50 Highest Paying Careers For College Grads

The report accounts for “job title normalization,” whereby similar job titles are grouped together. Glassdoor this week released its 2019 list of the 25 “Highest Paying Jobs” in the United States, and six are in health care.

Management consultants often work with many different companies in a short period of time. However, the length of each consultation varies depending on the management consultant’s work style and on the client’s needs. Because an in-demand consultant can set their own price, they are some of the highest paying jobs with a master’s degree. Working as a nurse midwife is one of the highest paying careers with a masters degree. Nurse Midwifes specialize in assisting with the labor and birth procedures administered by OBGYN Physicians. As with the other advanced nursing positions, many nurse midwives start out as RNs.

It’s a position that strong employees might work their way into through promotions, but these days, professional competition can be fierce; a higher degree like an MBA or Master’s in Management can be the key to making it. Strong managers can not only count on a high median salary, but opportunity to break through to the executive suite. Veterinarian is high up on the list of jobs kids want when they grow up, but it isn’t all petting fluffy animals. Vets care for household 25 highest paying jobs pets, certainly, but they also care for zoo animals, farm livestock, and endangered species in captivity. They’re a crucial part of keeping the food supply healthy, preventing overpopulation of stray animals, and even researching climate change’s impact on wildlife. Veterinarians must earn a doctorate in veterinary medicine, which can take anywhere from 4 to 6 years, and be licensed in their state; some specializations may take even more education and certification.

Depending on your answer, you will have a few ideas of how to answer the question of what master’s program is right for me. Extraordinarily long, grueling shifts are just par for the course, plus dealing with patients can be emotionally draining, too. A successful engineering manager needs to be able to communicate, delegate, and motivate.

This job involves supervising agricultural laborers, paying their wages, and providing resources for food, water, shelter, transportation, and sanitation during their contracted work. Avionic mechanics and service technicians perform routine maintenance or make repairs to aircraft. After completing high school, mechanics and technicians can get technical training and complete a certification at an aviation technician school that is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration . Another pathway is to start training on the job with constant supervision in order to gain enough experience to become certified. Responsibilities include fixing electrical or mechanical issues and repairing parts relating to the brakes, wings, and other electrical components. If you’re at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma and valid driver’s license, and are a U.S. citizen, becoming a police officer is a career option for those who don’t possess a degree.

Information Technology Manager

Apprenticeship programs offered by unions, industry associations, and individual contractors will give potential workers the knowledge and experience to work in this complex field. If any job on this list may be your dream job, no need to waste years and money on a degree that you don’t need. If the high cost of college is holding you back from pursuing a degree and a successful career, consider the more affordable options that are available online. University of the People is a tuition-free online university whose aim is to make college education affordable for everyone.

In fact, most of these occupations require years of school and additional on-the-job training. While most high paying jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, there also a few exceptions. Here is a list of highest paying jobs you can get without QuickBooks a college degree. Education – Companies generally look for individuals with several years of sales experience for their sales manager positions. While some jobs may not require a college education, many demand a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Many installers take courses at community colleges, technical schools or as part of an apprenticeship program, although a high school diploma is typically the only educational requirement to get started in this career. Based on salary reports shared by employees with these jobs on Glassdoor over the past year, this report highlights each job’s median annual base salary and the current number of job openings nationwide. This year’s top paying jobs all have median salaries of at least $100,000, more than twice the U.S. median personal income, US News & World Report careers reporter Rebecca Koenig told CNBC Make It. The publication calculated the U.S. median income at $46,124 a year using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ third quarter data for 2018). Sales managers play a vital role in most companies, creating sales territories, identifying goals for salespeople, and developing training programs that help team members sell products and services more effectively. They also pour over sales data in order to identify the most promising products and markets and to assess the performance of sales employees. Education – After medical school, pediatricians enter residency programs that allow them to develop their skills in a clinical environment.

Petroleum Engineers

School administrators typically oversee a school or district’s budget, hire and manage staff and shape the academic community. A financial analyst studies data and makes financial recommendations to individuals or organizations. Brickmasons and blockmasons create the structure and brick facades of houses and buildings. Their work requires following building instructions for walls, cutting stones to size, and mixing and applying cement and mortar. Skills are acquired through on-the-job-training and apprenticeship programs. Executive assistants are a crucial part of any successful office or company.

• You’ll also need to have a good driving record as well as meet the physical, hearing and vision requirements for the job.
• It’s important to find a balance — even if that means earning a little less than you’d ideally want to.
• As expected, the jobs that required the most college experience are the big winners in the lists — which were physicians, lawyers, and research & development managers.
• They often refer patients to a specialist when their health issues are more complex.
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in management is a good start, and specialized healthcare management degrees have become quite common – and are often available online.

A computer and information systems manager is essentially the manager of an IT department. A human resources manager ensures that employees of an organization are aware of all HR policies, including compensation, benefits and payroll.

Take A Look At The Top 25 Highest Paying Jobs For 2020 And See How You Can Snag One Of These Roles For Yourself

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in management will provide the skills to lead teams, analyze and make marketing decisions, and craft successful campaigns. Civil Engineers are well-educated, well-respected, and well-paid, and well they should be – they’re the ones who turn our infrastructure from idea to reality. A civil engineer needs at least a bachelor’s degree, but leadership positions will be more in reach with a master’s, and experience is key to reaching the highest levels of responsibility and income. Occupational Therapy is closely related to Physical Therapy (#26 above), in that both are dedicated to helping people recover and improve their capabilities after injury or sickness. Occupational therapists need at least a master’s degree, rather than a doctorate, and must be licensed in the state where they practice.

When patients need medical support devices, whether that means artificial limbs, braces, eyes, or other orthotics, they turn to Orthotists and Prosthetists. These are the professionals who build and fit prosthetics, helping patients find the right devices to improve their mobility, independence, and quality of life.

How Do I Find My Highest Paying Career?

It’s the type of job that you can get a college degree for — but you can become a sound engineering technician with a high school degree. These workers use bricks and other materials to construct or repair walls and various structures. Brickmasons and blockmasons may gain skills through on-the-job training, technical college programs and apprenticeships. The 30 highest-paying occupations all earned an average of six figures annually, all above $130,000. Anesthesiologists, which ranked No. 1, earned more than triple the average annual salary for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations of $85,900 with an average annual salary of $271,440. All 30 of these occupations also make more than the overall average for all occupations in May 2020 of $56,310.

Although not required for most entry-level positions, many managers also hold graduate degrees and professional certifications in their areas of expertise. These professionals need relevant bachelor’s degrees, but most also hold master’s degrees in business administration. Many also have significant management experience and clear leadership skills. Most chief executives work full time in office settings and often need to travel. This career consists of maintaining and installing the power grid, and entry-level positions require a high school diploma. Electrical power line installers install power line networks and repairers service high-voltage lines and towers or even street and traffic lights. Typical duties include inspecting power lines, identifying defects in the power grid, and climbing poles to string power lines.

It takes talented professionals to analyze how much demand there is for a particular offering and find ways to bring it to market. Marketing departments also determine the price that will maximize profit for the company. Local magistrates may or may not be required to hold a law degree, depending on where they serve. Judges serving in federal and state court systems, on the other hand, have titles such as “district court judge” and “general trial court judge” and preside over criminal or civil cases within their jurisdiction. Appellate judges review cases from lower courts to ensure that the law was applied correctly at the trial level. Their main goal is to develop methods to pull oil and gas from new deposits below the earth’s surface and design new ways to extract fossil fuels from existing wells. Typically, the responsibilities of a petroleum engineer include ascertaining operational methods, performing a cost-benefit analysis for a given project, and analyzing survey or geographic data.

These professionals work in offices, laboratories, and on-site at industrial locations like plants and refineries. A professional in this role needs a bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, or a closely related area, like journalism or business. More senior or mid-level positions may also call for qualified work experience. Advertising and promotions managers need clear creative acumen, along with strong communication and analytical skills. A qualified candidate generally holds a doctorate in their specialty or a closely related field. They also need strong analytical and critical thinking skills to supplement their broad-based technical knowledge. Natural sciences managers generally work full time in offices, field sites, or laboratory settings.

Architectural And Engineering Managers

In the IT world, some companies need help customizing solutions to issues they’re having. That’s where a solutions architect comes in – and gets paid handsomely for solving those problems. This IT professional helps with designing, creating, deploying, and ultimately managing an organization’s data architecture. Generally, you need a computer science or computer engineering degree to get hired for this role. This role requires innovative thinking and planning to help businesses implement major company-wide goals and initiatives. Usually getting hired for a lofty salary like this one requires a person to have proven results. Consulting manager is also a broadly defined category that can describe several different types of jobs.

To flourish, marketing managers have to demonstrate a blend of creativity and business acumen. Day-to-day activities include everything from acquiring market research to planning promotional activities to developing websites and social media campaigns. Education – With few exceptions, judges need a law degree to serve on the bench. In addition to maintaining their law license, they need to be in good standing with the bar association in their state. These professionals often practice for several years as an attorney before seeking appointment or election as a judge.

In general, larger organizations require more-seasoned IT managers than smaller companies or startups. According to the BLS, a chief technology officer , who supervises the entire technology function at a larger organization, will often need more than 15 years of IT experience. Education – Candidates have to graduate with a master’s degree from an accredited program, which typically takes anywhere from 24 to 51 months. Some go on to complete a fellowship program, particularly if they’re specializing within the field.

Many young adults earn their bachelor’s thinking that it is the only way to land a good job. In bookkeeping this list you’ll see many high paying jobs that require as little as a high school diploma.

Whether you’re deep in the throes of your own job search or you’re just curious to see how your current position measures up against others, scroll on for the full list of America’s highest-paid workers. Another tech job, reporting $109,350 as a salary with demand strong in San Francisco, Seattle, and N.Y. Overall management is still a role that’s necessary to fill, especially in giant corporations.

Mary Kay Ash launched her iconic beauty business in 1963 in an effort to empower women and disrupt a male-dominated workforce. Ash’s company, Mary Kay Inc., went on to achieve global success and recognition and earned her a net worth of $500 million at the time of her death in 1984.

As one of the highest-paying jobs in mental health, this role requires a doctorate in medicine, state licensure, and professional certification. Like other medical professionals, psychiatrists usually work full time and often log irregular hours. Most work in hospitals or other mental health facilities, although some may have private practices.

One thing that is quickly apparent is the more skills a role requires, the better chance it has at commanding a higher salary. “This is why we see several jobs within the technology and health-care industries.”

Author: Edward Mendlowitz