“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Your friends and family have wanted to know since your first day in Kindergarten, but now you’re in college and you still don’t have a good answer.

After all, choosing a career means choosing more than just what you study for the next four years, but what you potentially want to spend 8 hours a day on for the rest of your life; not to mention the means of feeding your future family.

It’s not a simple question!

This is why it’s important to do your research before just choosing a random degree to placate your worried family. It’s important to consider your degree’s return on investment, whether the career is a good fit for your interests, and what your future job prospects are looking like.

The Unbound team would like to help you with that.

We’ve gathered information on the top 9 careers of 2018. These careers are expected to grow rapidly in the future and offer some serious job security.

Just started your degree? Don’t worry. You don’t have to start working right away. While these careers are expected to grow exponentially in 2018, their projected growth spans over the next 20 years or so. So you’ll have time.

Take a look at which careers made the list and what kind of requirements and income you can expect from them!

Top Careers to Enter in 2018

Common majors: a graduate-level health degree (Ph.D, M.D, etc.) matching their subject

A Health Specialties Teacher is a teacher of a college-level health topics, such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine. They typically work in a college, university, professional school, or community college. They may also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.

Common majors: operations research, management science, mathematics, business administration, economics, engineering, computer science

Operations Research Analysis is a math-heavy field that uses advanced mathematical concepts and analytics to help organizations investigate complex issues and make better decisions. Operations Research Analysts spend most of their days building systems and crunching numbers, though meeting with clients may occasionally be required.

Common major: masters in genetic counseling or genetics

A Genetic Counselor’s job is to assess someone’s risk for abnormalities, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. They work with both healthcare providers and individuals to advise on risks for a variety of inherited conditions. Experts in medicine expect the field of genetics to grow dramatically over the next two decades.

Common majors: computer science or other computer-related fields

Information Security Analysts are responsible for devising and carrying out plans for protecting organizations’ information security, as well as protecting computer networks and systems from cyber attacks.

Common majors: masters in mathematics, statistics

Mathematicians use mathematical and statistical data to solve real-world problems in various fields: business, engineering, healthcare, etc.

Common majors: computer science or other computer-related fields

Software Developers create computer programs and both desktop and mobile applications. Some develop the underlying systems that help devices run or control networks.

Common majors: masters in mathematics, statistics

Statisticians, like Mathematicians, solve real-world problems via statistical analysis and mathematical data. They also work in fields like business, engineering, healthcare, etc.

Common majors: master’s degree in one of the APRN roles

Nurse Anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) that coordinate patient care and provide primary or specialty healthcare. The scope of their practices varies from state to state.

Common majors: Physician’s Assistant masters

Physician’s Assistants assist teams of physicians, surgeons, or other healthcare workers to diagnose, examine, and treat patients.

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And this is just a beginning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has mapped out 11 other fast-growing careers in addition to the nine covered here. Or, if you have a specific career in mind, sites like careers.com can add valuable data to your research.

What if you don’t have the slightest clue what future career you’d enjoy? We can help you with that too.

Choosing a future career doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds! No one expects you to go in blind. Just be patient and keep searching. (And keep your eyes peeled for more posts like this one!)