The most common path to wealth available for most people is employment. This means that choosing the right career to pursue is critical to your financial success. Try as much as possible to pursue a professional career or science based field or engineering/technology related field. Avoid as much as you can doing generic degrees at University. The world is very competitive and often rewards hard technical skills.
Please note that salaries can fluctuate widely depending on factors such as location, industry, company size, and individual qualifications. Annual salaries given below are approximate annual averages and are rounded to the nearest thousand where appropriate. Some of these careers may not be feasible locally but given that we are in a global village, high value skills can give you global mobility.
1. Surgeons: These medical professionals perform operations. They are among the highest-paid due to their extensive training and the high-risk nature of their work. Approximate average salary: $409,000.
2. Anesthesiologists: They administer anesthetics during surgery and other medical procedures. Approximate average salary: $393,000.
3. Orthodontists: These dental specialists focus on correcting teeth and jaw alignment. Approximate average salary: $230,000.
4. Psychiatrists: Medical doctors specializing in mental health. Approximate average salary: $220,000.
5. Corporate Lawyers: Lawyers working in the corporate sector, especially those in leadership positions or at large firms. Approximate average salary: $200,000.
6. Chief Executives: CEOs and other high-level executives at companies, responsible for strategic decision-making. Approximate average salary: $185,000.
7. IT Managers: Professionals who oversee an organization’s information technology strategy. Approximate average salary: $150,000.
8. Petroleum Engineers: Engineers who specialize in extracting oil and gas. Approximate average salary: $137,000.
9. Dentists: Professionals who diagnose and treat issues with patients’ teeth and mouth. Approximate average salary: $160,000.
10. Physicians: General physicians or specialized doctors. Approximate average salary: $210,000.
11. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: They navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft, including helicopters. Approximate average salary: $150,000.
12. Air Traffic Controllers: Professionals who coordinate the movement of air traffic. Approximate average salary: $125,000.
13. Pharmacists: They provide prescribed medications and offer advice on their safe use. Approximate average salary: $128,000.
14. Data Scientists: These professionals analyze and interpret complex data to help companies make decisions. Approximate average salary: $123,000.
15. Financial Managers: They oversee the financial health of an organization. Approximate average salary: $130,000.
16. Sales Managers: Oversee an organization’s sales teams. Approximate average salary: $130,000.
17. Natural Sciences Managers: They supervise the work of scientists, including chemists, physicists, and biologists. Approximate average salary: $140,000.
18. Marketing Managers: Responsible for planning, directing, or coordinating marketing policies and programs. Approximate average salary: $135,000.
19. Podiatrists: Doctors who specialize in treating conditions of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. Approximate average salary: $130,000.
20. Architectural and Engineering Managers: They plan, coordinate, and direct activities in architectural and engineering companies. Approximate average salary: $145,000.
21. Investment Bankers: They connect businesses that need capital to finance their plans with investors. Approximate average salary: $100,000 to $200,000, depending on level and success.
22. Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Doctors specializing in women’s health, including pregnancy and childbirth. Approximate average salary: $230,000.
23. Prosthodontists: Dentists who specialize in the restoration and replacement of teeth. Approximate average salary: $200,000.
24. Pediatricians: Doctors who specialize in the physical, emotional, and developmental health of children. Approximate average salary: $185,000.
25. Nurse Anesthetists: Registered nurses who administer anesthesia, monitor patient’s vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. Approximate average salary: $175,000.
26. Optometrists: Doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating visual problems and managing diseases, injuries, and other disorders of the eyes. Approximate average salary: $120,000.
27. Actuaries: They use mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and pension programs. Approximate average salary: $110,000.
28. Pharmaceutical industry Managers: They plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of pharmaceutical manufacturing organizations. Approximate average salary: $125,000.
29. Software Developers, Systems Software: They research, design, develop, and test operating systems-level software. Approximate average salary: $110,000.
30. Computer and Information Systems Managers: Also known as IT project managers, plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization. Approximate average salary: $150,000.
31. Physicist: They conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Approximate average salary: $125,000.
32. Economist: They conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services. Approximate average salary: $110,000.
33. Technical Writers: They write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. Approximate average salary: $75,000.
34. Training and Development Managers: They plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization. Approximate average salary: $115,000.
35. Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: They arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. Approximate average salary: $130,000.
36. Human Resources Managers: They plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization. Approximate average salary: $120,000.
37. Public Relations and Fundraising Managers: They plan, direct, or coordinate activities to improve public understanding of organizations. Approximate average salary: $120,000.
38. Bioinformatics Scientists: They conduct research using bioinformatics theory and methods in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. Approximate average salary: $90,000.
39. Aerospace Engineers: They design aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles, and test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design. Approximate average salary: $120,000.
40. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists: They apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Approximate average salary: $100,000.
41. Biomedical Engineers: They apply knowledge of engineering, biology, and biomechanical principles to the design, development, and evaluation of biological and health systems and products. Approximate average salary: $90,000.
42. Nuclear Engineers: They research and develop the processes, instruments, and systems used to derive benefits from nuclear energy and radiation. Approximate average salary: $110,000.
43. Chemical Engineers: They design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products. Approximate average salary: $108,000.
44. Sales Engineers: They sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering. Approximate average salary: $105,000.
45. Environmental Engineers: They use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems. Approximate average salary: $90,000.
46. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers: They study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. Approximate average salary: $95,000.
47. Astronomers: They observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information practically. Approximate average salary: $110,000.
48. Personal Financial Advisors: They provide advice on financial matters, make recommendations on ways to best utilize their money. Approximate average salary: $90,000.
49. Art Directors: They formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media. Approximate average salary: $95,000.
50. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary: They teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine. Approximate average salary: $100,000.
Please note these figures are rounded averages and can vary greatly depending on a number of factors including geography, level of experience, industry, and company size.
Unlock your true potential 
One comment