Highest Paying Jobs: Top 10 Careers for Entrepreneurs and College Graduates

Highest Paying Jobs: Top 10 Careers for Entrepreneurs and College Graduates

If you want financial freedom, it’s crucial to look at careers from a financial perspective.

Let’s look at the top 10 best-paying jobs divided based on their educational requirements. 

When looking for top-paying jobs with degrees, you either need to choose a career you’re involved in or study until you have the right qualifications. So, you need to decide what approach you will take early on and keep it in mind while conducting career research. 

Remember that new degrees are created on a regular basis, so there’s a strong chance you’ll be able to find an option that matches your specific skill set. If you need help choosing your profession, you can take a career assessment test to get a good idea of which jobs would be well suited to your work personality.

Here are the top-paying careers for professionals with advanced degrees. 

1. Psychiatrists, Obstetricians and Other Medical Specialists

Psychiatrists, obstetricians, surgeons, and other medical specialists are among the highest-paid professionals because they help diagnose and treat a wide range of illnesses. Moreover, medical professionals can provide preventive care and help patients maintain good long-term health. 

The yearly wage of a medical specialist varies tremendously depending on the exact field, but this can range from $160,000 to more than $300,000. That said, remember that becoming a medical doctor takes a minimum of 12 years to complete and advanced specialists have to undergo additional training.

2. C-Suite Executives

C-suite executives refer to high-level managers within a company. This includes chief executive officers (CEOs), chief financial officers (CFOs), chief operating officers (COOs), and chief marketing officers (CMOs), among others. 

Chief executives can make over $190,000 on a yearly basis and work under extremely favorable conditions. But, the job description of a C-suite executive is to create strategies and make changes that help a company meet its goals, so there is constant pressure to perform.

3. Airline Pilots and Flight Engineers

Airline pilots live such a glamorous life that there are dozens of movies dedicated to this field. Although they are mostly known for flying airline flights, pilots can actually navigate helicopters, private planes, and other types of aircraft. However, if you become a pilot there’s a strong chance you’ll at least start out at an airline, so your job would include overnight layovers in different locations.

Flight engineers have a similar skill set to pilots, with more technical knowledge about the engine and aircraft itself. Both airline pilots and flight engineers need to have a bachelor’s degree as well as an airline transport pilot certification, which is issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As for yearly wages, pilots and flight engineers make north of $160,000 every year.

4. Computer and IT System Managers

Computers play a huge role in almost all businesses and are essential for every single big company in the world. So, it makes sense for computer and information technology (IT) system managers to be featured on this list of highest-paying jobs. 

Higher-level computer and IT managers make more than $151,000 per year. These individuals can obtain work in a huge collection of industries, with some professionals even moving abroad to work with leading global conglomerates. These specialists are only required to have a bachelor’s degree in computer and IT sciences, but professionals that want to grow quickly often pursue postgraduate degrees as well. 

5. Architectural and Engineering Managers

Architectural and engineering managers are directly responsible for the development and deployment of strategies within their respective firms. These professionals often work set schedules with a minimum of 40 hours per week, although it’s common to work more than that. However, these professionals receive an average of just under $150,000 on a yearly basis, which makes either career an attractive option.

To become an architectural or engineering manager, you’ll need to obtain a bachelor’s degree as well as significant work experience. Pursuing postgraduate degrees will also bolster your case and broaden your skills enough to stand out.

Top-Paying Entrepreneurial Ventures

Now that we’ve discussed the highest-paying jobs with degrees, let’s look at the most profitable fields you can enter as an entrepreneur. 

While it’s true that they can have academic degrees, entrepreneurs are usually self-starters that create their own business and build it from the ground up. This doesn’t mean that they don’t receive training, but these individuals don’t always follow traditional academic programs to achieve their goals.

Let’s take a look at some of the most profitable entrepreneurial ventures you can test out today.

1. Commercial Pilots

Unlike their airline counterparts, commercial pilots are not required to have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent to perform their jobs. That said, commercial pilots still need to obtain a commercial pilot’s license as well as five years of experience in order to reach the median income salary. 

The average wage of a commercial airline pilot is more than $86,000 per year and these professionals are not usually subject to the demanding hours and layovers of airline flights. 

2. Programming and Computer Sciences

Yes, there are various degrees that revolve around coding, programming, and computer sciences. However, not all programmers have to go through years of training in order to deliver great results. As a matter of fact, some of the most well-known programmers in the world didn’t finish their degrees, like the founder of Oracle Larry Ellison.

Top earners in this field can make above $100,000 per year without a degree. Plus, industry growth data shows a potential increase in job opportunities of up to 10% over the next several years.

3. General Innovators

Instead of finding careers that paid them top dollar, innovators like Richard Branson, Marc Benioff, and David Steward decided to revolutionize their industries instead. The best part is that there is no set requirement to become an innovator. You have to think outside of the box, choose the right career path, work smart, and form the right partnerships.

There is no limit to the amount of money you can generate as an innovator nor a field that you can’t pursue. Moreover, you can make a limitless amount of money if you become successful and have a noticeable impact on your surroundings.

4. Fashion

The fashion industry needs no introduction, with names like Zara’s Amancio Ortega leading the way. Like other fashion designers, Ortega dropped out of school at the tender age of 14 but has built an empire valued at more than $70 billion, proving that this industry can be very lucrative without the need for higher education.

5. Digital Media and Print Publishing

The digital media industry is worth almost 300 billion US dollars and it’s projected to grow at a 7.3% rate until 2025. Alphabet, the company that owns Google, is the global digital media leader and it’s worth more than $160 billion.

As a single professional, you can enter the industry by developing, trading, or managing digital media assets and make a huge amount of money expanding from there.

Looking for the Best Career Option? CareerFitter Is Here to Help

Want to find the highest-paying jobs that are best for you? Find out the best work environment and overall job choices for your specific case by taking a career assessment test.