Money Makers: Top 15 Earnings Occupations

What do you want to be when you grow up? Before you answer, check out this list from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the top 15 professions by average annual wages.

After medical school, surgeons will have up to eight years of internships and residencies, but will be in one of the best paid in the medical field earning on average $339,442 a year, a chart topping 768% higher than the average surveyed worker. (Reuters)

Your anesthesiologist can be just as important as your surgeon since he or she is responsible for putting you under and of course, bringing you back out. You’ll need the education of an MD, plus extra specialization, but the additional work can pay off. The mean salary for a anesthesiologist comes in at $302,553, 684% higher than the average surveyed worker.

Beyond medical school, OB/GYNs have to complete a four-year residency and have numerous specialties to choose from including infertility, fetal medicine and oncology. The broad training and education commands an average salary of $279,635, 632% higher than average.

All of the responsibility that comes with being chief brings hefty rewards. The average CEO surveyed brings in $211,653 a year. They say it’s good to be the king, as long as you don’t mind an occasional summons to testify before Congress.

Concentrating on treating internal organs, internists can make on average $180,210 a year.

Often the first destination for treating illnesses and common medical problems, these doctors also play an important role in preventative medicine and general health. As new technologies let the family doctor treat a wider array of problems, this field is expected to grow. On average, family and general practitioners surveyed brought in $169,727.

Psychiatrists are much more than just a comfy sofa. These doctors specialize in mental disorders and have an array of diagnostic technology, medications, and examination tools at their disposal. All of that knowledge requires almost eight years of post-baccalaureate work, but the mean wage of $147,939 is 334.5% higher than the average worker.

Children can be tough patients, forcing pediatricians to cover everything from broken bones to chicken pox. After medical school and at least three years of residency, pediatricians on average will make $132,797, 300% more than the average worker. (Reuters)

The people who research and teach about the law in our country tend to have advanced degrees and years of experience. Law professors can expect to earn on average $131,999, 298% more than the average worker.

There are many types of lawyers: corporate attorney advisor, transactional, trial, even those with a 1-800 number. Law school has become very competitive but in the end, the average lawyer makes $127,712, 288.8% more than the average worker.

Talk about an office with a view. Being an airline pilot requires at least 1,500 hours of flight time and several licenses as well as written and physical examinations and even psychological and aptitude tests. All of that adds up to a nice mean annual wage of $125,431, 284% higher than the average worker.

Experts predict acute shortages in many professional health fields. Teachers in fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, physical therapy and pharmacology take home an average $125,156 annually.

As our world becomes more technologically complex, there is a greater need for people who can keep it all running. Engineering managers plan and direct research, design, and production activities and supervise engineers, technicians, developers and support staff. A combination of engineering and technical knowledge and experience coupled with administrative and management skills can fetch an average of $121,502 a year.

The economic climate brought economists to center stage in the news lately. Economists evaluate the distribution of resources and development of goods in a society. It’s not all fun and games though, much of the work requires a large amount of research, data collection and modeling. The best prospects are for those with advanced degrees,s but the payoff is an average annual salary of $121,274, 274% higher than the average surveyed worker.