Five big-money jobs that are within reach

Are you interested in jump-starting a well-paid career? These five positions could be within reach.

By Danielle Blundell

When payday comes, are you left feeling disappointed? Maybe you feel like you aren't making what you're worth in your current job or perhaps you're still figuring out which lucrative career to pursue. If bringing home a big paycheck is a priority for you, there are several big-money careers in various industries that you could choose to pursue.
The jobs listed below have salaries ranging from $50,000 to $90,000, but to earn that top dollar, you'll need the right combination of experience, expertise, and education. But no matter where you are in your career, you could pursue the high-earning careers below with the right preparation.

High-Pay Career #1:
Human Resources Manager

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Bottom 10 Percent Earnings

$59,020

Median
Annual Salary

$99,720*

Top 10 Percent Earnings

$173,140

Are you a business-savvy people-person with a keen attention to detail? Then a career as a human resources manager might be a good option for you. And because it's got that keyword "manager" in the title, you could be nicely compensated to deal with people and policies at a company.
High-Pay Potential: "HR managers, in a way, are in-house attorneys saving companies huge sums by avoiding harassment and similar lawsuits," says Bruce A. Hurwitz, career counselor and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing. In essence, he says, HR managers command high salaries because of their importance to a company's profit margins.
Next step: Click to Find the Right Business Administration Program.
Common Tasks: According to the U.S Department of Labor, human resource managers may help their companies by overseeing and coordinating the processes of hiring, recruiting, and training staff at a company. They also advise managers on organizational policies, including equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment.
Education Options: The U.S. Department of Labor states that a bachelor's degree is usually needed in either human resources or business administration. Some higher-level jobs could require a master's degree in human resources, labor relations, or a master of business administration (MBA).

High-Pay Career #2:
Registered Nurse

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Bottom 10 Percent Earnings

$45,040

Median
Annual Salary

$65,470*

Top 10 Percent Earnings

$94,720

You're known in your circle of friends as the compassionate, caring one. And you're interested in medicine - but just not sure whether you want to toil away for years in medical school to become a doctor. Well, pursuing a nursing career could take much less time than an M.D. and pay pretty well for that matter, too.
High-Pay Potential: The health care field overall pays well because of need and the difficulty of work, says AnnMarie McIlwain, career coach and CEO of CareerFuel.net, a leading destination site for job seekers and entrepreneurs. In addition, nurses are compensated well, maybe even more than you'd think, because of "the importance nurses play in keeping health care costs down by assisting higher priced physicians with their work," she says.
Next step: Click to Find the Right Nursing Program.
Common Tasks: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, RNs perform diagnostic tests and teach patients how to properly treat their ailments once leaving the hospital. They also record patients' symptoms and medical histories, administer medications, and set up plans for patient care.
Education Options: There are three common ways to prepping for a career as a registered nurse, says the U.S. Department of Labor: a bachelor's of science or associate's degree from a university in nursing or a diploma from an approved nursing program.

High-Pay Career #3:
Elementary School Teacher

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Bottom 10 Percent Earnings

$35,630

Median
Annual Salary

$53,400*

Top 10 Percent Earnings

$83,160

Love to get up and speak your mind to large groups? Enjoy spending time with young kids? Teaching could be a profession that's right up your alley. And guess what? The take-home pay for shaping future generations' minds could be higher than you think.
High-Pay Potential: There's a misconception that teachers don't make good money, Hurwitz says, because a lot of their salary has to do with behind-the-scenes negotiations. "Teachers make good money because of union contracts, not necessarily merit," says Hurwitz.
Next step: Click to Find the Right K-12 Education Program.
Common Tasks: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a day in the classroom as a teacher could include tasks such as planning lessons, setting up classroom rules, and communicating with parents about their child's progress. A teacher's responsibilities may also include assessing students' abilities and working with individual students on overcoming their weaknesses.
Education Options: The U.S. Department of Labor says public schools require teachers to obtain a bachelor's degree, but specific requirements vary from state to state, with all states mandating a certification or license. Although private schools do not need to meet state requirements when hiring elementary school teachers, they typically seek candidates with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.

High-Pay Career #4: Art Director

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Bottom 10 Percent Earnings

$43,870

Median
Annual Salary

$80,880*

Top 10 Percent Earnings

$162,800

Do you find yourself doodling on everything from cocktail napkins to post-it notes? Then you should find a way to harness your creative energy and aspire to a lucrative career as an art director. It is by no means an entry-level job and may require years of experience to achieve this job title. But your hard work and time could pay off in a nice, steady paycheck, which sure beats being a starving artist.
High-Pay Potential: According to McIlwain, if you worked your way up to art director, you could make more than a fine artist, because your work could be directly tied to ticket sales or ad dollars. That said, whether you work for a nonprofit or for-profit company, such as an advertising agency, would have a material effect on salary, she says. McIlwain recommends the latter, since a job in advertising could pay off much more.
Next step: Click to Find the Right Graphic Design Program.
Common Tasks: Art directors may help create and design the visual style and images for magazines, product packaging, or movie and television productions, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This career may also involve talking to clients to develop an artistic approach and supervising design staff.
Education Options: Art directors need at least a bachelor's degree in an art or design-related field, says the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor also states that some art directors may have worked in other art or design occupations previously.

High-Pay Career #5:
Public Relations Specialist

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Bottom 10 Percent Earnings

$51,630

Median
Annual Salary

$95,450*

Top 10 Percent Earnings

$180,480

If you have a way with words, both written and spoken, then public relations specialist may be the right job for you. In this position, you'd play a valuable role in handling a client's communication with the public and the media.
High-Pay Potential: According to Hurwitz, public relations managers can be paid quite handsomely because of the important role they play in crafting a company or individual's image, and controlling the dialogue about them in the public. "The ability to communicate well is a lost art," says Hurwitz. "Every business needs someone, either on staff or retainer, who can explain policies and decisions, especially in a crisis."
McIlwain agrees. "Public relations professionals can make a good salary, particularly at the senior levels, as their role becomes critical to the overall success of the company," she says.
Next step: Click to Find the Right Communications Program.
Common Tasks: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, public relations managers are responsible for helping organizations maintain and promote a favorable public image through cultivating relationships with the media. These PR professionals may also manage public relations programs and raise funds for their organizations.
Education Options: Public relations specialists usually need a bachelor's degree, and employers typically want applicants who have studied communications, public relations, journalism, business, or English.

* All salary information from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Employment and Wages data, May 2012.

5 Most Regretted Jobs

5 Most Regretted Jobs

     
 If you find yourself in a career path you regret, you’re not alone. Some jobs are especially likely to leave people feeling disappointed, a recent survey by PayScale found. We’re sharing the top five, along with what they typically pay.

Cashier

First on the list and with an average yearly pay of $18,600, 46% of cashiers say they regret their job. As a cashier, you’re required to spend your time at work interacting with the public. If you don’t enjoy that, you’re not going to find this job very satisfying. “You need a real service mentality to deal with the general public, and to work in a space where you are willing to answer to the customer,” says Lea McLeod, a career coach and job transition expert. “Who feels good going to work every day, needing to be accountable to customers, and then not wanting to and/or not being good at it?”

Mechanic

43% of mechanics say they regret their job. “Without a doubt, many people adore the profession,” says training and development consultant Farah Parker, but with an average yearly pay of $36,100, mechanics are required to endure long hours of physical and often dirty labor. Resources and tools for the job are very expensive and training never ends, as mechanics are required to keep up with the latest automotive advancements.

“While it looks good to a teen who has been working on cars, there isn't much opportunity to go beyond the pay you have and you are usually working in a cold, open space, with pressure to work quickly,” says Denise Kalm, chief innovator of Kalm Kreative. “It’s a physically demanding job that as you age becomes much more difficult while generally not becoming more financially rewarding.”

Secondary School Teacher

With an average yearly salary of $43,800, the highest in the the top 5, secondary school teachers rank third in regret with 43%. They problem is that would-be teachers often don’t fully understand what the job involves until after they have started, McLeod says. “I had a friend who was a secondary school teacher and realized on day two she had made an enormous mistake. She was awash in the paperwork required of an educator, as well as the unending parent interventions and the reluctance of students to do the work. She didn’t realize the politics of working in a secondary school system.”

Parker says the challenges that face teachers are daunting. “Although teachers are responsible for preparing the next generation to lead our nation, the education profession is often marred by a lack of resources, dwindling support, and modest salaries,” she says. “Instead of simply teaching children, teachers must simultaneously parent and counsel all while navigating the stressful terrain often found in the bureaucracy of school districts. It takes a remarkable human being to become a teacher but it takes a golden human being to stay one.”

Delivery Driver

With an average yearly pay of $31,600, 42% of delivery drivers claim to regret their positions. McLeod shares the experience of one of her clients: “I had a client who was a delivery driver after leaving college. Between low pay, physically demanding work, and very little meaning, he has decided to return to school and pursue a career path in accounting. Even though he may have regretted spending a couple of years driving deliveries, it did inspire him to find something that was more desirable to him as a career interest.”

Bank Teller

Rounding out the list with an average yearly salary of $24,400, 37% of bank tellers say they regret their job. McLeod explains, “Bank teller work is another customer-facing role, and if you’re not a service oriented that will be a problem. One of the challenges is you MUST balance the money at the end of the day. If you’re not a detail oriented person, or good with money, this may completely stress you out. If a worker can’t deal with those terms, it can easily turn into a regrettable situation.”

"Once upon a time, people at low levels like this could readily step up to very senior positions, but this is less true now,” Kalm says. “And yet the requirements for the job have increased because of technology. You have to work complex systems quickly to satisfy customer demands, all while standing up all day long. You don't learn the skills you need to move to other parts of the bank unless you happen to work for one that is motivated to promote from within.  So it's a dead-end job, albeit better rewarded than fast food.”

Sarah Merrill, a recruiting consultant at Atrium Staff, says part of the challenge of regretted jobs is that it’s hard to get out of them. “I have worked with individuals with ‘cashier’ and ‘bank teller’ on their resume and it can be difficult to change career tracks as those skills are very specific and not transferable.”

But, as McLeod puts it, the good news is, “if you regret a job because it wasn’t the right thing for you, now you have one more piece of data about what is or is not the right thing for you.”

 

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