Median pay
Rank Job title Best Jobs rank Median pay*
1 Anesthesiologist 68 $290,000
2 General Surgeon 75 $260,000
3 Emergency Room Physician 25 $250,000
4 Obstetrician / Gynecologist 100 $210,000
5 Psychiatrist 29 $185,000
6 Primary Care Physician 34 $174,000
7 Nurse Anesthetist 13 $156,000
8 Product Management Director 15 $148,000
9 Software Engineering / Development Director 18 $144,000
10 Sales Director 8 $142,000
11 Dentist 12 $142,000
12 Actuary 11 $133,000
13 Senior Sales Executive 32 $127,000
14 Software Architect 1 $119,000
15 Attorney / Lawyer 55 $118,000
16 Management Consultant 3 $117,000
17 Research & Development Manager 39 $116,000
18 Computer and Information Scientist 35 $115,000
19 Accounting Director 69 $112,000
20 Optometrist 56 $108,000
From the November 2010 issue
Notes: All pay data from PayScale.com.
Methodology:We looked at jobs from the top 100 with the highest median salaries.
* Median salary is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile.
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MONEY and compensation experts PayScale.com used Bureau of Labor Statistics growth forecasts for 7,000 jobs, and identified industries with the biggest increases in jobs requiring bachelor’s degrees. Ranked them by 2008-18 growth and pay. More

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