20 Highest-Paying Jobs
Posted in Salaries & Benefits
It's probably true that the only way to earn millions in a few months' time is to become a superstar - an actor, an athlete or a business leader.
But if superstardom is not your cup of tea and you're willing to wait, say a few (or several) years to earn your millions, there are several high-paying jobs that are within your reach. Not that these jobs are a walk in a park - they do require years of hard work and experience. Most of these jobs also require extensive education.
Still, your chances of becoming a millionaire physician are better than becoming the next LeBron James.
For us who were not blessed with supermodel good looks, acting prowess, transcendent athletic ability, or business smarts, check out the list of the highest-paying jobs as reported by CBSalary.com.
Physicians
Physicians, including surgeons, "provide health care to patients either in private practices or clinics."
Physicians top the list of highest-paying jobs with a mean annual salary of $147,405.
Total employment for 2006 including surgeons is 633,000
Projected employment for 2016 is 723, 000.
Top corporate controllers
The people at the top of the corporate ladder "supervise the financial and budget departments of corporations and create financial reports that assess the company's financial situation."
Top corporate controllers take the second spot in the list of highest-paying jobs with their mean annual salary of $115,818.
Employment for 2006, including all financial managers, is 506,000. That number is projected to increase in 2016 to 570,000.
Engineering managers
Basically, engineering managers supervise the engineers who design and produce products and machinery. Engineering managers are number three in the list of highest-paying jobs with their mean annual salary of $100,038.
2006 employment is 187,000. 2016 projection is 844,000.
Corporate attorneys
Corporate lawyers "work for corporations and do trial work and consultation, and handle all legal issues that impact the company." The mean annual salary of corporate lawyers is $93,250. Employment for 2006 of corporate lawyers and all attorneys is 761,000, and is projected to increase to 844,000 in 2016.
Physicists
Physicists "observe the laws of physics, develop new theories and apply their knowledge to the development of products and scientific processes." Physicists have a mean annual salary of $93,073. Apparently we have very few physicians. According CBSalary.com their 2006 employment was 17,000, which is quite few compared to the first four. Employment is expected to increase to 18,000 in 2016. The rest of today's highest-paying jobs include:
Systems and programming managers
- draw up plans for an organization's computer network and its security.
Mean annual salary: $90,138
2006 employment: n/a***
2016 projected employment: n/a
Pharmacists
-fill prescriptions for patients and administer medical advice in pharmacies.
Mean annual salary: $89,564
2006 employment: 243,000
2016 projected employment: 296,000
Marketing managers
- create the marketing plan for a company or organization, including how it will be publicized and who the target audience is.
Mean annual salary: $87,038
2006 employment: 167,000
2016 projected employment: 192,000
Financial analysis managers
- assess the state of financial investments and decide what course of action should be taken based on economic data and trends.
Mean annual salary: $86,739
2006 employment: 506,000
2016 projected employment: 570,000
Lead computer programmers
- oversee a group of programmers and delegate work as needed, often for a specific project.
Mean annual salary: $80,182
2006 employment (all programmers): 435,000
2016 projected employment (all programmers): 417,000
Lead systems analysts
- oversee a group of analysts who address computer problems for an organization and ensure that the computer system fulfills the demands of that organization.
Mean annual salary: $79,479
2006 employment (all analysts): 504,000
2016 projected employment (all analysts): 650,000
Personnel managers
- are involved in the creation, development and implementation of human resources policies and activities for an organization.
Mean annual salary: $77,984
2006 employment: n/a
2016 projected employment: n/a
Benefits managers
- ensure that employee benefits programs are administered properly within an organization.
Mean annual salary: $75,425
2006 employment: 49,000
2016 projected employment: 55,000
Electrical engineers
- are involved in the planning, development and creation of electrical equipment.
Mean annual salary: $75,094
2006 employment: 153,000
2016 projected employment: 163,000
Sales area managers
- are in charge of an organization's sales group, including who is assigned to what territory and what the sales strategy is.
Mean annual salary: $73,146
2006 employment: 318,000
2016 projected employment: 351,000
Chemical engineers
- use their knowledge of chemicals to handle any issues that arise during the production of chemicals or biochemicals or of products that use chemicals in a variety of industries.
Mean annual salary: $71,942
2006 employment: 30,000
2016 projected employment: 33,000
Purchasing managers
- often supervise purchasing agents in the purchase of a good, such as steel or lumber.
Mean annual salary: $69,980
2006 employment: 70,000
2016 projected employment: 72,000
Mechanical engineers
- are involved in the creation, production and use of mechanical equipment and machines that vary from everyday consumer goods to large-scale, commercial items.
Mean annual salary: $68,775
2006 employment: 226,000
2016 projected employment: 235,000
Civil engineers
- oversee the design and construction of public structures, such as roads, airports and bridges.
Mean annual salary: $61,681
2006 employment: 256,000
2016 projected employment: 302,000
Computer programmers
- create and troubleshoot the programs that computers use to perform tasks.
Mean annual salary: $60,682
2006 employment: 435,000
2016 projected employment: 417,000
Source: careerbuilder.com
