Posted: Mar 8, 2018
The US is the world’s biggest economy. The US is one of the world’s most powerful economic influence. The US has some of the world’s best-paid jobs.
We hear these things about the US all the time, but if you wanted to get a piece of the action state-side what exactly are the best-paid jobs there and what kinds of experiences would you need in order to get one of them? Could you land a highly competitive salary if you moved to America?
If you fancy tackling the top of the job ladder over in the US yourself, or are simply curious as to what kind of work could get you minted if you moved to the States, read on to find out what 10 of the highest grossing jobs in the US are, thanks to data obtained by Glassdoor.
Even right at the bottom of our list the competition and experience requirements are high. A Corporate Controller is the person in charge of an organisation’s accounting department and finances. It’s unsurprisingly a highly responsible job, as accountants must often deal with huge sums of money.
As you may expect, having a natural flair for mathematics as well as plenty of experience in high level accounting jobs would be ideal for this sort of job. A median base salary of around US$111,000 is what you could expect to earn in such a role.
Job openings as Research and Development Managers are even more competitive than the Corporate Controller role and there are often less than 200 openings available across the nation at any one time. Still, if you manage to land such a role you’ll receive a median base salary of around US$112,000.
A relatively ‘what it says on a tin’ job, a Research and Development Manager is ultimately the manager and a director of a company’s R&D plans, regardless of industry or sector. This is a role that can influence the direction a business heads in, by managing how a company will ultimately develop – so highly qualified and experienced individuals only need apply.
Moving onto more specific job sectors, the Information Technology/IT sector is one that comes up a lot in lists of best-paid jobs and this one would net you a median base salary of US$112,045. As software application is becoming more important in our day-to-day lives there are a rising number of job openings within many companies and in many sectors besides IT.
An Applications Development Manager essentially oversees and maintains how an organisation’s software applications are used, as well as managing support and upgrades. Of course, to get into such a high-level IT job you would need many years of experience, as well as a high level of education and expertise in the computing field.
A very high paying job sector, healthcare roles are often very highly paid in most major countries. The US is no exception to this.
There are significantly more job openings for Physician Assistants than most other jobs on this list, with over 12,000 roles being advertised at any one time. Despite the large number of jobs open in this area, the median base salary is an impressive US$112,000. Being a Physician Assistant is a very high level role that includes working with patients as part of a team. As with any high-level healthcare role, relevant medical qualifications are a necessity.
Another more general role, Enterprise Architects are those who flesh out the structure of an organisation - the architect of the enterprise. Usually a highly-experienced individual with a proven track record who will comprehensively analyse the corporation’s fundamentals and plan cohesion and synergy between all levels of the business.
As such, being an Enterprise Architect is a highly vital role in terms of company value, so it’s no surprise that these roles are paid around US$112,500.
Moving into the Top Five, jobs in the medical professions are plentiful, although you will need the right qualifications. Pharmacists are one such role in high demand, with over 5,000 job openings available. Pharmacists have a median base salary of around US$125,800.
Pharmacists deal with in-depth knowledge of medicines and handle prescriptions. Unsurprisingly this is a highly qualified role, and you’ll usually need a Master’s degree in pharmacy.
With another jump up from fifth place, professionally communicating to the public the scientific discoveries and benefits of medical products and advancements lands you around US$133,000 as a basic salary.
Also known as MSL, Medical Science Liaisons are academics who are also expert in medical science. MSLs are highly trained and educated, generally having a doctorate degree. The demand for this role comes as a result of each position seeking experts of highly specific areas in medical science, including cardiology, surgery, and central nervous system science, to name just a few.
Taking a brief detour into the highly-lucrative world of law, Patent Attorneys have the highest median base salaries of any career in the law sector – earning on average around US$139,000.
There are usually around 500 current job openings in this area. The role is a professional one that involves informing and advising people about laws regarding patents. Legalities regarding businesses and products are often highly complex, so many corporations will need to use the services of a Patent Attorney to avoid infringing copyrights – which can be VERY costly in the US.
This high-level profession typically requires qualifications (such as a degree) in science or engineering, as well as a passion for law. Most Patent Attorneys also have a postgraduate qualification.
It’s all healthcare from here on up, making it clear which job sector is most lavishly paid in the US. As you may expect, Pharmacy Managers essentially manage pharmacy operations.
While there are many openings for jobs like this in the US it is an extremely competitive role. The only way to land a job as a Pharmacy Manager is by either getting the relevant qualifications or through years of pharmacy experience. It’s common for pharmacists to work up to a managerial role.
Being in charge of a pharmacy’s operations is a major responsibility, and people in this career are paid almost US$150,000 per annum on average.
Earning a base salary of around US$187,876, Physicians (or, as we would say, doctors) win the top prize in the salary stakes. But becoming a Physician is not easy, and you’ll need to have spent many years at medical school.
There are many kinds of specialities for Physicians, including anaesthesiologists and more general Physicians, and surgeons which have many of the same responsibilities as Physicians but also operate on patients.
So, if you’re already a medical professional, moving to the US could land you with one of the world’s highest-paying salaries.
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