The economy is once again picking up, and companies are finally opening their doors to new hires.

Find out which jobs paid well and showed the most promise in 2013:

1.     Dentist –

We humans and our mouths full of teeth are so needy. So needy, in fact, that the demand for dentists will go up over 20% before the decade is over.

2.     Registered Nurse –

What do you get when you mix the Affordable Care Act and an aging generation of Baby Boomers? A high demand for nurses.

3.     Pharmacist –

We love our drugs. And knowledgeable folks with great people skills to dispense them.

4.     Computer Systems Analyst –

Orchestrate and oversee the flow between employee, computer, and the spectrum of tasks connecting human and machine.

5.     Physician –

Nurses may be superheroes, but they can’t handle all of those Baby Boomers alone.

6.     Database Administrator –

Data is being used more and more these days. If you know your way around a database, you can probably find work.

7.     Software Developer –

It’s as close as you’ll get to becoming a wizard in this day and age.

8.     Physical Therapist –

An aging population combined with our increasingly stagnant and stressful lifestyles puts this job in high demand.

9.     Web Developer –

Where creativity, organization, and computer science intersect.

10.  Dental Hygienist –

Work fewer than 40 hours per week, collect a fat paycheck, and land a job with ease.

11. Occupational Therapist –

Help folks navigate around their physical limitations.

12. Veterinarian –

If healing Baby Boomers isn’t for you, perhaps you’ll find your calling with other species. Vets will enjoy a 30% boost in employment opportunities by 2020.

13. Computer Programmer –

The robots won. The next logical step is for every company to fill their ranks with robot-whisperers to keep the machines happy.

14. School Psychologist –

Lend an ear and a helping hand to the littles and the not-so-littles.

15. Physical Therapist Assistant –

With the growth in Physical Therapist employment, assistants will also enjoy a 45% upswing before the end of the decade.

16. Interpreter/Translator –

The melting pot is a talkative one. Help boil it all down.

17. Mechanical Engineer –

Innovative, creative, detail-oriented, hands-on types will enjoy a future in making cool stuff.

18.  Veterinary Technician –

Assist veterinarians with the day-to-day operations while enjoying lots of promotion potential.

19. Epidemiologist –

This hunter of microscopic game in the petri jungle helps track and prevent public health problems from air quality effects to infections and outbreaks.

20. IT Manager –

Coordinate a team of IT professionals while enjoying a bank account overflowing with extra 1s and 0s.

21. Market Research Analyst –

This modern fortune-teller uses hard data and tracks trends, looking for the next big market winner.

22. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer –

Master the ins and outs of medical equipment and the patients to which they are attached.

23. Computer Systems Administrator –

The nerve center of an office’s communications network will enjoy tremendous growth in the next few years.

24. Respiratory Therapist –

Everyone must breathe.

25. Medical Secretary –

With eternally changing insurance rules and billing practices, this occupation is Grade-A job security.