The highest paid job in the world can make you hundreds of millions of dollars per year, if you’re willing to work hard and meet certain criteria.
Of course, it’s not easy to land the position, but if you can do it, the reward is incredible. Here are the 10 highest paid jobs in the world and how to get them if they interest you.
Highest Paid Job in CEO
Being a CEO is a high-pressure position, but it’s also one of highest paid jobs in the world. For some companies, such as Apple and Microsoft, CEOs are paid exorbitant salaries. On average, U.S. presidents earn more than $200,000 per year.
However, there are many non-U.S. company executives who make far more than that each year—even when you adjust for cost of living differences between countries. The highest paid job in the world may surprise you: It’s not being a doctor or an engineer;
it’s being an oil executive! In 2013, ExxonMobil’s then-CEO Rex Tillerson was reported to have earned $40 million—more than any other American CEO that year.
Highest Paid Job in Lawyer
There are plenty of good reasons why being a lawyer tops so many highest paid jobs lists. When you earn your law degree, you can choose to either focus on a specialty or make yourself as marketable as possible through general practice.
In any case, expect that landing your first job will be difficult; surveys show starting salaries don’t reach six figures until at least five years after graduation.
But if you want top dollar, never give up! As with many other high-paid careers, it helps to specialize and develop an area of expertise that few others have.
Highest Paid Job in Doctor
According to Forbes, a doctor tops their list of highest paid jobs. While specific salary figures are hard to pinpoint and vary by specialty and location, doctors earn an average $208,000 annually.
It may take you years of study to become a highly skilled doctor; however, once you do it can be very lucrative. The downside: You don’t get vacation days. If you’re willing to work long hours, high stress levels aren’t uncommon either.
But if you love helping people and have a talent for diagnosing ailments or prescribing treatments then being a doctor could make sense for your highest paid job search.
To put things into perspective, medical students will spend anywhere from six to 12 years earning their degree—which could mean taking out student loans or working during school—before they even step foot into an operating room as residents on rotations or gain experience through a residency program that averages three-to-seven years depending on your specialty choice.
And then there’s practicing medicine…you’ll likely spend five to seven more years before reaching retirement age!
Highest Paid Job in Pilot
When you really stop to think about it, there are very few professions that actually provide high-paying, secure jobs for life. Pilot and astronaut are two of them.
Pilots can begin their careers with low-level flight training as young as 18 (though most airline pilots begin their careers after college or a four-year military stint).
This means they earn decent money while still relatively young and then work toward higher earnings over time by advancing through junior officer positions.
As such, pilots make more than $60 per hour on average (with high-end earners making nearly $200 per hour), according to Payscale, which makes a career as an aviator one of—if not THE—highest paid job in the world.
Highest Paid Job in Engineer
One of the highest-paid jobs in America—and probably one of the highest paid jobs period, regardless of nationality—is that of an engineer.
While it may not be as glitzy or glamorous as a career on Wall Street, engineers can take home salaries well over $100,000 a year (although some make even more than that).
There’s never any shortage of engineering job openings around; all you need is a good degree from a respected school and some good references. The median salary for all engineers was about $84,000 per year (as reported by Payscale), with an average pay close to $110,000 per year.
Highest Paid Job in Venture Capitalist
The world’s highest paid job is venture capitalist. It doesn’t sound too sexy or like something a person would want to do,
but venture capitalists are people who invest money into growing businesses that aren’t going public or raising additional funds via traditional funding sources such as banks and IPOs.
In return for providing capital, venture capitalists expect a percentage of ownership in those companies (10 percent being typical). The more successful a company becomes, the more valuable that stake will be.
Highest Paid Job in Self-employed
Being self-employed can be very lucrative, but it’s certainly not for everyone. To determine if it’s right for you, figure out how much you need to earn each year to achieve your financial goals.
Then, work out how much money you can expect to make by working on your own. You may decide that being self-employed isn’t right for you—or that there are specific areas of self-employment where you might excel and would benefit from pursuing a freelance or contractor position.
The bottom line: Self-employment doesn’t have a place for everyone, but if it does fit with your financial goals and skillset, it can be one of highest paid jobs in world!
Highest Paid Job in Business Owner
The highest paid job in America might surprise you. Actually, it probably won’t because a business owner makes a lot of money.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that, on average, an entrepreneur earns more than $71,500 per year—that’s about $6,300 more than other high-paying jobs like doctors and lawyers.
Think it’s easy being your own boss? You get to make your own schedule, set your own goals and call all of your shots — but there are a lot of risks that come with having your own business as well.
You also have to wear a bunch of different hats like marketing director or operations manager.