5 Jobs That Are More Lucrative Than You Think
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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In a perfect world, your dream job would be not only attainable without the caveat of student loan debt, but it would also pay you enough to lead, at minimum, a middle-class life (and how much you’ll need for that depends, but in many cities, a six-figure salary is required). Some jobs we may instantly identify as being lucrative: anesthesiologist, financial manager, lawyer. Some we may not have any idea about and others we may get the impression are not especially high paying.
Consider the below five jobs that pay at least $95,000 on average, and up to almost $300,000, on average. It’s likely you had no clue these particular professions paid quite this well.
5. Research Scientist
- National average salary: $95,565 per year
There’s a pay gap in science, with many academic researchers being underpaid. Early-career research scientists in a postdoc role at a university may make $50,000, while a research scientist working for a pharmaceutical company can make double that amount. So, this is the sort of job that can be a lot more lucrative than you’d think, but may also be as non-lucrative as you’d think. To become a research scientist, you need a bachelor’s degree in a scientific field, a master’s degree in a scientific field and experience writing grants and papers.
Explore More: 5 High-Paying Jobs No One Wants (but You Might) — and Their Salaries, Ranked
4. Midwife
- National average salary: $107,278 per year
Midwifery has been around for thousands of years, and though the field has seen some major changes as hospital births have become more common, the sector is still thriving — and growing. The demand for nurse midwives is projected to grow 40% from 2023 to 2033. To become a nurse midwife, you need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) and to pass the NCLEX-RN licensing exam to become a registered nurse. From there, you can complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP), then test for certification to become a nurse midwife.
3. Mathematician
- National average salary: $111,102 per year
When you think of a mathematician, images of numbers may rush to mind, but not necessarily numbers on a paycheck. But mathematicians can easily clear six figures.In the U.S., the national average salary for mathematicians is $111,102, but in Washington, the annual mean wage for mathematicians is $149,020. Mathematicians use various mathematical theories, techniques and models to figure out and solve complex problems. They may work for a tech company, a university, a financial firm or the FBI, to name but a few possibilities. An advanced degree in mathematics or statistics is required.
2. Site Reliability Engineer
- National average salary: $147,188
Those of us who aren’t in tech are familiar with well-paying jobs like software engineer and cybersecurity specialist, but we may not know that the job “site reliability engineer” (SRE) exists, let alone that the national average salary for this position is close to $150,000. Google coined the job title, describing site reliability engineering as “when you treat operations as if it’s a software problem.” An SRE develops software systems and automated solutions for operations problems. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a similar field may be necessary to land a job as a SRE.
1. Orthodontist
- National average salary: $294,259
It’s not that we didn’t expect orthodontists to be paid well; it’s that we didn’t expect them to be paid more than dentists, pediatricians, psychiatrists and physicians, respectively — or to be the No. 1 highest-paying job on this list. These professionals can make up to $3,000 a day in pricey cities such as Los Angele]. Orthodontists are dental specialists focused on bite alignment and teeth straightening. To become one, you need not only a bachelor’s degree, but also a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree and a specialty education in orthodontics.
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