by Moe Zilla

Created on: August 28, 2010

There's some specific research on this question from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And the pattern is painfully obvious, according to a joke at CNBC. "If you’re not in the medical industry, you’re pretty much out of luck," they wrote in 2010.  They'd published a list of the highest-paying jobs, and discovered most of them were education-intensive healthcare professions like surgeons and dentists.

Medical jobs already pay fairly well, and the salaries increase even higher if you're a medical specialist. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, and orthodontists average more than $200,000 each year, according to their statistics, and of course, there's a never-ending demand for obstetricians and gynecologists. CNBC based their report on numbers from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics - but there's an important caveat. In 2010, the U.S. Congress passed a bill reforming America's health care system, and specialists may find that their sky-high salaries are suddenly being pulled down to a more realistic level!

There's one non-medical profession that's also among the highest paid in America: chief executive officer. Management always seems to earn more than anyone below them at a company, and 2010 was also filled with news headlines about their extravagant compensation packages. This seems to imply that there's also high salaries as you climb up the corporate ladder. The work might be bureaucratic or emotionally unrewarding, but it definitely comes with a high annual income!

Who else is earning a top salary? Lawyers, according to the bureau's statistics, who besides a salary can also bill at a high hourly rate. Airline pilots are also highly paid, performing a specialized skill that can be dangerous, and is certainly a high-stress profession. Their list also cites engineering managers, which seems to combine very lucrative skills. Obviously you've got to study hard to master the fundamentals of engineering - but there's the additional experience necessary to work your way up to engineering manager!

Obviously, these are average figures, instead of predictors how much you'll make in each field. After all, Julia Roberts works as an actress, and commands millions of dollars each year, but the average salary, for all actors, is still going to be much, much lower. And in the end, salary isn't the only criterion for choosing a profession. After all, what good does it do to land a high-paying position, if it means that you're going to be miserable for at least 40 hours out of every week!

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