As a young woman in the early 2020s, you have many options for your career. However, a number of factors, such as your education, experience, family responsibilities, and environment in which you were raised, may limit the choices you've considered. And that's without considering how some industries seem to only consider men for certain jobs.

For example, if you have zero computer programming experience, you might not be thinking you could do well at software development. Yet, this field holds many benefits for women, including flexibility, good pay, and the opportunity to use their creative talents. The other careers listed here also provide benefits you may not have considered.

Software Developer

First, let's address the elephant in the room. A career in the male-dominated software development industry holds challenges for women, including the possibility of being paid less than men, feeling left out of the boys' club, and facing harassment. Still, the field holds great promise for women, especially given that some studies claim they have more talent than men in this type of work.

Additionally, software development jobs hold the potential to set your own hours, express your creativity, mentor other women in the field, and excel at leadership and teamwork. Plus, software development jobs pay well and often don't require a college degree.

Education Administrator

Teaching may be a career you've considered, but what about education administration? Positions like principal, vice principal, and school district director can earn you good money and enable you to contribute positively to the lives of young people from behind the scenes. The public-school system isn't the only place to pursue a career in education administration. Workers in this field can also be found in places like museums and job training organizations.

Pharmacist

If you're interested in the medical field but don't necessarily want to become a doctor, there are many supporting careers you could look into, including pharmacist. If you've ever gotten a prescription, you know how valuable the role of a pharmacist is and how important it is to be able to do the job well.

The training and education required isn't as rigorous as for a medical doctor, but still a commitment, with at least six years of post-secondary schooling and additional training required after that. Pharmacists make great money and have many opportunities for employment within grocery and drug store pharmacies, hospitals, and other clinical settings.

Public Relations Specialist

Are you great with people? A good writer? Creative? Do you love social media? If you answer yes to these questions, public relations might be the perfect career for you. A public relations specialist works to create a positive image for a company through favorable social media and news media placements. For example, you might work with local newspapers to write a story about your company's latest achievement.

As a public relations specialist, you could expect to make good money and to have greater opportunities in this field over the next several years, as the number of jobs available is expected to rise.

Administrative Assistant

An administrative assistant (often referred to simply as "an admin") takes care of many behind-the-scenes tasks for executives or managers. These include answering emails, returning phone calls, arranging schedules, taking meeting notes, filing, and preparing presentations or promotional materials. While some may find such work tedious, others find it very rewarding to help others accomplish their mission without having to worry about many details.

Even if you don't love the work of an admin, it may still be a great place to start within a company you know you want to work for. From your position as an admin, you could scope out other positions you might want to try for next.

Customer Care Specialist

Customer care isn't a glamorous career, and the pay is only mediocre. But if you find yourself in a situation in which you need steady cash, this industry is a great place to look, especially if you have good empathy skills and enjoy helping people. Plus, you don't need to be stuck on phone calls or in chats indefinitely. If you do well, you could become one of those supervisors customers want to speak to when they don't get their questions answered up front.

Legal Assistant

Legal assistant is yet another entry-level position that could lead to greater things, such as a position as a paralegal or a full-fledged attorney. But working in this capacity has benefits of its own, including a decent salary, an opportunity to use writing and organizational skills, and the chance to see what goes on in the legal field up close.

In Summary

When it's time to choose a career or even just a job after high school or college, your choices may seem limited by your level of education, degree, obligations, or expected income. Finding a career or job may be a little easier if you expand your notions of what a good job looks like. Those listed here may not be among the options you would normally consider but offer the possibility of finding just the right fit.