Before taking any job, you will have to make some considerations, weigh your options, and then make your decision. One of these considerations is “how much the job pays and if you can make a lot of money from it“.
According to Glassdoor, nearly seven in ten (68%) people report that salary and compensation are among their leading considerations when determining where to work.
Now the question is:
For people who really want to earn a big paycheck, which jobs or careers offer the highest salaries?
From the U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of best jobs, health care jobs continue to be the highest-paying jobs in the country.
Aside from the health care sector, there are jobs in other industries and fields that pay well.
In this article, we’ll get to know each of these jobs one can make a lot of money from, what professionals in the career do and their minimum entry requirement.
Here is a table of what to expect:
Which Jobs or Careers Make The Most Money?
Here are the top 20 money making jobs that can earn you a good deal of cash:
- Anesthesiologist
- Surgeon
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
- Obstetrician and Gynecologist
- Orthodontist
- Psychiatrist
- Physician
- Prosthodontist
- Pediatrician
- Dentist
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Petroleum Engineer
- IT Manager
- Podiatrist
- Marketing Manager
- Financial Manager
- Pilot
- Lawyer
- Sales Manager
- Business Operations Manager
We will be looking at these jobs from the lowest paying to the highest. Also, note that the mean salary provided here is as seen on the CNBC report.
#20 Business Operations Manager
Pursuing a career as a Business operations manager is sure going to get you a lot of money. Business operations managers are basically the go-to people in the business. They help various departments within a company coordinate to meet the end goal.
In fact, every business needs them, large or small, irrespective of industry. The job of the business operations managers includes hiring people, negotiating contracts, addressing budget matters, understanding general business operations, and guiding work teams for projects.
- Mean salary: $123,880 per year
- Field: Business
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#19 Sales Manager
As the guiding hand for the sales team, sales managers make a lot of money from their job. They direct the distribution of their company’s products to customers, which involves establishing sales territories as well as setting quotas and goals.
Sales managers outline the staff’s training programs, develop strategies for the sales team to operate efficiently, and push team members to surpass short- and long-term sales targets.
Also, sales managers work closely with the marketing department to identify new customers the sales team can target.
- Mean salary: $140,320 per year
- Field: Sales and marketing
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#18 Lawyer
A lawyer is a licensed professional who advises and represents people, businesses, and government agencies in legal matters.
Basically, lawyers may work privately for big firms or small practices, or they may work publicly for the government. In the public sector, lawyers can find jobs as district attorneys or public defenders. Also, they could work for the federal government.
On the other hand, in the private sector, many lawyers seek jobs at big firms, where they’ll usually choose an area of specialties such as environmental law or tax, divorce, or data privacy.
Now while pay can vary depending on what type of law you practice, the median salary is high enough to make a career as a lawyer one of the jobs that make the most money in America.
- Mean salary: $144,230 per year
- Field: Social services
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
READ ALSO: 10 Highest Paid Entry-level Jobs in 2022
#17 Pilot
Pilots basically fly and operate aircraft like airplanes and helicopters for airlines, private corporations, law enforcement agencies, and the military. They also prepare the aircraft for flight and ensure that the aircraft is balanced and below its weight limit.
A career as a pilot is definitely profitable as it is among the highest-paying occupations.
- Mean salary: $147,200 per year
- Field: Social services
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#16 Financial Manager
Financial managers are responsible for overseeing the finances of major companies, agencies, and everything in between. They coordinate accounting and produce financial reports, cash-flow statements, and profit projections with their team members
Although financial managers face a competitive job market, being one can make you a lot of money. Also, financial managers who can also handle international finance and the increasingly complicated world of financial instruments and securities, including derivatives, will be the most marketable.
- Mean salary: $146,830 per year
- Field: Business
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
READ ALSO: Financial Advisor Job Description Template For 2022
#15 Marketing Manager
In the world of buying and selling, marketing managers have the responsibility of figuring out the price, so they can help organizations maximize their profits. They also make sure a company”s customers are satisfied, estimate the demand for the company”s products and services as well as determine possible markets for those products.
A job as a marketing manager is definitely profitable as it is one of the careers that make the most money.
- Mean salary: $147,240 per year
- Field: Sales and marketing
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#14 Podiatrist
Podiatrists are simply physicians who diagnose and treat conditions of the foot and ankle, ranging from ingrown nails and bunions to fractured ankles and bone spurs. Treatment here can be as simple as prescribing orthotic shoes or as complicated as performing total ankle implant surgery.
As a podiatrist, you are sure going to make a lot of money.
- Mean salary: $148,220 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
SEE ALSO: 15 Best Podiatry Schools In The World | 2022 Ranking
13. IT Manager
Information technology ((IT) managers are the guides who help organizations navigate the always-changing labyrinth that is modern technology. These all-important employees deliver short- and long-term visions for the company’s technology needs and goals.
- Mean salary: $152,860 per year
- Field: Technology
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#12 Petroleum Engineer
A career as a petroleum engineer is very profitable. In fact, they are currently among the top 20 occupations with the highest median annual pay according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Basically, a petroleum engineer (also known as a gas engineer) determines the most efficient way to drill for and extract oil and natural gas at a particular well.
- Mean salary: $156,370 per year
- Field: Engineering
- Minimum Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
#11 Nurse Anesthetist
A career as a nurse anesthetist is a type of advanced practice registered nurse and also one you can make a lot of money from.
Basically, nurse anesthetists work with patients regarding anesthetic treatment before, during, and after surgery, as well as with therapy or other medical procedures that use anesthesia.
- Mean salary: $174,790 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Master’s degree
Note: According to the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, as of January 1, 2025, all USA nurse anesthesia programs must award a doctoral degree for entry into nurse anesthesia practice.
#10 Dentist
Generally, Dentists identify and treat problems concerning a patient’s mouth, gums, and teeth.
Their duties include but are not limited to extracting teeth, fitting dentures, and filling cavities. Some however choose to specialize in areas that range from treating serious oral problems and diseases to straightening teeth and performing oral surgeries.
- Mean salary: $175,840 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#9 Pediatrician
Just like other physicians, pediatricians earn one of the highest salaries in the USA. Pediatricians are simply children doctors; they are doctors concerned with the physical, emotional, and social well-being of children from their infancy to young adulthood.
Regardless of being a specialty in itself, pediatrics also has multitudinous subspecialties ranging from neonatology, oncology, and hematology to developmental-behavioral pediatrics and psychiatry.
- Mean salary: $183,240 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#8 Prosthodontist
Quite different from the dentists, Prosthodontists are dental specialists who restore and replace teeth to improve the function of your mouth or the look of your smile.
They basically treat people who have missing teeth, who have trouble with their bite or who just don’t like their smile. In addition, they help cancer patients who have trouble eating, communicating, or even kissing after treatments.
Getting a job as a prosthodontist is very profitable as you will earn a lot of money as you advance in your career.
- Mean salary: $191,400 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#7 Physician
Physicians diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. They examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. Also, they often counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare.
In fact, they are the doctor we call every five minutes. This is to say that physicians have become very important figures in our everyday life.
And since they are valued, pursuing a career in it is definitely a plus as you will be earning a lot of money.
- Mean salary: $196,490 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#6 Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists are physicians who diagnose, treat and work to prevent disorders relating to the mind and mental health. They specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders.
Just like other medical professionals, psychiatrists are one of those that make the most money from their job.
- Mean salary: $220,380 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
Related Post: How Can I Become A Psychiatrist? Schools, Career, Cost & Salary
#5 Orthodontist
Orthodontists are dental specialists who treat problems with improper bites and askew teeth. Basically, they examine patients’ mouths and jaws to design an orthodontic program for the two-fold purpose of helping patients achieve and maintain proper function jaws while also perfecting their smiles.
Orthodontists are currently one of the dental professionals that make the most money from their job.
- Mean salary: $225,760 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#4 Obstetrician and Gynecologist
While Obstetricians bring new life into the world, gynecologists care for the spectrum of women’s reproductive health. That is, Obstetrics is the surgical field that deals in childbirth, whereas gynecology is the field of medicine concerned with women’s health, especially their reproductive health.
You are sure going to earn a lot of money if you start a job as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
- Mean salary: $238,320 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#3 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons basically perform surgeries on the face, mouth, and jaw. These professionals are dentists with at least four years of additional surgery training. So, they can do everything from treating facial traumas to fixing cleft lips. They can also diagnose and treat patients with head, neck, and oral cancer.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are those medical professionals that are making a lot of money from their careers.
- Mean salary: $242,370 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
#2 Surgeon
Surgeons operate on patients to treat injuries, such as broken bones; diseases, such as cancerous tumors; and deformities, such as cleft palates.
Basically, these professionals can train toward becoming general surgeons, or they can choose a specialization, such as orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or plastic surgery.
As a surgeon, you have to be prepared as there’s stress around the corner all the time. Taking into consideration this and more, working in the surgical specialty is worth it as people here earn a lot of money from their jobs.
- Mean salary: $255,110 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
SEE ALSO: 20 Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour Until You’re Tired
#1 Anesthesiologist
Anesthesiologists earn the most money in the medical field. In fact, various ranking bodies and statistical reports have paced them as the highest paying jobs or occupations.
Now, who are Anesthesiologists?
Anesthesiologists are those physicians responsible for administering general or regional anesthesia, which allows surgeons and other physicians to complete invasive procedures with little to no discomfort to the patient.
They also closely monitor a patient’s vital signs and critical life functions before, during, and after surgery – making rapid decisions on limited data when required.
To show how important this profession is, over 150 years ago, either – the first anesthetic – was hailed the “greatest gift ever made to suffering humanity.”
- Mean salary: $267,020 per year
- Field: Health care
- Minimum Education needed: Doctorate degree
In Summary
If you are a high school student who is yet to choose a career path or a graduate who wants to pursue a second degree, you may want to consider the above-listed jobs especially, if money is your basic consideration in choosing a career.
I hope this helps you in your decision-making process.
Good Luck!
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