What is the most lucurative profession now a days?

[helpfuldoc2b]

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Just curious, what profession is the most lucurative in terms of hours/salary/life style in todays economy, and please list in reach jobs, not Hedge Fund Manager or Investment Banker making 1M straight out of college BS. Plus out of all the health care professions, be it DPM, DC, MD/DO, DDS, what is the most financially rewarding taking in consideration time commitment/compensation, etc...

Other than that, do you guys really think medicine will ever be socialized?

 

[vtucci]

Most professions are not going to be serious money for a few years out. It is also harder to get those areas with just a BA.

Law can be much more lucrative than medicine (you can make 1M+/yr as a partner in a law firm but that takes a minimum of 10 years after law school graduation to get there.

Personally, I think it would be great to be a college professor. Think about it-- maybe they don't make huge bank but what profession can beat 4 class hours or so a week (this is particularly true in the humanities). Research can be done online so you can do it at home.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Most professions are not going to be serious money for a few years out. It is also harder to get those areas with just a BA.

Law can be much more lucrative than medicine (you can make 1M+/yr as a partner in a law firm but that takes a minimum of 10 years after law school graduation to get there.

Personally, I think it would be great to be a college professor. Think about it-- maybe they don't make huge bank but what profession can beat 4 class hours or so a week (this is particularly true in the humanities). Research can be done online so you can do it at home.

UG professors in my region don't do very well until they get very experienced, especially in the humanities. Education through a Ph.D. and postdoc is a long path to make what they make to teach.

If you want an honest answer that is in-reach, there are certain types of adult entertainers that make major bank for the work that they put in. Of course you will likely say that this doesn't count because it doesn't require an education or is immoral or something, but that's really my answer.

For healthcare jobs, I've been vocal that PA's do well given the cost of their education, lifestyle, lack of liability, specialty choice, and career satisfaction. Of course I get hammered here because as docs, we all want independent careers; but if I could make 100K for 2.5 years of schooling after 3 years of undergrad, that sounds like good compensation to me. Maybe I should have tried to apply once more...

If you are looking for specialties, just ask which one is the one that everybody is applying for. That's your answer in every given cycle. That's why it's competative.

 

[vtucci]

Who is doing post-doc work in the humanities? I taught at the college level-- granted you need a PhD or equivalent but that is true for most worthwhile professions these days.

Sure strippers can make a nice salary but there is a shelf-life on that career of maybe 10-15 years. You don't see many 40+ year old strippers now do you?

As far as PAs go, I have nothing but great things to say about the PAs I have worked with. Unfortunately, many states are now considering making a masters a requirement for PAs so the education time is going to go up.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Who is doing post-doc work in the humanities? I taught at the college level-- granted you need a PhD or equivalent but that is true for most worthwhile professions these days.

Sure strippers can make a nice salary but there is a shelf-life on that career of maybe 10-15 years. You don't see many 40+ year old strippers now do you?

As far as PAs go, I have nothing but great things to say about the PAs I have worked with. Unfortunately, many states are now considering making a masters a requirement for PAs so the education time is going to go up.

I was talking about legal prostitutes, but strippers do okay. Working girls can bank hundreds of thousands and retire by their mid-30's easily. BTW my school's PA program is a Master's program and meets the stipulations that I made.

Yeah you're right, never heard of a humanities post-doc, but at some of my colleges those profs were starting at $45K (regional university) and ~$50-60K (Big 12 land grant). My fast food managers have done better than that.

 

[vtucci]

That is for now. Consider how many of them end up at 100+. I knew one professor (and granted it was at Yale) who made in excess of 300K. Considering the actual face time requirement-- that is damn fine $$$. Even 45K for a few hours of work-- think about that per hour of class.😀

 

[OncoCaP]

This winds up being a very personal question. Some people might love being a pharmacist, PA, NP, corporate atty, or even a physician, of course. In my life, I've had excellent jobs and people around me complaining and lousy jobs with people around me grateful just to have a job even though working conditions were quite bad. There are many tradeoffs as well ... some gov't jobs are extremely interesting but don't pay very well. Other jobs (insurance actuary?) pay very well, but I would find them difficult to get excited about. Find something that is in the demand, has a great history for decent pay so you can pay your bills, and, most important that you enjoy the most or hate the least.

 

[jae9970]

professors' work is no easy task, either. It may be easier than, say, a physician working 60+ hours per week, but several hours of lectures per week are not all that professors are required to do.

Father of one of my friends is an electrical engineering professor. My friend told me that his dad studies whenever he has free time- He may teach the same class for a few years in a row, but the materials change and he has to stay on top of the material. There's a lot of prepping that students aren't aware of. Plus, many professors participate in additional activities such as research.

To be a professor at one subject, you must truly love that subject and be willing to study it all your life.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

There is no easy answer to this question. Unlike other in this thread, I am answering the OP's question at face value (i.e. what is the most _lucrative_ profession) and not considering happiness, etc.

I agree with OncoCap about Insurance Actuaries. I would also add business owner to the mix (even small business owner.) In terms of return of $$ vs. "investment" in education, I think Real Estate is up there, since you don't even need a college degree to sell Real Estate. If I were just looking to make a lot of money fast, I would look to one of these professions. Also, I agree with another poster that said entertainer, but I think the OP mentioned something that was statistically probable, and I don't think that entertainer fits that bill (even the [highly-paid] adult entertainment business is very competitive nowadays.)

However, any professional job can be lucrative. Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer (As someone who lucked into the high-tech boom of the late 90s, I can tell you first-hand that, under the right circumstances, engineering can be VERY, VERY lucrative 🙂 ) CPA, Investment Banker (SDN's Favorite,) Professor, etc,e tc can all be lucrative. The general rule is that you get out of something what you put into it. Identify your character strengths and weaknesses and pick a profession where you fit (i.e. if you don't like selling things, Real Estate may not be for you.) If you bust your a$$ and are good at what you do, you will probably be financially rewarded in any Professional Job. There is no "magic" no-brainer easy-money job (becuase if there were, everybody would be competing for it.)

 

[Genetics]

Usually leaders are well compensated and followers make the average salary for their job/level of education/degree.

Can anyone name me one sucessful person that is not well compensated?

There is no easy answer to this question. Unlike other in this thread, I am answering the OP's question at face value (i.e. what is the most _lucrative_ profession) and not considering happiness, etc.

I agree with OncoCap about Insurance Actuaries. I would also add business owner to the mix (even small business owner.) In terms of return of $$ vs. "investment" in education, I think Real Estate is up there, since you don't even need a college degree to sell Real Estate. If I were just looking to make a lot of money fast, I would look to one of these professions. Also, I agree with another poster that said entertainer, but I think the OP mentioned something that was statistically probable, and I don't think that entertainer fits that bill (even the [highly-paid] adult entertainment business is very competitive nowadays.)

However, any professional job can be lucrative. Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer (As someone who lucked into the high-tech boom of the late 90s, I can tell you first-hand that, under the right circumstances, engineering can be VERY, VERY lucrative 🙂 ) CPA, Investment Banker (SDN's Favorite,) Professor, etc,e tc can all be lucrative. The general rule is that you get out of something what you put into it. Identify your character strengths and weaknesses and pick a profession where you fit (i.e. if you don't like selling things, Real Estate may not be for you.) If you bust your a$$ and are good at what you do, you will probably be financially rewarded in any Professional Job. There is no "magic" no-brainer easy-money job (becuase if there were, everybody would be competing for it.)

 

[cdql]

Left-handed starting pitcher with power/strikeout stuff. (I'm talking fastball in the high to mid-90's, a great changeup, maybe a cutter, throw in a curveball here and there)

You work once every 5 days.

You can command $20+ million/year.

If you have a Hall of Fame resume backing you, you don't need to travel on road trips in which you are not scheduled to pitch. You can golf in the mornings on days you are scheduled to pitch. That and you play only half the season.

 

[Skelfie]

Personally, I think it would be great to be a college professor. Think about it-- maybe they don't make huge bank but what profession can beat 4 class hours or so a week (this is particularly true in the humanities). Research can be done online so you can do it at home.

😱

Wow, that's quite a rosy view of academia... I left that world to pursue medicine because I wanted a life outside of my work. Most people I knew/know in academia (professors of various ranks) have very little free time because if they're not preparing for lectures/grading they're doing research (publish or perish, the saying goes). Maybe it's different in the sciences, but in my former field there was a lot of pressure to publish, publish, publish, but one still had to teach a full load each quarter unless one was granted research leave. And, which fields allow one to do research online?

 

[zimmie256]

😱

Wow, that's quite a rosy view of academia... I left that world to pursue medicine because I wanted a life outside of my work. Most people I knew/know in academia (professors of various ranks) have very little free time because if they're not preparing for lectures/grading they're doing research (publish or perish, the saying goes). Maybe it's different in the sciences, but in my former field there was a lot of pressure to publish, publish, publish, but one still had to teach a full load each quarter unless one was granted research leave. And, which fields allow one to do research online?

It's the same way in the sciences.

Class hours is by no means an accurate reflection of the amount of work professors do.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Usually leaders are well compensated and followers make the average salary for their job/level of education/degree.

Can anyone name me one sucessful person that is not well compensated?

Definitely agree, but often times accomplished "followers" are also well compensated (i.e. above average.)

Example: I know a guy (engineer) who has 40+ patents. He's not a "leader" in the way that I would usually use the word, he's just an accomplished engineer that does what he's told (really well.) He is very nicely compensated.

I cannot name any successful people that are not well compensated.

 

[Law2Doc]

You work once every 5 days.

And only work 8 months out of the year, don't forget.
But few fastball pitchers make it deep into their 30s, and a surprisingly large percentage end up in financial turmoil due to poor investments, drugs and failed marriages.

 

[NCF145]

And only work 8 months out of the year, don't forget.
But few fastball pitchers make it deep into their 30s, and a surprisingly large percentage end up in financial turmoil due to poor investments, drugs and failed marriages.

Not Nolan Ryan. He was the man. He also got to kick the crap out of Robin Ventura.

 

[WestcoastMedicine]

Airline pilots have a decent lifestyle, I guess it comprable to EMED really with shift work. Friend of the family does 12-15 transatlantic flights for a big name airline a month and pulls in a huge salary...around 200K. I guess it may not sound like alot but from a blue-collar upbringing and the relative amount of time off that is pretty damn good.

 

[cdql]

And only work 8 months out of the year, don't forget.
But few fastball pitchers make it deep into their 30s, and a surprisingly large percentage end up in financial turmoil due to poor investments, drugs and failed marriages.

I forgot to mention a pitcher with power stuff but with the smarts to transition into a crafty junkball pitcher as one ages.

If you happen to have Roger Clemens' genes, then that last part was unnecessary.

I also made sure to indicate lefty because if you happen to be a normal human (e.g. unlike Clemens), you can still be useful to a squad as a bullpen specialist. True, you'll work every day. But there's nothing quite like pitching an inning a game (or less) and getting paid millions for it!

As for the financial turmoil, if you can take care of the baseball aspect, I'll be the honest and responsible financial manager 😉

 

[Doctor Bagel]

UG professors in my region don't do very well until they get very experienced, especially in the humanities. Education through a Ph.D. and postdoc is a long path to make what they make to teach.

Depends on your field. I agree that it generally sucks to get your foot in the door in humanities in any part of the country -- my sister's an english prof, so I've seen that one. It's a great job if you luck out and get tenure, but most the competition is fierce (way, way harder than getting into medical school and probably harder than getting a derm residency). Science sucks because of the postdoc thing. Engineering and business professors make pretty good dough, though. My dad was a business professor, and it's a good life.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

professors' work is no easy task, either. It may be easier than, say, a physician working 60+ hours per week, but several hours of lectures per week are not all that professors are required to do.

Father of one of my friends is an electrical engineering professor. My friend told me that his dad studies whenever he has free time- He may teach the same class for a few years in a row, but the materials change and he has to stay on top of the material. There's a lot of prepping that students aren't aware of. Plus, many professors participate in additional activities such as research.

To be a professor at one subject, you must truly love that subject and be willing to study it all your life.

Here's the secret, though. You don't have to do much beyond teach your classes after you get tenure. If your friend's dad has tenure and is still doing a lot of research, it's by choice. Getting tenure's the bitch.

 

[indo]

Bullpen catcher: the MLB league minimum is 250,000/ year. Also, NFL kicker.

 

[tulane06]

Porn star: Six-figure salary, plus enjoyable work.

 

[Biscuit799]

I looked at a career guide in Border's a few months ago, and the top earning profession is still, on the whole, physicians. That being said, there's less salary diversity in the medical field than in others (i.e. a CEO can make anywhere btw $0 - 26 mil/yr). Probably bc you can't advance in medicine w/o pursuing more education.

Although I must disagree w/ above post. NFL punter is the best. You make $2-500K/yr, practice a couple hours a day for max 8 mos/yr, and the game is never solely in your hands (or foot).

 

[DeadCactus]

As far as dependable careers go:

Dentist is probably the top one. Guaranteed 6 figure pay, great hours, independence, etc. Basically the perks of being a Physician with fewer hours and less training requirements.

Engineering comes in close as well. Given the time of a medical education an engineer could pull together some combination of PE Li censure, an MBA, and a Master's in Engineering (or maybe even all of them). Between the three of those, you're pretty well set up for a nice job.

Less dependable, but still rather solid career choices:

Lawyer. A decent chance of making a good living, a small chance of making a great living. A small risk of making a poor living.

Business. Same as lawyer.

 

[NonTradMed]

I also want to mention that NPs and pharms are pretty dependable in salaries and income. Both are in high demand and command nice salaries and they work fairly predictable hours (well, maybe not NPs...). Engineering is pretty dependable still. My friends in IT are still commanding good salaries and they had no problems finding decent jobs as long as they weren't picky about locales. Finance majors can do well too b/c they command a marketable skill in a field that has a lot of job options and their degree is fairly flexible in terms of who they work for and what they do.

 

[Chinnychin]

I vote for college profs in Cali, arizona, florida-looking and flirting and sleeping with hot college girls your whole life, while hardly working and living in a great climate-that to me is the ultimate profession. I didnt have the knack of teaching or I may have done this

 

[deleted109597]

I was going to say proper spelling, but that doesn't pay well.
Corporate CEO is pretty good. Tank your company, get a golden parachute. Retire young.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Corporate CEO is pretty good. Tank your company, get a golden parachute. Retire young.

True, that's a pretty sweet deal. You get paid for sucking at your job. 🙂

 

[DRJJ1]

Who is doing post-doc work in the humanities? I taught at the college level-- granted you need a PhD or equivalent but that is true for most worthwhile professions these days.

Sure strippers can make a nice salary but there is a shelf-life on that career of maybe 10-15 years. You don't see many 40+ year old strippers now do you?

As far as PAs go, I have nothing but great things to say about the PAs I have worked with. Unfortunately, many states are now considering making a masters a requirement for PAs so the education time is going to go up.

my mother still strips she is 64

 

[ssquared]

Found the next YouTube, Pixar, or Microsoft.

In other words, have a brilliant idea.

And if you don't have the idea, you better be hard working.

 

[TexPre-Med]

So basically, which career would you want considering minimal education and minimal intelligence that pays well? In which case, be a psychologist. haha just joking.

This thread is stupid.

 

[cdql]

my mother still strips she is 64

You owe me a new keyboard. The puke is preventing the keys from traveling.

 

[Chakshu]

Hedge fund managers

 

[OncoCaP]

Hedge fund managers

Too stressful. Saw a message from one of them wanting to go into medicine. He said the only thing that people get more uptight about than their health is their money.

 

[Chakshu]

Too stressful. Saw a message from one of them wanting to go into medicine. He said the only thing that people get more uptight about than their health is their money.

True, but so are are some/many of the specialities in the medical profession.

 

[OncoCaP]

True, but so are are some/many of the specialities in the medical profession.

Yeah, it's like jumping from one ultra-stressful job to a super-stressful job (at least from what I have heard). Number of datapoints = 1.

Probably academia is less stressful after you're done with tenure and might be a better choice. Engineering or medical scientist might not be bad either.

 

[vtucci]

professors' work is no easy task, either. It may be easier than, say, a physician working 60+ hours per week, but several hours of lectures per week are not all that professors are required to do.

Father of one of my friends is an electrical engineering professor. My friend told me that his dad studies whenever he has free time- He may teach the same class for a few years in a row, but the materials change and he has to stay on top of the material. There's a lot of prepping that students aren't aware of. Plus, many professors participate in additional activities such as research.

To be a professor at one subject, you must truly love that subject and be willing to study it all your life.

To be a good professor, you should love the subject, be on top of the material and care about presentation techniques to your students. However, at many institutions, it is about research $$$ and not teaching ability that often dictates salary and tenure.

I did not mean to imply that professors only work 4 hours a week. I am well aware of the other time requirements having been a professor myself. However, for many profs, there are only four hours or so of face time. Some may have 6 hours (esp if they are teaching a grad class and undergrad class in a semester). The amount of time spent grading is going to depend on the number of students in the class and the number and complexity of the assignments given (I gave one 10-20 page paper and one midterm exam). There are also office hours- which many schools limit to one or two hours a week (and if no one stops in, you can do other work then).

As far as what fields allow online research, law is one. We had to use Lexis/Nexis or Westlaw as it was the most up-to-date source. Other sources were considered inferior so all research can be done in the confines of the professor's home. With respect to publish or perish....How hard is it to write a paper esp if you don't have to do scientific research and come up with funding for an RCT? Maybe it is my background but I can knock off a 25+ page paper in a weekend and multiple papers if they are shorter.

I love teaching and want to incorporate that into my medical career. Teaching like many other careers is what you make it. There are lazy professors just like there are lazy doctors, lawyers, fill-in-the-blank profession.

 

[Biscuit799]

SCUBA instructor. YOu make nothing, but when you're not diving, you're in the shop doing nothing. I worked in a dive shop for a couple months in high school. The glorious inactivity would put the guys from Office Space to shame...