Highest Starting Salary by Industry

In today's job market, not all jobs are equal, especially not when it comes to salary. Yes, we would all like to say we love what we do, but belly dancing might not pay the bills as well as some of the other jobs out there. Here is a list of some of the highest paying job industries out there:

1. Medicine

Generally medicine is a good field to be in - there are always sick people right? More than that though, working in the medical field requires specialized skills that take training and education, so medical workers are highly sought after. Professionals with medical school degrees are the highest paid with anesthesiologists starting at around $150,000 and general practitioners at around $70,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2. Engineering

Engineering is a highly specialized field that requires knowledge of math, physics, chemistry, and a multitude of other subjects depending on the sub-field of engineering. Engineers are highly sought after because training is so intensive it is not a degree pursued by many people. Petroleum engineers make around $130,000 a year as the highest paid engineers. Health and safety engineers are lowest paid with salaries in the $70,000s.

3. Finance

The finance industry has replaced business as one of the highest paying industries. Money is everything, so it isn't really surprising that you can get paid well to manage it. Financial analysts have salaries in the $70,000s, while financial planners have salaries in the high $60,000s.

4. Computer Science

None of the other job industries can do their jobs without computers anymore, so it is important to have well-trained individuals that can create computer programs and work on them. The highest paid computer scientists are computer research scientists with salaries in the $100,000 range, and the lowest paid are web developers who are paid around $60,000 a year.

5. Law

The field of law can be difficult to get into and very competitive one there, but the earnings can definitely be worth it. Judges make the most money with salaries in the $110,000 range with lawyers only slightly behind in the $100,000 range. The lowest paid members of the legal profession are paralegals and legal assistants, making in the $40,000 range. That sounds low, but consider that these individuals are only required to have, at most, an associate's degree.

Stay Informed

Get the best articles every day for FREE. Cancel anytime.