Ten Highest Paying Jobs
The Highest Paying Jobs of 2009
Everyone likes money, and knowing who makes the most is often an influential aspect of what people choose to do with their lives. Of course, the list changes from year to year, and being a wealthy socialite is usually high on the list of desired jobs. However, for those of us who have to go out and earn our money every day, here are the top paying jobs of 2009.
1. Anesthesiologist - $292,000/year – The high pay anesthesiologists make is often reflected by the fact that they have to pay for obscene amounts of malpractice insurance. They get paid to make sure that people live through the surgeries that would ordinarily kill them. This job also involves 12 plus years of extra schooling and certification.
2. Physician (OBGYN) - $222,000 – Not only does this job come with a great pay rate, but people are not going to stop having babies any time soon. With many pregnancies stipulating a doctor's visit once per month, escalating to once per week in the month prior to birth, it's easy to see how these professionals rake in the cash.
3. Psychiatrist - $177,000 – Mental health care can sometimes be spotty, which leads many patients to pay for the psychiatrists' services out-of-pocket. Like other doctors, heavy duty school requirements fuel the high fees they charge. Oddly, these doctors generally don't require as much malpractice insurance as others.
4. Nurse Anesthetist - $157,000 – These people work under the anesthesiologists, and like them, they get paid to make sure they never make a mistake. Since mortality rates due to anesthesia have fallen dramatically since the 1980's, it's heartening to see that the high pay is warranted.
5. Sales Director - $140,000 – Salespeople bring in the big money for their companies. Often required to meet quotas, which can be anywhere from thousands to millions per quarter, depending on the product, this stressful job often carries a high volume of commission work.
6. Actuary - $129,000 – Number crunchers in the extreme, actuaries help price products, determine if making a product can even be profitable, and put prices on just about anything. Actuaries also enjoy one of the lowest-stress jobs, due to high demand for their services. Becoming an actuary requires extensive schooling, certification, and constant learning.
7. Finance Director - $121,000 – Money makes the company function, so the people who decide where to get it and how to spend it make a lot of it. This is a job held by people with a lot of business experience and expertise, because mistakes can take the whole company down the tubes.
8. Software Architect - $117,000 – These people are the orchestrator of the products we use every day. Good ones are in very high demand the world over, which leads to very competitive salaries. This position requires much less education than the other ones on this list, since a competent architect may only posses a bachelor's degree.
9. Attorney - $115,000 – Attorneys of all stripes make a big buck. They get paid to know the minutia of the law, and to influence people to see things their way. The job also comes with high stress, and the impact that if you don't win for your client, you don't see much of this money.
10. Insurance Broker - $114,000 – Like sales, insurance brokers focus on the quota and commission to make money. Those who focus on high-liability industries, such as oil, construction and pharmaceuticals, can make a lot more than those who focus on personal liability.
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