Money Magazine created another article that I am always interested in reading. It was a list of the top 10 best paying jobs in the U.S.. It’s funny, every time I see one of these lists there are always lots of comments disputing what is listed. In a previous list I put up about 25 good paying jobs you could get without a degree, there were lots of comments arguing against the average salaries listed. So, take it with a grain of salt – even if it isn’t 100% accurate, it still is interesting to see what professions we as a nation highly esteem (hence the high rate of pay).
Money’s Top 10 best paying jobs
So here is the list from Money Magazine…
1. Anesthesiologist
Median salary: $292,000
2. Physician/Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Median salary: $222,000
3. Psychiatrist
Median salary: $177,000
4. Nurse Anesthetist
Median salary: $157,000
5. Sales Director
Median salary: $140,000
6. Actuary
Median salary: $129,000
7. Finance Director
Median salary: $121,000
8. Software Architect
Median salary: $117,000
9. Attorney/Lawyer
Median salary: $115,000
10. Insurance Broker
Median salary: $114,000
Thoughts about the top-paying careers
As you would bet you don’t see teachers, police officers, or social workers on the list. But it is nice to see that health professionals are topping the list. Many of them go to school for a decade, work crazy hours, and in crazy conditions and devote their lives to improving the health of their patients.
I would love to see Pastors get paid more (and dare I say appear on this list?). While Pastoring a church is a full-time job in itself, many of them have to do it in addition to their day-job. It would be great if all the pastors could devote all their time to pastoring, rather than working another job to pay the bills.
The U.S. has been a blessed nation because traditionally we have put God first. Without Pastors shepherding the flock, this country would be in a much worse spot than it is.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
i was doing the number 6 one before realizing that it was not in line with my career goals. i know that i should be kicking myself but strangely i am not
I couldn’t agree with you more. It would be great to see both teachers and pastors make this list someday. They make such a huge impact on our society.
How about bloggers? That would be nice to see on the list
In some respects these lists are pretty interesting because it allows you to compare yourself, your goals and where you want to be. On the other hand I find myself asking – ok – so what? So I’m not in one of the highest earning professional careers out there, but what can i do to make the best of my income and my situation?
Let it be motivating, do something you enjoy, and live with a good financial plan. But don’t let money be the only motivating factor.
While I’m all for teachers making more money (especially if the educational system is overhauled and becomes less of a daycare and more of an actual learning environment in so many cases) but Pastors seem to get by pretty well. The average salary of a pastor according to salary.com is $84k which is significantly better than the average american. However, I’d imagine that many of the mega-churches that beg for your money on TV are the ones that inflate these dollar values so greatly but then you also have the benefits of tax exemption on many things you purchase (since its for “the church” even if its also going to be used personally) though Im not sure if a pastor would have to pay federal income tax.
Granted, another survey http://revcamp.blogspot.com/2006/12/clergy-salaries-recent-research.html shows that it greatly varies by the size of the church
@BMM
agreed. I find these lists somewhat amusing, but absolutely don’t suggest chasing a career solely on it’s income potential. Having worked jobs I hated and jobs I loved, I am fully convinced that having a job you enjoy is worth a lot more than a six-figure salary…
@Bob. I agree. There is absolutely no reason to stay in a job very long if you aren’t happy with it.
For the “pastor part”, some pastors in the Philippines do become rich out of it…