It’s Simple – More Education Means More Money
The occupations with the highest current and projected earning potential are also pure-college jobs, requiring a graduate degree or work experience or, most often, both. BLS projections for the highest-paying occupations and job openings don’t include self-employed workers, but many in these fields are self-employed. So the numbers in the following list are actually somewhat skewed to the low side. The heavy-hitter occupations, along with projected job openings and 2004 annual median earnings, are:
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- Physicians and surgeons – 212,000 – $145,600
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- Chief executives – 115,000 – $140,350
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- Dentists – 46,000 – $129,920
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- Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engneers – 37,000 – $129,250
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- Air traffic controllers – 4,000 – $102,030
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- Engineering managers – 63,000 – $97,630
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- Astronomers – 300 – $97,320
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- Lawyers – 205,000 – $94,930
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- Podiatrists – 4,000 – $94,400
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- Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates – 5,000 – $93,070
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- Computer and information systems managers – 93,000 – $92,570
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- Natural sciences managers – 14,000 – $88,660
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- Petroleum engineers – 5,000 – $88,500
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- Optometrists – 16,000 – $88,410
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- Marketing managers – 55,000 – $87,640
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- Physicists – 6,000 – $87,450
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- Political scientists – 1,000 – $86,750
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- Computer and information scientists, research – 6,000 – $85,190
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- Pharmacists – 101,000 – $84,900
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- Nuclear engineers – 6,000 – $84,880
Many people who decide to go to college already have some idea of what they’d like to study and what type of careers they are interested in pursuing. There is good news, however, for those “undecided” folks – college graduates can qualify for most occupations just by the act of completing a higher education degree. Specific job requirements beyond that may depend on such things as interest in the job, a history of hard work, previous experience, internships, and specific job-related coursework.
After all the statistics are analyzed and organized, one fact clearly stands out: a college degree is a vital key to a secure financial future.
