Illinois Career & Training Directory
Explore 218 careers with Illinois-specific salary data, licensing requirements, and 16 accredited schools.
Top Careers in Illinois
Illinois' Finance, Healthcare, and Manufacturing Hubs Create Diverse Career Paths
Illinois — and Chicago specifically — is one of America's premier financial and corporate headquarters cities, home to CME Group, Boeing, United Airlines, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies. The city's financial sector sustains high-paying careers in trading, analysis, and fintech. Healthcare is the largest employment sector statewide. Downstate Illinois retains a manufacturing and agriculture backbone, with Caterpillar's Peoria operations anchoring heavy equipment production. Union density is among the highest in the Midwest, pushing skilled-trade wages 5–8% above national medians.
Registered Nurse
- Median Salary
- $79,600/yr
- Job Growth
- +5.8% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 2–4 years (ADN or BSN)
Software Developer
- Median Salary
- $122,400/yr
- Job Growth
- +24.1% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 4-year bachelor's degree
Electrician
- Median Salary
- $76,800/yr
- Job Growth
- +9.9% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 4–5 years (apprenticeship)
Financial Analyst
- Median Salary
- $102,300/yr
- Job Growth
- +8.0% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 4-year bachelor's degree
Truck Driver (CDL)
- Median Salary
- $57,200/yr
- Job Growth
- +4.0% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 3–6 weeks (CDL program)
Industrial Maintenance Mechanic
- Median Salary
- $61,400/yr
- Job Growth
- +7.2% (2022–2032)
- Training Time
- 1–2 year certificate + apprenticeship
Salary figures based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024/2025. Growth projections from BLS Employment Projections 2022–2032. State figures reflect Illinois-specific wage data; individual employer pay varies.
Airline Pilot (Career Track) / Flight Student
DevOps Engineer / Site Reliability Engineer
Cybersecurity Analyst
Cloud Technician / Cloud Engineer
Construction Manager / Superintendent
Database Administrator (DBA)
Schools in Illinois
City Colleges of Chicago
Seven-college system serving Chicago with over 80,000 students. 16 career clusters. Kennedy-King, Olive-Harvey, Wilbur W...
College of DuPage
Largest single-campus community college in Illinois. 250+ career and technical degrees and certificates. 79 career pathw...
Triton College
Serving western Chicago suburbs. Exceptional healthcare programs with ACEN-accredited nursing. HVAC stackable certificat...
Moraine Valley Community College
Serving the south suburban Chicago area. Strong workforce training in manufacturing, healthcare, and trades. Partnership...
About Illinois's Job Market
Illinois's economy supports a strong demand for trained vocational professionals across healthcare, construction, technology, and transportation. The state's growing population drives steady openings for allied health workers, skilled tradespeople, and tech professionals.