Clergy and Religious Directors Make the List of Fasting Growing Professions in 2008

Looking for a new career? The coming year will be here before you know it. However, your New Year's resolution to start a new career doesn't have to be another, unfulfilled wish. While obtaining that prestigious position may seem daunting at times, the 2008 year comes offering new prospects and many exciting job opportunities. While many of the top jobs of 2008 relate to business, technology, and computer sciences, there is one profession among the ranks that may surprise you: the clergy.

In a recent release by the U.S. World News and Report, the clergy and related Christian Studies professions were ranked among the 31 Best Careers in 2008. Selected professions were designated based upon six categories of criteria, including: median pay, job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige, job market outlook, and typical degree required.

Religion remains a foundational aspect in millions of Americans' lives. The clergy, as a result, stands as a significant figure of spiritual guidance and support to these devotional parties. For each stage of life - birth, childhood, marriage, and death - a member of the clergy or other religious figure has a part in the process, whether to celebrate the moment or offer supportive advice. While members of the clergy are most readily identified as lecturers from behind the pulpit, the position, in fact, requires more hours of service outside the church and in the community.

Many people do not realize clerics do not always base their operations around a congregation or in a church at all. Clergy can devote themselves to specific areas of the community and cater their services to the needs of this population. For example, chaplains, in many cases, place their emphasis on individuals in such locations as: hospitals, prisons, or the armed forces. In the end, the call to a cleric's life goes beyond a simple interest; being a member of the clergy is to assume a new life. Much of your time, including any hours of the week, could be devoted to performing a ceremony or visiting ill parishioners or serving as a spiritual counselor. It is all about inspiration in the end. While you should be inspired to fulfill the tasks of the job, you should also be able to motivate individuals to earnestly evaluate the way in which they are leading their life.

Qualifications to enter the clergy vary by denominations. However, most positions require the position to be filled by an individual with a Master's degree, typically in divinity or ministry. Religious studies and ministry education programs are becoming increasingly popular in the online education market. More and more individuals are discovering the benefits of earning a degree while concurrently performing ministry-related services to the community.

Upon completing a ministry-related degree, potential clergy members will discover the broad opportunities that await them in the job market. Besides rating high among the U.S. News and World Report's list of Best Jobs in 2008, the clergy profession offers a high level of satisfaction and the annual median salary of $78,600.

If you are interested in learning more about a potential career in the clergy or other ministry-related professions, check out the following accredited, online degree programs in religious studies, ministry formation, bible studies, and divinity.

Source: http://www.usnews.com/features/business/best-careers/best-careers-2008.html