Author: Bernadette Giacomazzo
Edited By: Steve Adcock
Today’s job market is a competitive one, and people are starving for work. Despite the positive headlines and the promises of decreased unemployment, men and women all over the country are struggling to make a living — and are looking for six-figure jobs to provide for themselves and their families.
While a six-figure paycheck doesn’t stretch as far as it once did, it will still make a world of difference for anyone and everyone. These 25 six-figure positions are in high demand but are proving hard to fill. Check out these roles and see if you qualify for one!
1. Anesthesiologist
Average Base Salary: $348,950
With such a high six-figure salary, it should be easy for hospitals to easily hire the most qualified anesthesiologists in the country. Yet, according to the Journal of Medicine, Surgery, & Public Health, there is an actual shortage of anesthesiologists in the United States. Those that do go into the field, then, can expect a yearly salary of more than $300,000 — making them one of the highest-paid professionals on this list.
2. Data Scientist
Average Base Salary: $123,023
Learn to code, bro. By 2026, the demand for data scientists is expected to rise by 28 percent, and 90 percent of all organizations nationwide are worried about the impact this potential shortage will have on their businesses.
3. Petroleum Engineer
Average Base Salary: $132,466
Considered one of the nation’s Best Jobs by US News & World Report, demand for petroleum engineers is expected to rise by 2.5 percent, year over year, until 2032 (with a projected 500 jobs opening up within that time).
4. Actuary
Average Base Salary: $121,944
The actuarial skill set has evolved in the 21st century. DW Simpson notes that today’s actuaries need to be skilled in data analysis and visualization in addition to programming, mathematics, and finance.
5. Physician’s Assistant
Average Base Salary: $123,467
With a rising shortage of qualified physicians — which, in and of itself, is for a variety of reasons — there is a constant need to replenish hospitals and doctor’s offices with physician assistants.
6. Podiatrist
Average Base Salary: $250,117
According to the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, enrollment in podiatric schools has decreased significantly since 2015, making podiatrists one of the most in-demand doctors in the United States.
7. Pediatrician
Average Base Salary: $196,626
The New York Times recently did a story on the growing issues stemming from the pediatrician shortage. The outlet noted that 30 percent of pediatric residencies failed to fill their available residency slots, noting that the decrease in pediatricians was part of a larger growing trend in the healthcare industry as a whole.
8. Enterprise Architect
Average Base Salary: $143,462
An enterprise architect isn’t just a “code bro” who knows how to talk to people. Rather, an enterprise architect has to have “expertise in IT infrastructure, software design, project management, understanding of business strategies, leadership, and excellent communication skills.” This specialized skill set is rare, which is why the starting salary is so high.
9. Psychiatrist
Average Base Salary: $256,204
The growing acceptance of mental health treatments — and the increasing popularity of online platforms like BetterHelp — have made psychiatry a field that has grown exponentially since 2020. “The U.S. population has grown, there’s a lot of mental health need, especially with the pandemic, and we don’t have enough residency slots to train people,” says Anna Ratzliff, MD, PhD, psychiatry residency program director at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.
10. Nurse Anesthetist
Average Base Salary: $238,778
Considered one of the best jobs by US News & World Report, nurse anesthetists are becoming in high demand thanks to the ever-fluctuating healthcare standards and the growing Baby Boomer population. By 2032, the nurse anesthetist market is expected to grow by 9 percent, year over year, according to the outlet.
11. Oncologist
Average Base Salary: $234,694
The good news is, there have been extensive and improved treatments for various types of cancer over the past 15 years. The bad news is, that there aren’t enough oncologists to meet the increasing supply of new patients diagnosed with cancer each year. “At a very basic level, there is a supply-demand issue,” said Dr. Harsha Vyas, president and founding partner of the Cancer Center of Middle Georgia. “We just don’t have enough supply of medical oncologists/hematologists, both in academic centers and in the community, to make up for the demand.”
12. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Average Base Salary: $152,583 (plus $22,500 in profit sharing)
Sure, being a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) pays well, and comes with an attractive profit-sharing package. Plus, who doesn’t want to be at the C-level? The problem is, that CFO’s have become very difficult positions to fill because there are far too many risks (after all, they are responsible for the financial well-being of the company) and the rewards just aren’t there.
13. Corporate Attorney
Average Base Salary: $165,198
Corporate attorneys are tasked with the responsibility of negotiating contracts of all kinds for their clients — who are, in this care, some of the biggest corporations in the world. With that level of responsibility, it’s no wonder that they get a six-figure salary. And given the sensitive nature of the information shared with them, it’s unsurprising that this role is one of the hardest to fill.
14. Geriatric Physician
Average Base Salary: $219,626
Despite its seemingly attractive salary, geriatric physicians are amongst the lowest-paid physicians in the medical field. According to the Chen Senior Medical Center, these doctors make about $20,000 less, annually, than physicians from other specialties. By 2034, there will be more than 120,000 slots available for geriatric physicians to fill — and they can expect more than $200,000 a year for the privilege.
15. Neurologist
Average Base Salary: $234,159
Good neurologists have studied for a long time to become good neurologists. However, recruiting them is harder now than ever before. According to one study, the supply of neurologists will jump by 11 percent by 2025 — but their demand will have jumped by 16 percent. This 5 percent gap means that the average neurologist can command more than $200,000 a year in salary.
16. Optometrist
Average Base Salary: $150,439
In their annual survey, recruiting firm Eyes on Eyecare noted that “out of 1,214 optometrists, 57% listed staffing as their #1 challenge. On the flip side, young ODs deemed finding a position fairly easy.” That means that while this six-figure career is good for optometrists — who are easily hired — it’s difficult for employers to fill these positions.
17. Dermatologist
Average Base Salary: $295,421
While there are shortages in nearly every healthcare specialty — making them the most in-demand, and therefore the highest-paying, jobs — it’s the nature of dermatology that makes it so difficult to hire for. According to AMN Health, dermatology is an “entirely outpatient” practice, meaning that there is “little to no hospital inpatient work or call/coverage required. Dermatologists do not typically generate significant inpatient or outpatient revenue for hospitals, and dermatologists tend to own their own lasers and other ancillaries, deriving revenue from them directly.”
18. Dentist
Average Base Salary: $230,312
The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how dentists are hired. According to the American Dental Association, dental offices have been at their highest staff shortage since 2019, and the competition to fill offices with quality dentists has caused a severe spike in pay. That may be bad for a medical office’s bottom line, but it’s good for the dentist.
19. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Average Base Salary: $143,769 (plus $25,000 in profit sharing)
To put it simply: hiring the best people means paying the best money. To find a quality CEO, a company must conduct an exhaustive search using all of its available resources — and, sometimes, it must enlist services and resources it had never enlisted before. The exhaustive nature of the process is indicative of how difficult it truly is to find a proper CEO for a company.
20. Veterinarian
Average Base Salary: $129,077
The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that, as with any other position in the medical field, vets are faced with increasingly high student loan bills with increasingly low-paying customers. What’s more, despite vets notoriously loving their jobs (who doesn’t want to help animals, after all?), pet medical insurance is nowhere near as popular as human medical insurance, meaning that their patients’ owners have to come out of pocket for the cost…and this disparity makes it difficult, if not impossible, to hire veterinarians. (The good news is, however, that those who see it through to the end will be well paid for doing so.)
21. Software Engineer
Average Base Salary: $105,453 (plus $5,000 in profit sharing)
It pays to know how to code. Cogent notes that many companies are in the market to hire several software engineers — and quickly. Software engineers, too, are aware of how in demand they are — and they often hold out for attractive compensation packages with benefits and other perks. With companies of all sizes chasing the same engineers in a volatile market, it’s no wonder that this job has become one of the most in-demand…and most difficult to fill.
22. Director of Finance
Average Base Salary: $109,115 (plus $15,600 in profit sharing)
Being a director of finance is no easy task. In addition to understanding the mathematics of running a business (such as accounting — both in theory and in practice), a director of finance must also make intelligent long-term financial decisions and understand complex financial models. For this reason, a director of finance can expect both a handsome base salary and an even more handsome bonus in the form of profit sharing.
23. Cardiologist
Average Base Salary: $216,700
Cardiologists aren’t just needed in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Cardiologists are also needed in rural areas — and aspiring cardiologists aren’t keen to practice “in the sticks” for financial reasons. (Put simply, the student loans are high, and the salaries are low). What’s more, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of all cardiologists in the United States are over the age of 50, meaning that they will be gearing up for retirement in approximately 10 to 15 years.
24. Gastroenterologist
Average Base Salary: $334,459
Declining reimbursements, patient screening delays, and older doctors aging out of practice and retiring are just a few of the many reasons why gastroenterologists are in demand. And with an average yearly salary of more than $325,000, their intelligence and hard work are well-rewarded.
25. Product Manager
Average Base Salary: $120,762
With digital retail giants like Amazon, Alibaba, and Mercari all competing for their fair share of the market, product managers are more in demand now than ever before. What’s more, the “product manager” job description can also extend to companies that offer food delivery services (Uber, DoorDash) and rideshare applications (Lyft), making the possibilities endless for this position.
—
This post was previously published on Wealth of Geeks.
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
 |
 |
 |
 |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock
