20 ‘Boring’ Gigs That Pay $100K or More

As children, many people have dreams of flashy (but unrealistic) jobs that promise glitz and glamor or thrills. The reality of getting a job in adulthood often comes as a disappointment to that early vision.

However, exciting jobs don’t always pay the kind of living wage most people want to earn. What looks boring on paper often translates to a decent salary that can afford you all the fun you want in your off time.

If you decide against pursuing your passion full time and focus on those “boring” gigs you might have previously overlooked, your bank account could thank you.

To identify high-paying careers that can be dull, but financially lucrative, GOBankingRates analyzed occupational data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics to find occupations with an annual income of over $100,000 as well as their hourly wage data and the employment quantity. 

• Hourly wage: $78.88 
• Median annual salary: $164,070 
• Amount above national median: $117,760 

Computer and information systems managers work with computer software and hardware. These problem solvers are often the people you go to when something isn’t working with your technology in a company. The idea of sitting in a cubicle and staring at a computer all day might make some people cringe, but tech-savvy professionals like these most likely find that six-figure salary worth it.

• Hourly wage: $76.88 
• Median annual salary: $159,920 
• Amount above national median: $113,610 

Architectural and engineering managers are in charge of construction and manufacturing productions, and also often in the weeds of things like budgets, managing staff and schedules.  While the job may be dull, it’s a crucial one to make sure that structures, buildings and other projects are done safely and on time. The salary makes it that much more worthwhile.

• Hourly wage: $69.44 
• Median annual salary: $144,440 
• Amount above national median: $98,130 

Natural sciences managers are directly involved in planning and overseeing research and development of products that require a scientific underpinning. Many of these people are themselves scientists. Their duties run the gamut from administrative to managerial. Though a lot of their job may seem like drudgery, they’re instrumental in making sure their projects come to fruition. A six-figure salary makes that easier to do.

• Hourly wage: $67.21 
• Median annual salary: $139,790 
• Amount above national median: $93,480 

Spending decades steeped in financial statements, spreadsheets and tax records might sound like the definition of tediousness. But for people who excel at this, and have an intimate understanding of data related to maximizing profits and helping businesses, governments and other organizations stay in the green, and on top of any legal financial requirements, it’s a good job, with solid pay.

• Hourly wage: $65.69 
• Median annual salary: $136,620 
• Amount above national median: $90,310 

Computer and information research scientists solve problems involving computer software and hardware. While sitting at a computer all day might seem the height of dullness, these professionals have six-figure salaries to spice up their lives.

• Hourly wage: $64.49 
• Median annual salary: $134,140 
• Amount above national median: $87,830 

You really have to have a knack for detail and data sifting to be in a legal field. Lawyers do research, analysis and evidence gathering to represent people in court cases to be sure they receive due process. Judicial law clerks provide research, supporting documentation and analysis to support judges. While lawyers can make significantly larger salaries than even $134,000, both of these careers typically pay well.

• Hourly wage: $63.64 
• Median annual salary: $132,360 
• Amount above national median: $86,050 

While computer hardware engineer may not be the most exciting job, it’s thanks to these people that you have computers to work on. These professionals are the ones who design and test the computer systems and hardware that makes your computers run. Though perhaps tedious at times, that six-figure salary takes the edge off.

• Hourly wage: $63.37 
• Median annual salary: $131,800 
• Amount above national median: $85,490 

You can thank petroleum engineers for doing the not only tedious but messy work of extracting oil and gas from underground reserves. A lot of what they actually do is planning, developing new ways to extract and evaluating production. Not exciting work, but, so long as the world rely on fossil fuels, essential. A six-figure salary seems only right for such an important job.

• Hourly wage: $63.15 
• Median annual salary: $131,350 
• Amount above national median: $85,040 

If your company or organization relies upon buying and selling products, they need someone to oversee this entire process with finesse and careful attention. Purchasing managers are involved in everything from setting up the vendor contracts to quality control of products. This might just be the least exciting sales job there is, but that salary makes it worthwhile.

• Hourly wage: $63.11 
• Median annual salary: $131,280 
• Amount above national median: $84,970  

Sometimes these are separate jobs, and sometimes the same person handles both compensation–determining what employees are paid–and benefits, administering and overseeing all of the programs and perks that come with a job, from health insurance to wellness programs. Depending on whether this job is combined or separate, you might need both administrative skills and people skills.

• Hourly wage: $62.50 
• Median annual salary: $130,000 
• Amount above national median: $83,690 

If you’ve ever been formally hired by a company, you probably interacted with a human resources manager — these are the people who oversee all the hiring and staffing issues, much of which can be tediously administrative. However, in this job, at least, you probably have more direct contact with other people. The pay should make up for the boring bits.

• Hourly wage: $61.46 
• Median annual salary: $127,830 
• Amount above national median: $81,520 

Every company has to make its goods and services known to its customers somehow, and that involves someone to oversee advertising and promotions. From creating advertising campaigns, to designing promotional perks for customers, this work isn’t always flashy, but it keeps companies in business. The nearly $130,000 salary can make even the worst days at work feel worth it.

• Hourly wage: $60.58 
• Median annual salary: $126,010 
• Amount above national median: $79,700 

If you love to study disease, bodily functions, biology and care about helping people, physicians’ assistants (PA) do many of the tasks of a doctor, but without as much training. PAs work under the supervision of a physician’s license; and, while they may not take home a physician’s salary, at nearly $130,000, it’s not too shabby.

• Hourly wage: $60.40 
• Median annual salary: $125,620 
• Amount above national median: $79,310 

If you’ve got a gift for spinning things toward the positive and don’t mind representing a company or organization, you might not find the job of public relations all that boring. Similarly, fundraising managers are people who know how to make a company, its product or an organization sound good enough for people to donate their money or energy to. Both jobs pay more than $125,000.

• Hourly wage: $58.89 
• Median annual salary: $122,480 
• Amount above national median: $76,170 

Nuclear engineers’ jobs are boring because you must be incredibly detail oriented; your work will typically involve such things as research and development of projects related to how nuclear energy is created and its waste disposed. Higher level engineers may even design new reactors, while others may focus solely on regulations and safety. You bet it’s a job that pays over $120,000.

• Hourly wage: $57.69 
• Median annual salary: $120,000 
• Amount above national median: $73,690 

In any company or organization people need to learn new skills, either when they onboard or when new products or systems are introduced. Training and development managers may create content and training materials, as well as teach them to people to make sure everyone is up to speed. If this is your jam, you can earn around $120,000 for the privilege.

• Hourly wage: $54.90 
• Median annual salary: $114,190 
• Amount above national median: $67,880 

You may take your computer apps and software for granted, but someone had to develop and test those systems long before they ever got to your personal computer. The people who develop these applications and networks, as well as those who test them to find the bugs and problems, are paid pretty handsomely for their often time consuming, laborious work.

• Hourly wage: $54.78 
• Median annual salary: $113,940 
• Amount above national median: $67,630 

As an economist, you’ll spend your days studying the movement of goods, services and resources. The work is often big-picture, which might not be for everyone, and involves researching trends and evaluating economic issues. Be prepared for years of schooling: To become an economist, you typically need a master’s or doctoral degree.

• Hourly wage: $51.62 
• Median annual salary: $107,360 
• Amount above national median: $61,050 

In every company or organization, and in every department, someone needs to be in charge to make sure that business is getting done. These professionals tend to do work in both administrative areas and directly with people and often oversee staff in their jobs. These occupations span every industry, but pay tends to be more than $100,000.

• Hourly wage: $49.65 
• Median annual salary: $103,270 
• Amount above national median:  $56,960 

It’s likely that no child grows up with aspirations of becoming a database or network administrator or architect: These are among the more obscure but well-paying jobs. These professionals work heavily with computer database management systems, from coordinating changes to implementing security measures. If you pursue this line of work, be prepared to handle a large volume of data at institutions such as insurance companies.

Jordan Rosenfeld, Brooke Barley, Rachel Farrow and Stefanie O’Connell contributed to the reporting for this article.

For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed occupational data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics to find occupations with an annual income of over $100,000 as well as their hourly wage data and the employment quantity. All occupational data was classified to be boring or not boring based on public sentiment of what a boring job implies; office jobs, jobs with little change in day-to-day, and other traits that people don’t consider exciting. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 29, 2024.