U.S. News & World Report has just packaged many of its best articles about work and finance, as well as its Alpha Consumer and The Inside Job blogs, into a nice "Guide to Being a Grown-Up" (something I'm still working on).

Of particular interest to me today is the "Best Careers 2008" section, which profiles a list of careers that are in demand, or demand respect, or maybe both. It's an interesting list, including both predictable careers (registered nurse, management consultant) and not-so-predictable ones (genetic counselor, ghostwriter). It's most definitely not your usual list of endless health care positions that will need to be filled for our aging population. You've got careers such as firefighter, clergy, landscape architect, urban planner, locksmith/security expert, etc.

Of course not all of these careers will appeal to you. If you've never considered becoming a hairstylist or a chaplain, you're probably not going to have a light bulb turn on over your head and go down one of those career paths. But it's good food for thought, especially if you still feel like you haven't found your calling (or you're just unemployed).

OK, I know you're too lazy to go look at the list, so here are the "best" careers profiled:

* Audiologist
* Biomedical equipment technician
* Clergy
* Curriculum/training specialist
* Dentist
* Editor
* Engineer
* Firefighter
* Fundraiser
* Genetic counselor
* Ghostwriter
* Government manager
* Hairstylist/cosmetologist
* Higher education administrator
* Investment banker
* Landscape architect
* Librarian
* Locksmith/Security system technician
* Management consultant
* Mediator
* Occupational therapist
* Optometrist
* Pharmacist
* Physician assistant
* Politician/Elected official
* Professor
* Registered nurse
* School psychologist
* Systems analyst
* Urban planner
* Usability/User experience specialist