5 jobs where pay is making a comeback

• Pay growth in 2012: 3.9%
• Median pay: $68,200

When the housing bubble burst, architects were left with very few projects to work on.

But they've had a good run lately, with billings up for four consecutive months through November, according to the American Institute of Architects.

"These are the strongest business conditions we have seen since the end of 2007," said the institute's chief economist, Kermit Baker.

Engineers, meanwhile, are in even higher demand. "Biomedical, petroleum, environmental and civil engineers are seeing some of the highest growth," said Payscale's Bardaro.

Due mostly to gains by engineers, wages for this job category have grown faster than any other -- up 11.2% since PayScale started tracking them back in 2007.

NEXT