What’s the best job to make lots of money?

With the job market in constant change, the best way to answer to these questions is to do your research. Keep in mind that the future is impossible to predict, and that your best choices will be based on your personal strengths and preferences, not some forecast of fame and riches.

 

Top Undergraduate Majors by Starting Salary in 2006

Chemical Engineering

$55,900

Computer Engineering

$54,887

Electrical Engineering

$52,899

Mechanical Engineering

$50,672

Accounting

$45,723

Economics/Finance

$45,191

Logistics/Supply Chain

$43,017

Civil Engineering

$44,999

Source: NACE

 

What jobs are growing fastest?
For a list of the 25 fastest growing occupations, visit acinet.org. At the moment, the top 6 occupations projected to grow quickly are in computers, with many of the others in allied health sciences.

Who gets paid the most?
The highest paid professionals in the USA are physicians, with Anesthesiologists taking home $145,6000/year. In fact, 9 of the top 10 highest paid jobs in the US are physicians of one type or another, with #10 being Chief Executive Officers, or CEOs. For a list of the 25 highest paid professions, visit acinet.org.

How can I get ahead of the competition?
Throughout your job market research experience, one word will continue to crop up: Internship. Employers everywhere stress the importance of internships. According to NACE’s Job Outlook 2003 survey, nearly 54% of new college hires had internship experience; almost 32% hired gained that internship experience at the company they were hired by. Government and nonprofit employers hire almost 42.2% of their interns.

Other sources of information:

  • Datamasters.com: Compares the cost of living between any two major cities in the U.S.
  • Bestplaces.net: Compares cost of living, and crime statistics, for most cities in the U.S.
  • Salary.com: Lets you see the average salary, with highs and lows, for most professions in different geographic areas.

General Labor Statistics: