List of High Paying Careers

If you're looking for ways to increase your earning potential, a list of high paying careers may offer a few useful insights.

When looking at a list of careers with high salaries, you'll likely notice a few patterns. Factors that can influence the pay for a particular job include:

• The job requires advanced education and/or training. Part of the reason doctors and lawyers are well compensated is that they spend much more time in school than the average person. Business managers are well paid because they have typically spent several years working their way up the company ladder.
• The job requires unusual talents. For example, professional actors and athletes have a gift that most other people do not possess.
• The job comes with a great deal of responsibility. CEOs are highly paid, but the decisions they make can cause company employees to lose their jobs or make stockholders lose their retirement savings.
• The job requires long and/or inconvenient working hours. If you're used to a traditional 9 to 5 office job, it's helpful to remember that a list of high paying careers usually includes occupations that require large amounts of overtime and a work schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holiday hours. The high pay is usually considered compensation for the demands the job makes on the employee's personal time.
• The job is located in a high cost of living area. For example, businesses in California and New York tend to pay their employees more because it is much more expensive to live in these states than in other parts of the country.

It is interesting to note that the larger social benefits of a particular job don't necessarily translate to an increase in pay. While teachers and child care workers undoubtedly perform vital services, these meaningful careers are not among the most highly compensated jobs. Military service personnel work long hours under dangerous conditions to protect our country's freedoms, yet they are also not listed in any chart of high paying occupations.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the highest paying careers (as of 2008) are as follows:

1. Surgeon: $181,850
2. Anesthesiologist: $174,610
3. OB/GYN: $174,610
4. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon: $169,600
   
5. Internist: $156,790
6. Prosthodontist: $156,710
7. Orthodontist: $153,240
8. Psychiatrist: $151,380
9. Chief Executive Officer: $140,880
10. Engineering manager: $140,210
11. Pediatrician: $140,000
12. Family or general practitioner: $137,980
13. Physician/surgeon, all other: $137,100
14. Airline Pilot: $134,090
15. Dentist: $132,660
16. Podiatrist: $111,130
17. Lawyer: $110,590
18. Dentist, any other specialist: $106,040
19. Air traffic controller: $100,430
20. Computer and information systems manager: $100,110

If you're interested in occupations that don't necessarily require a four-year college degree, consider the following list of high paying careers:

1. Funeral home director: $79,517
2. Operations manager: $77,839
3. Industrial production manager: $73,000
4. Transportation manager: $72,662
5. Storage and distribution manager: $69,898
6. Computer technical support specialist: $67,689
7. Gaming manager: $64,880
8. First-line supervisor/manager of police and detective: $64,430
9. Nuclear power reactor operator: $64,090
10. Computer specialist: $59,480
11. Non-retail supervisors/manager: $59,300
12. Nuclear technician: $59,200
13. First-line supervisor/manager of fire fighting and prevention worker: $58,920
14. Real estate broker: $58,720
15. Elevator installer and repairer: $58,710
16. Sales representative, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products: $58,580
17. Dental hygienist: $59,790
18. Radiation therapist: $57,700
19. Nuclear medicine technologist: $56,450
20. Power plant distributor and dispatcher: $57,330

For more information about the average wages of various occupational groups, you can visit the "Occupational Employment and Wages" page of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site.

While the average salary of a particular occupation is certainly a factor to consider when choosing a career, remember that money is not the only variable involved in job satisfaction. People who report the highest levels of professional fulfillment have chosen jobs that make the most of their interests and talents. They are excited to go to work each day and committed to doing whatever is necessary to be successful. The paycheck simply happens to be a great bonus!

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