence supporting the client. They also counsel clients about their legal rights.

Central Ohio Career Outlook: Expect a large amount of competition for lawyers since the number of law graduates currently exceeds the demand for legal action.

Other Recommended Education: Journalism, media training, sociology, political science, public relations, philosophy and economics.

Training Options: Bachelor's or master's degree in business administration, marketing, advertising, journalism, public relations or liberal arts.

Average Minimum Hourly Pay: $25.66
Average Minimum Salary: $53,367

Average Salary Range: $72,785 - 86,743

Paid Benefits: Can include retirement, health and life insurance, paid vacation and sick time, cellular phone and corporate memberships.

Promotion Potential: Along with more responsibilities, marketing directors are prime candidates for advancement because of their job importance and high visibility within companies.

Tasks & Functions of the Job: Marketing directors bring information to public attention. They are strong communicators, deal with phone inquiries, maintain contact with the press, and interact with the public in a way that is courteous, creative and informative.

Central Ohio Career Outlook: The need will grow faster than average due to increased competition in products and services offered to consumers -- requiring greater marketing and promotions. Job competition will be strong.