Atlanta, Augusta and Columbus are the top three cities in Georgia. Typical of most states, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2011, office and administrative support occupations, sales and related occupations, and food preparation and serving related occupations were the state's top industries. Most of these workers do not need postsecondary education, but workers who want higher pay and better benefits often get their associate degrees or certifications that qualify them to supervise work teams or work in management positions.

Career Opportunities in Georgia

Some of the highest paying individual occupations in Georgia include medical staff, such as doctors and dentists; chief executives; professional athletes; and postsecondary law teachers and lawyers. Although these professions require a master or doctorate degree, some of the top paying jobs do not. Occupations requiring a bachelor degree or less include air traffic controllers, sales managers and financial managers. Georgia's extensive education system, which consists of public and private colleges, community colleges and technical schools, has programs that education administrators specifically designed to help students find employment. One example is the Quick Start program that coordinates schooling with local, national and international businesses.

The Quick Start program is one of the reasons that Georgia is an excellent state in which to get an education, but there are other incentives, such as apprenticeship programs, for attending Georgia colleges. The top employers, which are Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Marriott International hotels and Aflac, collaborate with schools to ensure they have skilled workers. Some of the mean annual wages for Georgia healthcare workers, according to the BLS, are $21,550 for nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; $36,580 for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses; and $62,370 for registered nurses. The education level required for sales representatives frequently depends upon the types of products. The BLS reports that sales representatives selling wholesale, manufacturing, technical and scientific products had a 2011 mean annual wage of $77,400 but sellers of non-technical wares made between $31,330 and $61,510.