College students contemplating which classes to enroll in next semester may want to check out the following list. Featured in 50 Best College Majors for a Secure Future, this list identifies which courses are best connected to high-security majors.

1. Statistics for Business and Social Sciences
2. Calculus
3. Organic Chemistry
4. General Chemistry
5. Introduction to Computer Science
6. English Composition
7. Statistics
8. Seminar (reporting on research)
9. Foreign Language
10. General Biology
11. Introduction to Biochemistry
12. Introduction to Psychology
13. College Algebra
14. Oral Communication
15. General Microbiology

Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., the occupational expert who developed this list, says, “You might want to take some of these courses as electives—that is, optional courses that are not required for your major—because they may contribute in some way to knowledge that will be particularly useful in jobs that are relatively secure during economic downturns.”

For most teachers, getting a classroom full of students to focus on a lesson is a tough task on its own, but some teachers also must manage students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The American Psychiatric Association estimates between 3 and 7 percent of school-age children have ADHD, and other studies have found up to 10 percent.

But there are ways for teachers to cope with this issue, according to Dave Foley, author of Ultimate Classroom Management Handbook.

“No matter how you may feel, be patient,” Foley says in the book. “Changing behavior pattern may seem like an almost impossible task, but take a deep breath and stay with it. Do your best to establish a good relationship with these kids, because they really want the approval of their teachers and their peers.”

Foley recommends taking a few simple steps to manage students with ADHD:

• Give them positive attention.
• Supply immediate feedback.
• Tell them exactly what is acceptable behavior.
• Offer tangible rewards and positive tasks.
• Minimize distractions.
• Keep your directions simple and clear.
• Provide simple and immediate consequences for misbehavior.
• Get their cooperation.
• Prepare them for special events.

“Remember that ADHD is not an excuse for misbehaving or for poor academic performance,” Foley says. “Work with these students to help them meet their obligations, be accepted by their classmates, and participate in all your class activities.”

When you interview for a teaching position, the interviewer asks a number of questions to get to know you and gain an understanding of your teaching style and philosophy. But according to Anthony D. Fredericks, the school wants to learn five essential facts about you.

“When a school or district opens up a position, there are several things they are looking for,” Fredericks says in his new book Ace Your Teacher Interview. “Knowing these conditions ahead of time can help you approach each and every interview situation with confidence and assurance.”

Here are the five basic facts you should convey during a teacher interview:

1. “A principal, above all else, wants to know if you are qualified for the job—do you have the basic skills and abilities to be an effective classroom leader? Sure, you have a college education and you’ve done your student teaching, but so has everyone else. The principal needs to be sure that you have sufficient background and knowledge about educational strategies, philosophies, standards and basic teaching principals.…The successful candidate will set himself or herself apart from the crowd by presenting a unique set of skills and talents not possessed by the other candidates.”

2. “Are you motivated? Are you a candidate who is sincerely excited about teaching and the opportunities for improving the intellectual lives of students? Are you a candidate who can’t wait to get in a classroom and make a difference? Are you more interested in the academic possibilities for kids than in getting a job? In short, the job is of less importance than the opportunity to make a lasting difference in students’ lives.”

3. “Most people in the business world will tell you that the single most critical skill they look for in a potential new employee is his or her ability to work with others. Interpersonal skills are paramount in the success a company envisions. Working as a member of a team is critical to the success of a school, as well.…You may spend your teaching day inside a room with lots of short people, but you need to be a functional part of one or more larger teams—a grade level team, a subject area team or a whole school team.”

4. “Here’s a scary statistic: The average classroom teacher will make up to 1,500 educational decisions every day he or she is teaching. Some of those decisions will be minor ones…others will be major ones.…A principal wants to know if you are a good decision-maker and/or problem solver. This problem-solving ability, quite obviously, applies to one’s ability to solve educational problems as well as student problems.”

5. “Perhaps the most important factor woven into any type of interview situation is your ‘likeability factor.’ Simply put, people want to work with people they like. Do you have an engaging personality, a sense of humor, a spirit, an energy, an overall ‘likeability’?…A school is a unique community; if you are a ‘people person,’ then a community functions well. If, however, you have a negative disposition, a constant frown on your face, or a boring attitude, you will not be contributing to that community. Your ‘likeability,’ more than your skills or education, is often the factor that gets you hired—the factor that makes the difference between who teaches and who doesn’t.”

About 8 percent of the workforce is self-employed, and this number includes workers who are highly skilled in numerous, diverse fields. Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., says in the new edition of his book, 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills, that management skills are most common among this group.

“This may say something about the kinds of people who are able to start their own business,” Shatkin explains in the book. “Older workers and women make up a rapidly growing part of the self-employed population. For example, some highly experienced older workers set up consulting and other small businesses following a layoff or as an alternative to full retirement. Large numbers of women are forming small businesses or creating self-employment opportunities as an alternative to traditional employment.”

Here are details on the top five high-skill jobs with a high percentage of self-employed workers:

Management Analysts

• Top skills: communication, mathematics, thought-processing
• Percent of self-employed workers: 25.8
• Annual earnings: $78,160
• Percent growth: 23.9
• Annual openings: 30,650

Construction Managers

• Top skills: management, mathematics, social
• Percent of self-employed workers: 60.9
• Annual earnings: $83,860
• Percent growth: 17.2
• Annual openings: 13,770

Lawyers

• Top skills: communication, social, thought-processing
• Percent of self-employed workers: 26.2
• Annual earnings: $112,760
• Percent growth: 13
• Annual openings: 24,040

Personal Financial Advisers

• Top skills: communication, mathematics, thought-processing
• Percent of self-employed workers: 29.3
• Annual earnings: 64,750
• Percent growth: 30.1
• Annual openings: 8,530

Optometrists

• Top skills: mathematics, science, thought-processing
• Percent of self-employed workers: 24.6
• Annual earnings: $94,990
• Percent growth: 24.4
• Annual openings: 2,010

Most jobs require employees to have specific skills, but many workers struggle to find jobs that complement their skill sets. Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., explains in the new edition of his book, 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills, that by discovering their greatest skills, workers can find jobs they enjoy and at which they excel.

Communication is an essential skill for many occupations, and Shatkin offers this list of 10 best jobs that require a high level of communication skills:

1. Management Analysts

• Annual earnings: $78,160
• Percent growth: 23.9
• Annual openings: 30,650

2. Dental Hygienists

• Annual earnings: $68,250
• Percent growth: 36.1
• Annual openings: 9,840

3. Physical Therapists

• Annual earnings: $76,310
• Percent growth: 30.3
• Annual openings: 7,860

4. Physician Assistants

• Annual earnings: $86,410
• Percent growth: 39
• Annual openings: 4,280

5. Pharmacists

• Annual earnings: $111,570
• Percent growth: 17
• Annual openings: 10,580

6. Financial Analysts

• Annual earnings: $74,350
• Percent growth: 19.8
• Annual openings: 9,520

7. Accountants and Auditors

• Annual earnings: $61,690
• Percent growth: 21.6
• Annual openings: 49,750

8. Personal Financial Advisers

• Annual earnings: $64,750
• Percent growth: 30.1
• Annual openings: 8,530

9. Compliance Officers

• Annual earnings: $58,720
• Percent growth: 31
• Annual openings: 10,850

10. Veterinarians

• Annual earnings: $82,040
• Percent growth: 32.9
• Annual openings: 3,020

Additional information can be found in 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills. The book was published in February of 2012 and is available at major bookstores, Amazon.com and jist.com.

After obtaining a degree, conquering certification and completing student teaching—the final key to securing a teaching job is mastering the interview. Teachers must be prepared to answer questions about themselves, their teaching philosophies, classroom management styles, curriculum preparation and myriad other topics.

In his new book Ace Your Teacher Interview, Dr. Anthony D. Fredericks describes solid answers to several common questions candidates might face in their teacher interviews. Here are some sample questions Fredericks pinpoints, as well as his tips for answering them.

1. What do you know about this school?

“This is a frequent question in any interview. Simply put, the interviewer wants to know if you’ve done your homework. What do you know about the school other than how many teachers work there and the color of the hallways? Make sure you take the time to pore over school board minutes, the school’s website and any printed newsletters or brochures. Talk with people in the school and learn as much as you can about the climate and philosophy.”

2. Why do you want to teach in this school/district?

“This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate all the homework you did on the school or district. Your response should make it clear that you know something about this specific school or district as well as how you can contribute to their overall academic effort. Here’s where you can ‘stroke their feathers’ and tell them what a good job they are doing.”

3. What gives you the greatest pleasure in teaching?

“Your answer should underscore your reasons for becoming a teacher. Your response should be a validation of why you decided to enter this profession and what you will do to be one of the best. Most important, there should be passion in your response!”

4. How would you describe the ideal teacher?

“This is a question you’re likely to be asked near the beginning of the interview. Then the interviewer will try to determine if, indeed, you are the candidate who best exemplifies these ideals. It’s equally important that you know what good teachers do in response to those concepts.”

5. What is the most important quality of a teacher?

“This one also will be presented early in the interview process. Have your answer ready, but more important, have several examples or anecdotes you can share later in the interview that will support your response. Demonstrate that you not only know what good teachers do, but you’ve had experiences that make you one of those outstanding educators.”

Additional information can be found in Ace Your Teacher Interview. The book was published in January of 2012 and is available at major bookstores, Amazon.com and jist.com.

STEM careers—those that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics—require special skills, and many of the workers in these fields are highly skilled in their areas.

Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., wrote in the new edition of his book, 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills, that STEM careers include “work that discovers, collects and analyzes information about the natural world; applies scientific research findings to problems in medicine, the life sciences, human behavior and the natural sciences; imagines and manipulates quantitative data; and applies technology to manufacturing, transportation and other economic activities.”

Here are the top five jobs for people interested in a STEM career:

1. Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
Top skills: communication, science, thought-processing
Annual earnings: $85,270
Percent growth: 15.1
Annual openings: 4,000

2. Computer network architects
Top skills: equipment use/maintenance, science, technology/programming
Annual earnings: $75,660
Percent growth: 53.4
Annual openings: 20,830

3. Civil engineers
Top skills: management, mathematics, science
Annual earnings: $77,560
Percent growth: 24.3
Annual openings: 11,460

4. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
Top skills: mathematics, science, thought-processing
Annual earnings: $76,700
Percent growth: 40.4
Annual openings: 6,620

5. Environmental engineers
Top skills: mathematics, science, thought-processing
Annual earnings: $78,740
Percent growth: 30.6
Annual openings: 2,790