Kickstarting Your Career in 2024: The top jobs, industries and cities to launch your professional journey

Matthew Tompkins enrolled in Ohio State University as a finance major, but he had little idea where his studies would take him. Investment banking was certainly not on his radar. In fact, he admitted he "had no idea what it was." 

But a networking event during his sophomore year set him on a new path — towards a role, as luck would have it, that would be booming for new grads come 2023.

Tompkins was at a conference hosted by Out for Undergrad (a professional organization for LGBTQ+ students) in April 2021 when he met an investment banking analyst named Landon.

"There were a lot of qualities he mentioned that got me interested in investment banking," the 23-year-old Texas native tells LinkedIn News. "What stood out is that it's very project-driven. The more I started learning about what investment bankers do and the impact of the work, I got more and more interested."

Landon would ultimately become a mentor to Tompkins, who spent the next year networking with investment bankers to learn as much as he could about the field. He sent nearly 200 cold emails, some of which led to warm connections. His outreach helped him secure a competitive investment banking internship at a multinational firm, and that turned into a full-time job when Tompkins graduated in May 2023. 

With his diploma in hand, Tompkins moved to New York City to start work as an investment banking analyst, the fastest growing job for newly minted bachelor's grads in 2023, according to LinkedIn data.

How can others follow Tompkins' lead and find their path?

LinkedIn's Guide to Kickstarting Your Career highlights the key opportunities for those looking to launch their professional journey. Our data scientists and editors have parsed the data to identify the fastest growing jobs, industries and cities for entry-level professionals, and we’ve gathered insights from career experts and those who recently got their start to guide you along the way.

Navigating a competitive job market

Landing an entry-level job has been a challenge since the pandemic, and the competition has only grown fiercer in recent years.

New grads are not only competing among themselves but also with recently laid-off white-collar workers in industries from tech to consulting. As a result, career starters have had a harder time finding work than the general population.

The LinkedIn Hiring Rate, which tracks the pace at which LinkedIn members update their profiles with new jobs each month, was down 9.6% year-over-year in the U.S. in April. Meanwhile, applications for open roles are on the rise. We’ve seen a 14% jump in applications per open role from November 2023 to March of this year, according to LinkedIn data. And we can expect competition for entry-level roles to grow more intense in the coming months, with 32% of younger workers planning to change jobs, according to a recent LinkedIn survey.

"The labor market was red-hot in 2021 and 2022," says Harry Holzer, a Georgetown University public policy professor and former Labor Department chief economist. "That level of feverish activity has calmed down. The Fed wanted it to [come] down as a battle against inflation, which means taking some wind out of the sails. Any calming down in the labor market is going to affect new entrants first."

Employers' overall hiring projections for the class of 2024 are down 5.8% from last year, according to a survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Despite the competition, industries experiencing staff shortages, like education, are ripe with opportunity. Even in sought-after fields, such as tech and finance, companies are still hiring.

"In tech, demand is going to remain strong despite layoffs," Holzer says. "The tech sector over-hired during the pandemic. It was inevitable that the sector's hiring would get back to a more sustainable track."

Explore jobs and industries on the rise to get started

Entering a tight job market can feel discouraging, especially when you don't know how or where to begin. What’s the first step?

"Understand what options are out there," says Jill Tipograph, an early career advisor. "If you're thoughtful about what [jobs] you're applying to and make sure the fit is good, you'll make more progress."

Tipograph recommends exploring roles that may not seem like obvious choices at the start of a search. This will help you form a clear idea of what kinds of jobs might be a good fit based on your interests, skills and experience. Paying attention to jobs on the rise can help give you a sense of direction, too.

Investment banking analyst, behavioral health technician and medical assistant were the three fastest growing job titles for career starters with bachelor's degrees as of 2023, according to LinkedIn data. Hiring for investment banking analysts jumped by 26% between 2022 and 2023.

See more: Expert insights on how to land an entry-level job on the rise.

Looking at industries that are hiring rapidly can be just as useful as focusing on individual jobs on the rise. Education — which includes positions like teacher, admissions counselor and administrative assistant — led the pack on this front, with hiring of bachelor’s grads up by 15% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to LinkedIn data. Government administration and construction rounded out the three fastest growing industries for new grad hiring during the same period.

Education is also a viable path for career starters who don’t have a bachelor's degree, which can include someone who received a high school or associate degree or who completed an apprenticeship as their latest form of training. 

Hiring in the education sector jumped by 30% between 2022 and 2023 for those without a four-year degree. Consumer services and government administration accompanied education as part of the three fastest growing industries for those without a BA during that period.

See more: Top jobs and fastest growing industries for non-bachelor's grads.

Approach the market with an open, engaged mind

Today's career starters have already learned the value of being open-minded and flexible. After all, many of them started college during the pandemic. Being open to new possibilities will be especially beneficial to this group as they navigate the job market. 

That mindset helped Bailey Banks, an 8th grade science teacher. The California native says she always felt passionate about working in education but wasn't sure how her career would take shape. When Banks learned about Teach for America (TFA) through her roommate at UCLA, her vision became clear. 

"I was working as a tutor at UCLA, so I already had a background working with students," the 22- year-old says. "[My roommate was like,] 'You might as well be a teacher. And if you don't like it, there are plenty of jobs you can try out.'"

Banks applied to TFA her senior year, was accepted and went through the training and placement process. By the time she graduated from UCLA last May, Banks knew she would be joining Bret Harte Preparatory Middle School in Los Angeles.

"It was everything that the principal was telling me," Banks says about the school. "I really appreciated how she focused a lot on not only the students' mental health, but also the teachers' mental health."

Listen in: What to know about getting hired in today's job market. 

Being proactive about your job search is just as important as being open-minded. Tipograph says today's entry-level workers "need to spend an enormous amount of time finding unexpected connections," particularly internal advocates at their target companies. 

Tompkins treated his quest to land an investment banking role as a job in and of itself.

"I got on the phone with as many people as I could," says Tompkins, who played volleyball at Ohio State. "I was looking up student athletes that work in banking, people in the LGBT community that work in banking. Any sort of connection I had, I tried to have a conversation with."

Networking in your desired field is always a good practice. But Tipograph says it's extra important when you're looking to join a sector that's not immediately connected to your studies.

"Understand that what your major is may not be exactly what your job is going to be," Tipograph says. "Think outside the box about tangential careers that could get you to where you want to go."

Where to launch: Sun Belt states take center stage 

The benefits of keeping an open mind also apply to where you choose to start your professional journey.

Hafsa Hussaini opted to spread her wings after graduating from DePaul University in 2023. The Chicago native made her way southwest, relocating to Tucson, Arizona, to work as a software engineer at defense contractor Raytheon.

"I always wanted to live by the mountains, and I heard that Arizona has the prettiest sunsets. I'm a big sunset watcher, so that kind of took my heart," the 24-year-old says. "I also wanted an opportunity to be independent, so I pushed myself out of my comfort zone."

Hussaini isn't the only recent grad planting roots in Tucson. The region experienced a 16% bump in BA grad hiring between 2022 and 2023, according to LinkedIn data, with employers like Raytheon, the University of Arizona and Banner Health among the top recruiters. 

Arizona overall has become a hot spot for grads, thanks in large part to the state's strong job prospects and relatively low cost of living. 

Career starters are also flocking to Florida, another Sun Belt state. No state income tax and ample job opportunities has bolstered appeal to early-career professionals. After Tucson, Tallahassee and Gainesville rounded out the three fastest growing regions for new grad hiring between 2022 and 2023.

Finding community in a new hometown

Hussaini found out she landed a job at Raytheon in the fall of her senior year and immediately began planning her move. She took a trip to Tucson with her mom to explore her soon-to-be home.

"I'm religious, so I went to the mosque and got connected with the Imam, which is similar to a priest,"  Hussaini shares. "He knew a lot of people in the community, so I was able to get into group chats and find roommates in the area."

Finding a community in Tucson helped Hussaini get more comfortable with the relocation, which she pulled off just one month after graduation. 

Now, almost a year later, Hussaini says she's been enjoying Tucson's outdoors, especially hiking and horseback riding. She's also spent time volunteering at local food banks and high schools, as well as her mosque. 

Working in person five days a week has also helped Hussaini make new friends. After a remote internship experience and completing the last two years of her college education online, Hussaini knew she wanted an in-office job for her first post-grad role.

"I'm much more productive when I see other people working around me and when I can quickly reach out to someone," she says. 

Like Hussaini, career starters Tompkins and Banks have jobs that require them to work primarily in person. They say the positives — including efficient collaboration and hands-on mentorship — far outweigh the negatives.  

If you also prefer in-person work, there's good news: Fully onsite roles accounted for the majority (87.2%) of entry-level job postings on LinkedIn in the first two months of 2024; that figure is only slightly down from 88.1% during the same period last year.

And there's a silver lining for those who are looking for flexible working arrangements. Remote and hybrid openings accounted for 12.8% of entry-level job postings on LinkedIn this year, up from 11.9% in early 2023.

See more: Top jobs for bachelor's grads looking for remote work.

How to choose between a startup and big company 

For some recent grads, like Hussaini and Tompkins, joining an established company is appealing. But for others, going the startup route may seem like a more enticing option. How should you decide for yourself? 

First, it pays to gauge the hiring market. The LinkedIn Hiring Rate in April was down 3.8% year-over-year overall at companies with more than 10,000 employees and down 1.6% year-over-year at midsize companies (201-10,000 employees). Smaller firms are faring somewhat better: Hiring was down just 1% year-over-year at companies with 200 employees or fewer. 

"Big tech companies have done a lot of layoffs, so talent has flowed down into growth-stage [companies]," says Jeff Bussgang, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and author of "Entering StartUpLand." But, he adds, "there are some green shoots thanks to strong funding in the last few quarters in AI and climate."

See more: LinkedIn's 15 best midsize employers to grow your career. 

Bussgang says joining a younger company fresh out the gate can give career starters more learning opportunities, helping them build a wider range of skills. Joining a startup is also less risky than many assume, he says, especially considering the volatile conditions at large firms in many industries, particularly tech. 

When evaluating prospective startups, Bussgang advises career starters to embrace an "investor mindset" by assessing the quality of the team, market opportunity and business model. 

"Ask yourself, 'Would I invest?' If you wouldn't invest in the company that you're considering, maybe you shouldn't join," he says.

If a startup doesn't feel like the right launchpad for you, Bussgang says that a large employer can set you up with a well-connected network and provide more structure. Ultimately, the decision between the two comes down to your appetite for risk. 

See more: LinkedIn's 50 best large workplaces to grow your career.

Putting these insights into practice 

Now that you know which jobs and industries are in demand and where entry-level hiring is gaining steam, what can you do to stand out in your job search?

As career expert Jill Tipograph mentioned, networking intentionally will help you learn about the job, industry or company you're going after. It will also help you find people on the inside who can advocate for you. But that's not all you can do.

Tipograph recommends taking another page out of Tompkins' playbook. 

As he was gearing up to start his first job in investment banking, Tompkins dedicated his senior year to building skills and gaining experience. He worked as a finance teaching assistant at Ohio State in the fall and completed a mergers and acquisitions internship at Worthington Enterprises in the spring.

"Recruiters are looking for skills, then they're looking for experience," Tipograph says. "If you don't have the skills, you're not going to be competitive."

Recent LinkedIn data shows that communication, leadership, analytics and problem-solving are among the top skills employers want for professionals at all levels. Tipograph advises career starters to prioritize building these skills, through online courses and volunteering. 

Make sure to showcase your skills on your resume. If you helped your student organization raise money, for example, include metrics and explain how you tracked and measured progress. Adding context and detail around your skills will also help you prepare for job interviews.

Learn more: How to craft a winning resume as a job seeker.

When getting ready for an interview, make sure to thoroughly research the company and think about questions to ask the interviewers. Harvard Business School's Bussgang suggests that career starters "come bearing gifts" at this stage.

"They need to do their homework so that when they walk in for the interview, they come with a point of view on how that company could be doing better and how they could help," he says.

Tipograph emphasizes that you should set boundaries around your job search. Create a routine to ensure you're incorporating breaks and protecting your mental health. 

Job searching isn't easy, but with a solid foundation of skills, a supportive network and a compelling career story, you'll land on your feet. 

Remember: Your first job likely won't be your last. Think of your first role as just a single stepping stone on a long, winding career path.

Good luck!

Join the conversation: What's your advice for those entering today's job market? Share in the comments below or in a post using #GetStarted.

Stretch your skills: Check out this LinkedIn Learning path on navigating a job search as a career starter.

Methodology: To compile this report, data scientists on LinkedIn's Economic Graph team analyzed millions of member profiles and job postings. Because protecting our members' privacy is our first priority, our data contains only anonymized, aggregated datasets that meet strict data quality thresholds. In the team's analysis, bachelor's grads represent members who received a bachelor's as their latest degree. Non-bachelor's grads are members who received a high school degree, associate degree or completed an apprenticeship as their latest form of training. The team primarily examined members who received a degree in 2023, calculated the share of members for each job title, industry and region, then ranked those by year-over-year growth. For remote job trends, the team compared the share of all jobs posted on LinkedIn that were listed as remote, hybrid or on-site in Jan./Feb. 2023 and Jan./Feb. 2024. Job seniority was provided by the job poster or directly inferred from the listing. The LinkedIn Hiring Rate (LHR) is the percentage of LinkedIn members who added a new employer to their profile in the same month the new job began, divided by the total number of LinkedIn members in a specific cohort (e.g. all LinkedIn members in the U.S., all bachelor's grads, etc.). Company size was determined based on information from the company's LinkedIn page.

Note: The LinkedIn Learning path linked in this article is unlocked for all members until June 30.

Written and reported by: Gianna Prudente, Early Career Development Editor

Data insights provided by: Yao Huang, Economic Graph Research and Insights