Every little kid dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. While children tend to think in fantastical, wild terms, the jobs that really allow you to bring home a sizable salary are often quite mundane.
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That doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a dull life, though. With the paychecks you’d be bringing home in these 30 jobs, you can afford all the leisure and excitement that you like.
To find 30 jobs that pay incredible salaries, GOBankingRates analyzed the median income for occupations across the country as sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. We found the annual median wage, annual mean wage, hourly median wage, hourly mean wage and employment amount.
All occupations were sourced from the Broad Group from the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Jobs were ranked from the most earned to the least earned for the top 30 occupations.
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Surgeons
Average hourly wage: $168
Average annual wage: $348,890
Whether you’ve actually had surgery, or just seen episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” you know that these are the important physicians who diagnose and perform the surgeries to treat illness and injury. They are typically either an MD degree (medical doctor) or a DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine).
This field is so well-paying because of the high stakes of the job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 3% job growth rate over the next decade.
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Physicians
Average hourly wage: $127
Average annual wage: $263,840
Physicians also diagnose and treat illness, and some can perform surgery like surgeons, but that is rarely their emphasis. Physicians can specialize across a wide variety of specialties, though the regular doctor most people see is typically trained as a general practitioner.
Just like surgeons, this field is projected to grow by 3% over the next decade.
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Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Average annual wage: $209,680
The people in the jaunty captain’s hats who welcome you on board commercial and other kinds of flights, as well as those who schedule these routes and much more, earn a pretty penny.
This includes pilots and engineers who courier shipments of goods as well as people. This important work involves a focused attention to detail since safety is of the utmost importance.
Dentists
Median hourly wage: $97
Median annual wage: $200,870
Dentists do more than just make little kids cry; they keep your teeth clean, perform fillings and other dental procedures, and even check your mouth for signs of cancer or other disease. You can thank your dentists for being able to chew your food well into old age. This field is expected to grow by 4% in the next decade.
Lawyers and Judicial Clerks
Median hourly wage: $84
Median annual wage: $174,280
While most lawyers probably don’t get to have a grand day of eloquent monologuing in court, as seen on TV and in movies, these are the folks we rely upon to represent us in legal matters.
Judicial clerks do a lot of the same sorts of tasks as lawyers, including preparing, analyzing and presenting information, but they do it to support judges, as opposed to clients. Living in the litigious society that we do, this field can expect to see about 8% job growth by 2032.
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Marketing and Sales Managers
Median hourly wage: $77
Median annual wage: $161,040
Products and services rarely sell themselves. They need talented people who know how to create sexy campaigns, design and spread brands, and get people to buy them.
These jobs may involve creative or design skills, people skills, as well as the ability to set and negotiate contracts and get people and companies to sign on the bottom line. This field will grow by about 6% by 2032.
Astronomers and Physicists
Median hourly wage: $75
Median annual wage: $155,280
Those who literally yearn to know the secrets of the universe — including the large physical bodies like planets and stars, and the tiny bits of matter that comprise them at the atomic level — may go on to become astronomers and physicists.
Both of these jobs involve a high level of mathematical understanding. These folks may be involved in the development of telescopes or other equipment, or exploring the very structures that make up matter and engage in a lot of research. The jobs in this field are projected to grow 5% by 2032.
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
Median hourly wage: $73
Median annual wage: $151,570
Both of these positions require a great deal of public-facing work — public relations managers create the material that will hype their client to the public or to other companies, while fundraising managers have to attract donors to provide donations to their particular client or company. Further, both positions tend to require bachelor’s degrees as well as a great deal of experience.
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Software and Web Developers, Programmers and Testers
Median hourly wage: $63
Median annual wage: $130,500
In a world in which seemingly more and more work is done on laptops and smartphones, the people who develop computer applications, software and websites, as well as those who test them, have become a crucial (if invisible) part of our daily lives. These positions tend to require a bachelor’s degree in information tech, computer tech or related fields.
Judges, Magistrates and Other Judicial Workers
Median hourly wage: $61
Median annual wage: $126,270
These positions are crucial to the very fabric of society — judges, magistrates and other judicial workers help to discern and deliver justice in the American court system, quite literally upholding the rules of civilization itself.
Financial Analysts and Advisors
Median hourly wage: $59
Median annual wage: $123,330
Financial analysis and advisement is perhaps more crucial now than ever before, as economic uncertainty seems to be the only certainty of the day. Analysts are able to understand, extrapolate and predict financial currents, and advisors can provide guidance to those for whom financial systems are simply too overwhelming or complicated to navigate on their own.
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Health Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $122,760
Postsecondary health teachers often lead courses on the subjects of public health, therapy, lab technology, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Notably, however, they do not teach medical science — that falls under the auspices of postsecondary biological science teachers and nurse instructors.
Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Median hourly wage: $58
Median annual wage: $119,910
Electrical and electronic engineers perform the crucial acts of designing electrical parts, equipment and systems, as well as designing, refining and testing such equipment. They are almost exclusively highly trained in engineering and electronics via internships, and they almost certainly have bachelor’s degrees in engineering.
Engineering and Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $119,600
Houses and buildings don’t get built by labor alone — they require key leaders overseeing these projects to make sure blueprints, regulations and other considerations are being followed — and, most importantly, those who teach how to do it.
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Administrative Services and Facilities Managers
Median hourly wage: $57
Median annual wage: $117,650
Those who work as administrative services and facilities managers often coordinate and implement the activities and goings-on of an organization or of multiple organizations within a single facility. Educational requirements for the position vary; however, bachelor’s degrees and some measure of prior experience in the field is required.
Computer and Information Scientists
Median hourly wage: $55
Median annual wage: $114,420
If you’re using artificial intelligence (AI) at work or in life, a computer and information research scientist likely had a hand in its development. These professionals design, build, and improve computer software and hardware.
From algorithms to desktop computers, computer code to robotics, these folks keep us on the cutting edge of technology. It’s a wildly growing field, too, expected to grow about 23% by 2032.
Database and Network Administrators and Architects
Median hourly wage: $55
Median annual wage: $113,710
Creating, developing and organizing the computer applications and systems that contain and protect data is the name of the game for database and network administrators and architects. These are positions required to develop and design programming and systems for companies and entities that require (or already have) large databases requiring organization and security.
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Medical Scientists
Median hourly wage: $53
Median annual wage: $110,850
While one might assume that anyone working in the medical field would be a scientist, those who operate under that specific title are trained to carry out research that improves the general health of humanity. It’s an extremely rigorous and complicated career, one requiring a medical degree at the very least, if not a Ph.D.
Education and Childcare Administrators
Median hourly wage: $52
Median annual wage: $107,830
Those who serve as education and child care administrators are required to plan and direct the activities (academic and otherwise) for various school systems.
Artists and Related Workers
Median hourly wage: $52
Median annual wage: $107,780
Artist is something of a nebulous and catch-all term — it can mean writer, performer, sculptor, painter and more. Given the nature of art, it can be a skill or trade developed through schooling just as much as it can be an innate ability.
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Physical Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $105,600
These teachers lead courses in the physical sciences, dealing with such subject matter as space, marine, atmospheric and the Earth. Excluded subject matter would be such sciences as physics and chemistry.
Law, Criminal Justice and Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $104,340
These educators teach classes involving the administration of law enforcement, as well as corrections and criminal justice. At minimum, a bachelor’s degree is typically expected for such teachers.
Industrial Engineers, Including Health and Safety
Median hourly wage: $50
Median annual wage: $103,510
Typically, industrial engineers are required to design and test out the complicated systems that oversee the managing of “industrial productions processes,” per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The position usually requires a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering.
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Air Traffic Controllers and Airfield Operations Specialists
Median hourly wage: $50
Median annual wage: $103,140
Air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists are crucial figures in commercial air travel — they coordinate the hundreds (or even thousands) of aircraft flying over the country at any given moment. The position requires the overseeing and direction of the various aircraft, maintaining safe distances between them all as well as organizing and directing the flights.
Life Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $101,440
Life sciences teachers lead courses dedicated to the biological world, including biology, ecology, genetics and physiology. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is typically required for the position.
Psychologists
Median hourly wage: $49
Median annual wage: $101,170
Psychologists observe and interpret how human beings relate to one another; additionally, they must study the processes (emotional and social, as well as cognitive) that guide those human beings. Most often, a master’s or doctoral degree in psychology is required for the position; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also indicates that certain states will also require licensure.
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Logicians and Project Manager Specialists
Median hourly wage: $49
Median annual wage: $100,980
Logicians are paid to organize and company’s supply chain, while project management specialists oversee the budget and scheduling (and sometimes staffing) of a project within that company.
Actors, Producers and Directors
Median hourly wage: $49
Median annual wage: $100,860
While writers are needed for the initial story, without actors to perform stories, producers to organize and coordinate the overall production, and directors to dictate the tone, style and composition, there would be no films, no operas, no plays. While film schools can offer training and direction for these positions, there are a number of directors, producers and actors who have entered the entertainment industry with no training whatsoever.
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median hourly wage: Not available.
Median annual wage: $100,790
Social science teachers typically lead courses concerning economics and politics, or any other subject matter specifically dealing with overarching social relationships within society. Expected is a bachelor’s degree at minimum.
Biological Scientists
Median hourly wage: $48
Median annual wage: $100,440
Biological scientists are those specialists who study live organisms — a broad scientific purview that covers everything from ecology to molecular biology. Advanced education is almost exclusively required for such a position, such as a master’s degree or even a Ph.D.
Travis Woods contributed to the reporting for this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Jobs That Pay Insanely Well
