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Since the sky-high market of online start-up companies hit rock bottom, analysts and job searchers nationwide have waited for another field to boom and provide the next flurry of high-paying jobs.

But with industries wounded and basic service-related jobs on the rise, no single field has replaced technology to corner the market on success, according to the Career Center.

The markets that have remained strong and are currently hiring with good pay are the skilled service industries, such as technology advancement and engineering companies.

“There really is no next dot-com at this point, but a variety of industries are offering promising amounts of well-paying positions,” said Joyce Haraught, employee and corporate relations manager for the center.

Both skilled and unskilled service jobs are numerous, said Carolina Bank, the Labor Center’s coordinator for public progress.

As production labor is moving overseas, more people are turning to the service industry for positions, increasing competition.

“There is so much professionalism because of competition that these days you see college graduates working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car,” Bank said.

She went on to say the increase in labor has also opened up new service-related jobs, especially in computer programming, call centers and union work on labor rights.

Despite the escalating competition, there are some industries that have remained stable throughout the economy’s hardships.

“Computer science, engineering, medicine and corporate law are all pretty solid, well-paying jobs,” Bank said. “Computer science is especially promising since we use computers for pretty much everything now.”

With the rapidly growing use of laptops, cell phones, palm computers and wireless technology, it appears that the computer and technology industry will remain fairly steady, Bank said.

“While there isn’t one strong area jumping out of the woodwork, as far as student interest is concerned, the hot business fields are real estate and investment management,” said Mary Albright-Smith, career management director for the Anderson School at UCLA.

Hot jobs for graduate students generally operate on a more competitive level, Albright-Smith said. For graduates, Wall Street and Fortune 500 finance are highly desirable, although competitive, positions.

Given the strong entertainment industry of nearby Hollywood, entertainment is also a common field of interest for students in Los Angeles, according to Albright-Smith. This industry encompasses many business and writing-related positions on top of jobs for actors.

Haraught also noted that the engineering field is another reliable source of jobs.

“I have a hunch that companies will be in the market for high-paying engineering employees,” she said, “But there are currently a wide variety of companies hiring over a broad range of fields.”

Albright-Smith said while companies are hiring, they do not need to publicize for recruitment because the competition among job applicants is high.

“My advice for job applicants is not to let yourselves fall into the trap of who’s hiring,” Albright-Smith said. “Find a successful company in the field that you are interested in, know what you have to offer, and sell yourself well.”

Ultimately, she said, when it comes to choosing what field to go into, a student should define success not by income but by passion.

“Pay should not be a primary goal in selecting a position,” Albright-Smith said. “Find a job you are passionate about and make sure you love doing the work you do.”