Education. Nursing. Business. Telecommunications. IT. What do these fields have in common? For starters, once you get your foot in the door, you've got a great shot at getting your employer to pay for advanced studies, which will ultimately lead to a bigger paycheck.

Just ask Maria Sanchez of Miami. While Sanchez was working as a bilingual customer service representative for T-Mobile USA, the company paid for the remaining tuition credits necessary to earn her bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in marketing from Florida International University in Miami. T-Mobile even granted her two months unpaid time off (complete with health benefits) last year so she could participate in a summer abroad program in Germany focused on marketing.

"My degree has opened doors for great opportunities," Sanchez says. "I was able to get additional responsibilities as I advanced with my curriculum's courses. In addition to the outstanding training in customer service I received at T-Mobile, this leadership experience allowed me a smooth transition into the communications field."

Has your job gone stagnant in a flat economy? Perhaps you've reached the earning ceiling in your profession or you've specialized in a career that offers little flexibility. Today's employers have gotten more demanding of their workers, expecting everyone to handle greater duties than those for which they were originally hired.

If you're feeling left out, it may be time to consider enrolling in a college degree or certificate program that offers a quick, smooth transition to a relevant career.

Professionals who work in health care, education, or technology already know that in continuing their education or career training, or by picking up a new certification or related degree, they can shift toward management and higher earnings. Many employers even provide funds for continuing education or tuition reimbursement on the back end.

Let's look at career training or degree programs that can build bridges between where you're stuck, and where you want to be.

Where will you be in 2010? With an economy on the mend and renewed optimism towards job creation, many are considering upgrading their education and job status. With the right education, you could be among the successful job seekers in 2010.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) listed its occupations with the largest number of total job openings due to growth and net replacements from 2006 through 2016. Check out a few of the jobs that made the cut, and find out how you can use career training to secure a new position.

Career #1: Registered Nurses

This popular health care career tops the list with an amazing amount of projected growth. Over a million new jobs for registered nurses are expected to open up through 2016. And unlike some medical careers, you don't need to work through years of medical school; some registered nurses earn an associate's degree. The BLS reports that registered nurses earned mean annual wages of $65,130 in 2008, making nursing a caring career with real rewards.

Hitting a career plateau can be unsettling and disappointing. You know you've hit a plateau when you've gone as far as you can in your job and you find it unchallenging and well below your earning expectations.

Continuing education can be a real tonic. By adding a certification or advanced degree in your field, you can become more competitive for advancement or find fresh interest in a profession that has gone stale. Online career training or college degree programs can take as little as a year, while some educational pathways take a little longer. But the flexibility of online learning means you can meet your work commitments or family obligations while injecting fresh energy into your professional life.

If you love your field, take a look at these fast-growing careers and advanced training that can boost your challenges, responsibilities, and earnings.

In 2009, the job market will be full of contrasts: some industries will be eviscerated while others face shortages of workers. The good news is that despite the recession, there are still real jobs to be had. The bad news is that you may have to change fields to find one.

The trick to job hunting in 2009 will be to figure out how your skill-set can translate across industries, says Elaine Varelas, a managing partner at Boston-based outplacement firm Keystone Partners, so that you're not confined to searching one sector of the economy. "People are frustrated because it's taking them a while to assess the job market," she says. "They'll have to figure out other things they can Ð and want Ð to do." Successful job-seekers will be the ones who can figure out how to take skills learned in one kind of job and translate them into assets in others.

Here are the top five areas where work can be found in 2009:

1) Nursing & Medical Services

Perhaps the best bet in 2009: Becoming a registered nurse or medical technician. With over 50,000 new nursing jobs to be created this year alone, med techs and nurses will have their pick of jobs and salaries, the latter averaging about $57,000 per year.

Social services jobs will see a boom too, as a swelling number of retirees check-in for medical care, says the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. But not all health care jobs will see equal growth. "The growth here will be more about the services and delivery people--nurses and technicians--than administrators," Varelas explains. "Hourly workers interested in changing roles should get into any role that services the elderly," she suggests.