2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST PAYING JOBS
Introduction: The Top Paying Jobs and Good Paying Jobs in the United States
Finding a quality, good paying job that offers you economic security that you also enjoy is not easy to do. Too many of us get bogged down in jobs that aren’t fulfilling or high-paying. Finding the top jobs in America requires a good education and a sharp eye to stay on top of jobs with growing demand.
Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Paying Jobs in America
In this brief article, AdvisoryHQ will review the top paying jobs in the country. We will begin by looking at how to prepare for the highest paying careers or best jobs in America. We then offer a comparative table of six of the best paying careers on the market today and the top features of these top paid jobs.
In our FAQ section, we will offer some advice on where to find the best jobs in America. We will also look at whether you should prioritize only good paying jobs or rather prepare yourself for jobs in high demand. Lastly, we offer a complete review of the six top jobs in America for the coming year.
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How Can You Prepare for the Highest Paying Careers or Best Jobs in America?
Most of us simply accept that if we weren’t fortunate enough to get a quality college education in one of the highest paying careers or top salary jobs, then we’re basically condemned to accepting low paying jobs or whatever job we can find.
While a quality education is definitely one of the most important factors leading individuals toward the top paying jobs, there are a number of other factors that can also lead you into jobs with growing demand that have the potential to become some of the top paying jobs in America.
To take just one example, twenty to thirty years ago, nursing was a profession that was looked down upon as the most inferior of the medical professions. Nurses were generally underpaid and underappreciated. As the baby boomer generation began to age, however, more and more nurses were needed. Nursing today is one of the best jobs in America in that it is one of the jobs with growing demand that makes it easy to find employment almost anywhere.
Our economy is continually changing, and the good paying jobs of our parents’ generation may very well be long gone in the years to come. The rapid growth of technology is another aspect that affects the top paying jobs available.
Only a couple of decades ago, having computer knowledge wasn’t seen as a desirable job trait unless you were a scientist working at a prestigious university. In today’s world, however, without computer knowledge, you have pretty much no chance of finding good paying jobs or jobs in high demand.
Finding your way into the best paying careers, then, requires you to prepare yourself academically, stay on top of the technological advances in your area of work, and develop the ability to see how the current job market affects the highest paying careers out there.
AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Paying Jobs
List is sorted alphabetically (click any top paid jobs below to go directly to the detailed review section for each top salary job):
- Financial Manager
- Information Technology Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Pharmacist
- Sales Manager
Top 6 Best Paying Jobs | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Best Paying Jobs | Mean Average Salary | Projected Growth 2014-2024 | College Degree Required |
| Financial Manager | $130,230 | 7% | Yes |
| Information Technology Manager | $136,280 | 15% | Depends |
| Marketing Manager | $137,400 | 9% | Yes |
| Nurse Anesthetist | $158,900 | 19% | Yes |
| Pharmacist | $118,470 | 3% | Yes |
| Sales Manager | $126,040 | N/A | Depends |
Table: Top 6 Best Paying Jobs | Above list is sorted alphabetically
Where Can You Find the Top Paying Jobs in America?
Finding the top paying jobs will take much more work than simply looking through the classified ads in the Sunday morning newspaper. As our economy has grown increasingly globalized, one of the most important elements to finding the top jobs in America is being willing to relocate to where the best jobs are found.
A recent CNBC study looks at which states in the country have been creating the most jobs during the past decade. Though job growth doesn’t necessarily mean that the top paid jobs will be the ones growing, you should have a better chance to find good paying jobs in an economy that is growing.
For example, the CNBC study mentioned that North Dakota was the state with the highest job growth during the past decade. However, unless you’re looking for the highest paying careers in the oil and gas industry, chances are that North Dakota isn’t exactly the best place for you.
For people who are looking for the best paying jobs by certain careers, Forbes magazine also offers a breakdown of the fastest growing careers and jobs with growing demand. If you are currently thinking about starting up a degree, it might very well make sense to check out the jobs in high demand and their potential for growth in the coming years. Finding studies with these types of statistics should help prepare you for one of the highest paying careers out there.
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Should You Look for the Best Paying Careers or Jobs in High Demand?
Everyone knows that doctors and lawyers make lots of money, but not everyone is too thrilled with the idea of spending close to a decade in school while racking up several hundred thousand dollars in student debt. Opting for the top paying jobs or top salary jobs most likely will require you to spend a small fortune in education.
At the same time, there is usually a limit to how much these best paying jobs can grow. While a brain surgeon is one of the top paid jobs out there, most hospitals are not willing to hire 50 brain surgeons.
At the same time, hospitals are always looking for nurses, and may even offer to pay for a part of your schooling if you agree to work with them for a certain amount of time after graduation. Nursing jobs are an example of good paying jobs that are in high demand.
If you have set your sights on becoming a brain surgeon, by all means, pursue that dream. However, it is possible to find other quality, top paying jobs that require less schooling (and therefore less debt accumulation). Learning to track the job market to find which good paying jobs are in growing demand, or will maintain their expected growth over the long run, may be just as important for finding your way into the highest paying careers as finishing your second doctorate degree.
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Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Paying Jobs
Below, please find the detailed review of each of the top jobs in America. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these best paying careers to score so highly in our selection ranking.
Financial Manager Review
A financial manager is one of the highest paying careers currently on the market. Financial managers pretty much control the checkbook of their companies, so finding someone with the necessary skills to stay on top of the cash flow is a needed skill that many companies are always looking for.
Financial managers make an average salary of $130,230, and this job is expected to grow 7% in the coming years. If you are good with numbers and show attention to detail, this might be one of the top paying jobs for you.
Information Technology Manager Review
Our world is growing increasingly dependent on technology. While most us know how to use a computer and smartphone, very few of us can explain or understand how these things actually work. An information technology manager is another of the highest paying careers out there because of the high, sustained growth in the technology sector of our economy.
Image Source: Raya Information Technology
As far as good paying jobs go, this job is expected to grow at a whopping 15% over the coming decade, making this not only one of the best paying jobs, but also one of the jobs in high demand.
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Marketing Manager Review
As the business sector of our economy continues to grow, marketing managers will continue to be needed. This is one of the best paying jobs at an average salary of $137,400. As far as the highest paying careers go, this job allows for a significant amount of growth as well. You won’t be stuck doing the same thing every day either; rather, you will be involved in a number of strategic tasks to help the business you work for grow.
Nurse Anesthetist Review
We already mentioned above that nursing is one of the top paying jobs in the country that is also in continually high demand. However, for a few more years in school, you could become a nurse anesthetist, which is one of the best paying jobs in the medical industry.
Image Source: Business Insider
Nurse anesthetists help doctors administer anesthesia during operations, which is considerably more exciting than changing bedpans and drawing blood. At the same time, you’ll most likely be making somewhere around the average salary of $158,900.
Pharmacist Review
As our country’s population continues to get older, more and more people will start to make those regular trips to the pharmacy for their prescription medication. Pharmacists represent one of the highest paying careers that is also in high demand.
Though you will need a fair bit of schooling to break into these top paid jobs, you should expect an average salary of around $118,470.
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Sales Manager Review
Lastly, a sales manager is another of the top paying jobs in the country. Sales managers work to get the product that their company makes or manufacturers into the hands of potential clients. You can expect an average salary of $126,040, which makes this one of the best paying jobs out there.
Conclusion – The Top Paying Jobs and Highest Paying Careers Available to You Today
The best jobs in America aren’t necessarily only the current top paying jobs. Rather, finding good paying jobs requires you to have an eye on the market and develop the skills needed to fit into the job niches that are available.
At the same time, the best paying jobs or highest paying careers in your profession may not be available in the area where you currently live. Being willing to relocate to where the top paying jobs in America are located is an essential characteristic of the successful job finder.
Choosing to become a financial manager, information technology manager, marketing manager, nurse anesthetist, pharmacist, or sales manager should offer you a clear path to a stable financial future. However, these top salary jobs are only a few of the top options out there. You can find plenty of other good paying jobs available in a number of different professions by preparing yourself academically and following the continually changing job market.
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