By Carol Tice

If you're in the market for a new job, why not go the creative route?

There are plenty of jobs where creativity and fresh ideas can make you stand out – and many of them are still in demand despite the recession. The following list provides a mix of in-demand gigs and (hopefully) soon-to-bounce back options for you.

Here's a look at some of the best-paying jobs that require a creative mind:

by Michael Kling

You don't have to go to college earn a decent living. Some professions pay good salaries without requiring post-secondary schooling.

A college degree can be a great path towards a well-paying, satisfying profession, but a bachelor's degree isn't for everyone. In fact, some see advanced education as overrated. A surge in the number of college graduates have dampened the value of a college education. College comes intact with high tuition, room and board, and supplies fees - and that's not even factoring in debt payments that usually last for years, if not decades.

by Tisa Silver

Who says hard work doesn't pay? These 10 blue-collar jobs show that the color of your collar doesn't necessarily dictate the level of your income.

What Does it Mean to be a Blue-Collar Worker?

Blue-collar jobs are typically classified as involving manual labor and compensation by an hourly wage. Some fields that fall into this category include construction, manufacturing, maintenance and mining.

What it Does Not Mean

Do not mistake blue-collar jobs for easy to land, easy to keep or low-paying ones. Although some blue-collar jobs do not require a four-year degree, many of them require additional education by way of specialized training, a certification or an apprenticeship.

There are several blue-collar jobs that offer competitive packages, relative to their white-collar counterparts.

By Kate Lorenz, www.TheWorkBuzz.com, CareerBuilder's job seeker blog

Last month, I wrote a post about 50 jobs that pay $50,000 or more and a lot of you commented that you wanted to see jobs that pay that amount at the entry level.

I did some detective work and found 20 jobs whose entry-level salaries range from $41,000 to $77,000 a year. Compare these to the national mean of $41,231 for all workers and that's a nice chunk of change for starting out in a new career.

One thing to keep in mind: While there are jobs that pay well at the entry-level, that pay is usually related to education. If you want a high starting salary, you'll have to do your homework ... literally. Certifications, post-secondary education and baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees are usually needed for these jobs.

Here are 20 jobs with high entry-level salaries, according to SalaryExpert.com, which powers CBSalary.com:

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

Who hasn't looked at his or her paycheck and imagined how much better life would be with a lot more numbers after that dollar sign?

Inevitably, a wise soul -- usually a parent -- tells you that no amount of money will solve your problems. Of course, you respond, "Let me find out for myself."

If your annual income hovers around the national median of $40,690, you're in the company of millions of Americans. As gas prices, housing costs and other everyday expenses continue to creep up, earning more money isn't just some daydream you harbor in vain. It's a reasonable solution to financial woes and a good way to plan for your future. To assist your search for financial bliss, we've put together the following list of jobs that earn twice as much as the national median income. With salaries that fall anywhere between $80,000 and $89,999, here are some possible career opportunities for you as well as their expected growth rate.