Some careers offer personal satisfaction, while others offer the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives. And some careers offer the opportunity for a nice, fat paycheck. While the talented and ambitious can make good money by rising to management, these jobs allow people to bring home plenty of bacon without demanding promotion after promotion. Of course, they may require extensive training or schooling, but the best things in life are never free.
The most lucrative careers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, can be found in the medical professions. And no one makes more, on average, than anesthesiologists. These doctors, who give patients the drugs that render them insensible to pain during surgery, earned an average annual wage of $232,830 as of May 2012, according to the BLS. Building a career in medicine takes time, however. Most doctors spend anywhere from 11 to 16 years in training, between an undergraduate degree, medical school and internships and residency programs. They must also pass their licensing exam in order to practice.
The best-paying job on the BLS' salary list that has nothing to do with medicine belongs to petroleum engineers. These engineers specialize in developing new ways -- or enhancing old methods -- of extracting fossil fuels from the earth. According to the BLS, petroleum engineers earned an average annual wage of $147,470 as of May 2012. And for those who don't have the patience for medical school, petroleum engineers can start their career with just a bachelor's degree -- and, after four years of work under more experienced engineers, earn their license as a professional.
For those with an argumentative streak to go along with the desire for big money, the law may be the way to go. Lawyers may represent individual or corporate clients in criminal or civil cases, or they may serve as advisors and counselors for situations affecting businesses or families. According to the BLS, lawyers earned an average of $130,880 as of May 2012. Becoming a lawyer also demands postgraduate education, with three years of law school following an undergraduate degree. Law school graduates then must pass the bar exam in order to earn their license to practice.
A very different, but nonetheless potentially lucrative career can blossom over the heads of lawyers, doctors and engineers. Airline pilots transport passengers and cargo through the "friendly skies" by airplane. These pilots, as well as crew members such as co-pilots and flight engineers, earned an average annual wage of $128,760 as of May 2012, according to the BLS. Many airline pilots get their start in the military, while others receive their training from a flight school. Either way, however, fliers must have at least 250 hours experience in the air to earn a commercial pilot's license, according to the BLS.
There are several other jobs in the BLS survey that can reach six-figure salaries -- offering a variety of career options, with or without extensive education. Physicists can earn $114,150 on average, according to the BLS, but may need a doctorate, and the nine to 11 years of college that go with it. On the other hand, actuaries can start work with just a bachelor's degree and a license, putting them on the path toward a $106,680 average annual salary.. For those who may not be interested in earning a college degree but are willing to work their way up through the ranks of a profession, a job in sales can eventually lead to a sales manager position with an average $119,980 salary.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: May 2012 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Anesthesiologists
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physicians and Surgeons
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Petroleum Engineers
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Petroleum Engineers
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Lawyers
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Lawyers
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Airline and Commercial Pilots
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Physicists
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