You want to choose a career that will challenge you and nurture your strengths, as well as fulfilling you in the long term. But a great salary doesn’t hurt either, right? Check out a few of these top paying jobs and see if they might be right for you. Some don’t even require you to have a college degree!
1. Information Security Architect: $114k
This job requires a great deal of experience and qualifications, but if you can line yourself up for it, you can make great money. Look to get certified in A+, Net+, and Security+. If you have the hands-on experience and the expertise to do this job (vetting security, working with firewalls, streamlining processes and solutions), then you could be all set.
2. Systems Admin: $83k
The typical medial salary for this position is a bit lower, but the more experience you have, the higher up the pay scale you will be. It’s also in great demand. So if you are a whiz at technology, this job might be for you.
3. Art Director: $95k
Are you super talented and into art but people keep asking you how you plan to pay the bills? Go into art direction, creating the style and image of a publication, theatrical production, ad campaign, even window display! You’ll need to be able to design and follow a budget, as well as lead a team, but if you have the talent, training, creativity, and the eye, you’ll do great.
4. Lawyer: $130k
This is one of those instantly respected positions. No one will ever give you trouble at a cocktail party again. You’ll have to go to law school and go into a lot of debt, but if it suits you, you’ll be almost guaranteed a competitive salary—depending on your specialization.
5. Sales Manager: $116k
You’ll have to sell a lot to be a sales manager, but once you’re at that level, you won’t be doing as much of the actual selling. Instead you’ll be establishing territories, setting goals, and guiding a team that does the selling. If you’ve got five years of sales experience under your belt, this might be something you could think about. It’s good steady work at good steady pay—with less travel.
6. IT Manager: $125k
Technology is such an integral part of today’s workforce and world. IT Managers are generally very well paid because they keep technology running for the companies they work at. They are the lifeline when things go wrong!
7. Business Operations Manager: $119k
Keep your company running—by negotiating contracts, hiring new talent, building and leading teams, and making strategy decisions. The growth for this field is projected to be 7% through 2024. Look for jobs on the east coast, in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
8. Financial Manager: $134k
Oversee the money in your company, control the checkbook, make profit projections, manage cash flow, and coordinate accounting. It’s a very detail-oriented and highly confidential position, requiring great skill with numbers, but the pay is undeniably good.
9. Marketing Manager: $116k
Conduct research and use it to shape a successful advertising campaign. Design skills won’t hurt you here, and neither will leadership and team-building skills. Live in your own personal Mad Men for a living.
10. Supply Chain Manager: $81k
This job tends to lead to high satisfaction and high pay—the high end can net you up to $123k. You’ll have to work your way up to this position, which will require a lot of dedication, sweat and time, but particularly if you don’t have a college degree, it’s an excellent option.
