According to a report from CareerCast.me, healthcare and information technology have been the most stable sectors for job growth and wage increases over the past decade. The healthcare industry, in particular, has witnessed a consistent rise in salaries, reflecting the high demand for skilled professionals.
The 2015 Jobs Rated report highlights several healthcare roles among the highest paying jobs in the U.S. These include surgeons, psychiatrists, and general practice physicians, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dentists, orthodontists, and pharmacists also rank in the top 10, owing to their specialized knowledge and the extensive education required in these fields.
For instance, entry into these professions generally demands postgraduate education, typically extending four years beyond a bachelor’s degree. Residency programs, especially for surgeons and physicians, may last a decade.
CareerCast.me notes a diverse range of surgical specialties in its job listings, including positions for hand, vascular, and pediatric surgeons, each presenting unique challenges and commanding varying salaries. Nevertheless, surgical fields collectively maintain a lead in salary rankings across all professions surveyed in the Jobs Rated report.
The educational journey for healthcare professionals like surgeons and psychiatrists is costly, potentially accumulating around $500,000 in student debt. Strategies for managing such financial burdens include living modestly and devising clear plans for debt repayment early in one’s career, as suggested by Erin Albert, a pharmacist based in Indianapolis.
The high salaries in the medical field are partly justified by the risk of litigation, particularly for surgeons who face a significantly higher malpractice lawsuit risk compared to other medical professionals.
Not all lucrative jobs listed require extensive education. For example, petroleum engineers need only a bachelor’s degree and enjoy a median annual wage of $130,050. The energy sector’s focus on innovative extraction and refining techniques also contributes to this field’s robust job growth outlook.
In business, while a Master’s in Business Administration can prepare candidates for executive roles, not all high-ranking corporate positions necessitate such credentials. High-profile examples include Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who dropped out of Harvard to start his company, contrasting with Marissa Mayer of Yahoo!, who completed her education at Stanford. Despite these differing paths, senior corporate executives hold some of the highest median wages in the U.S.
Data science is emerging as a lucrative career path, thanks to technological advancements that simplify big data analysis—a task that previously required PhD-level expertise. Universities like Arizona State and Indiana University now offer data science courses, highlighting the field’s growing accessibility and appeal.
Overall, the report identifies the following as the ten highest paying jobs of 2015, with wages and growth outlooks derived from BLS data and CareerCast.me’s methodologies, covering projections from 2012 through 2022.
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs of 2015
- Surgeon
- Annual Median Wage: $352,220
- Growth Outlook: 18%
- Surgeons command the highest median salary of all careers tracked by the Jobs Rated report, due to the highly specialized skills required. Wages vary depending on the type of surgery, but all surgeons undergo intensive schooling and training to enter the profession.
- Psychiatrist
- Annual Median Wage: $181,880
- Growth Outlook: 15%
- Psychiatrists earn high wages by diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, requiring extensive medical training including medical school and residencies.
- General Practice Physician
- Annual Median Wage: $180,180
- Growth Outlook: 14%
- General practice physicians, providing comprehensive health care, are crucial in the medical field, necessitating lengthy medical education and residencies.
- Orthodontist
- Annual Median Wage: $204,670
- Growth Outlook: 16%
- Specializing in aligning teeth and jaws, orthodontists are among the top earners in the dental field, reflecting the extensive postgraduate training they receive.
- Dentist
- Annual Median Wage: $146,340
- Growth Outlook: 16%
- Dentists, addressing oral health issues, require a doctoral degree and licensure, accounting for their high earnings and steady job growth.
- Pharmacist
- Annual Median Wage: $121,500
- Growth Outlook: 14%
- Pharmacists, critical in dispensing medications and advising on their safe use, must complete a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, justifying their significant median wage.
- Petroleum Engineer
- Annual Median Wage: $130,050
- Growth Outlook: 10%
- With a bachelor’s degree being sufficient, petroleum engineers receive high compensation for developing methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the Earth’s surface.
- Data Scientist
- Annual Median Wage: $118,370
- Growth Outlook: 15%
- The burgeoning field of data science, requiring skills in big data analytics and often advanced degrees in mathematics or computer science, offers lucrative salaries and strong job prospects.
- Corporate Executive
- Annual Median Wage: $173,320
- Growth Outlook: 11%
- Senior corporate executives oversee strategic initiatives and management functions, earning high wages that correlate with the scale and profitability of their operations.
- Software Developer
- Annual Median Wage: $102,280
- Growth Outlook: 17%
- Software developers, essential for creating applications and systems software, enjoy robust demand and strong wages, reflecting the technical expertise required and the impact of their work on modern businesses.
This list provides an overview of the top careers from the 2015 Jobs Rated report, highlighting the educational requirements and job growth expectations that align with their compensation.
