12 Jobs That Pay Over 300k a Year (You Don’t Have to Be a CEO or CFO)
It’s not easy to earn over 300k a year, but it’s doable! Don’t despair if you’re not satisfied with your current yearly income. If you set your mind to it, you can always earn more.
First, you need to know what career to pursue to earn the big bucks. Usually, the jobs that pay over 300k a year are in the field of medicine, finance, engineering, and management. Focus on a career in one of these areas and start paving the path to your six-figure paycheck.
Over 300k a year is a big figure, so you need to think big. Most high-paying careers require a top education degree and experience. Combine your education and experience, and if necessary get a postgraduate degree or additional certification in a high-paying field suitable to your talents.
Bear in mind, that to get to the top and win a job that pays over 300k a year you’ll have to climb the ladder. Maybe you’ll start small, but with hard work and patience, you’ll work your way to the top.
Information is key to success! So, use the information on the jobs that pay over 300k in this article, and start climbing the ladder.
12 Jobs That Pay Over 300k a year
To help you find the desirable high-paying job we’ve created the following list of jobs that pay over 300k a year:
- Radiologist- between $379,490 and $504,890
- Chief financial officer (CFO)- between $316,754 and $532,355
- Chief executive officer (CEO)- between $305,601 and $967,089
- Obstetrics and gynecology physician (OB/GYN)- between $261,490 and $362,700
- Anesthesiologist- between $278,085 and $349,102
- Emergency medicine physician- between $205,673 and $406,958
- Oncologist- between $310,000 and $400,000
- Dermatologist- between $313,100 and $425,300
- Urologist- between $178,000 and&523,000
- Investment banker- between $300,000 and $10,000,000
- Neurosurgeon- between $362,964 and $510,035
- Distinguished engineer- between $478,000 and $2,145,000
Each job requires different sets of skills, educational backgrounds, and qualifications. With that in mind, you need to know in detail what it takes to get one of these jobs that pay over 300k a year.
1. Radiologist
As of July 26, 2022, the average annual radiologist salary in the US is $436,490, while the salary range is from $379,490to $504,890. The salary range depends on factors like education, qualifications, special skills, and experience.
To make it in one of the jobs that pay over 300k a year, a radiologist:
- Works in a hospital, medical clinic, or a private radiology practice
- Gets and interprets patient’s medical images
- Is familiar with different health segments
- Deeply understands the physical anatomy
- Shares his findings with patients’ physicians
- Uses state-of-the-art radiology tools and instruments
- Makes sure the equipment is properly clean and sanitized
- Is always informed of the newest radiology equipment
If this is the job of your choice you need to have gone to medical school, or have a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in a related area. As a radiologist, you must have state licenses, proper certifications from the American Board of Radiology, and work experience. Also, it’s necessary to have additional training and attend relevant workshops and conferences.
2. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
The chief financial officer earns an average annual salary of $416,641, while the salary range is from $316,754to $532,355.
To make it as a chief financial officer (CFO), and have one of the jobs that pay over 300k a year you should:
- Supervise the company’s financial operations
- Be a leader and concentrate on the accounting and finance departments
- Build a promising company image
- Save money
- Supervise buying, pricing, investments, tax, and debt management departments
- Record transactions in books or databases
- Report to upper management
- Do research and audits to make sure every department follows IRS guidelines
To be successful in the role of a CFO, it’s highly beneficial to have strong public speaking, computer, and presentation skills. Also, it won’t hurt to have advanced knowledge of finance, budgeting, and accounting. Generally, employers look for a bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting, and some prior work experience may also be required.
3. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
According to Comparably the average annual salary of a chief executive officer (CEO) in the US is $652,117, while the average bonus is $346,517. The country with the highest CEO salary is Dallas with an average compensation of $838,061, which is 29% higher than the US average.
If you want to see these highly impressive numbers on your account be prepared to:
- Be in charge of a company that usually makes most of all business-related executive decisions
- Show great social and leadership skills
- Make big decisions
- Be accountable when it comes to the accomplishments or failures of a company
- Lead, guide, and supervise the job performance
- Create strategic plans on how to address the direction of the company
- Make sure employees carefully follow the formulated plans
- Work with the finance team to create a rock-solid cash flow
- Be a tactical advisor and consultant
- Offer expert advice on the company’s contracts and negotiations
- Assess the company’s structure regarding finance, operation, sales, and marketing
- Mentor employees, strengthen growth, and boost the company’s development
As you can see, the CEO position as one of the jobs that pay over 300k comes with great responsibility, long hours, and stressful situations. So, even though the paycheck is tempting, you’d better think twice before becoming a CEO. Besides the power to deal with stress, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, or a related field. Employers have a preference for an MBA from top schools and 5-10 years of experience in the industry.
4. Obstetrics and Gynecology Physician
The obstetrics and gynecology physicians (OB/GYN Physician) annual average salary in the US is $301,400, while the salary range is from $261,490 to $362,700.
As an OB/GYN Physician, you’ll have a big handful of responsibilities. This position combines two medical areas, obstetrics, and gynecology. Obstetrics incorporates preconception care through childbirth and delivery, and gynecology covers all areas of women’s health. Therefore, once you become an OB/GYN Physician you’ll:
- Conduct initial diagnoses and recommend the best possible treatments
- Explain to patients the complexity of their condition in simple terms
- Diagnose and treat illnesses that affect women
- Explain the childbirth process to expecting mothers
- Do routine patients examinations
- Be there for new mothers during childbirth and provide postpartum care
To become an OB/GYN Physician you need a bachelor’s degree to qualify for medical school, finish medical school, get practical experience, acquire a state license, undergo a residency, and complete 2-3 fellowships if you want to specialize. On top of that to get one of the jobs that pay over 300k a year it’s important to have communicational, organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills, compassion, dexterity, and physical stamina.
5. Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist’s salary as in every other job depends on experience. Here’s the anesthesiologist salary range from an entry-level anesthesiologist to an experienced one:
- An anesthesiologist with less than 1-year of experience (counting tips, bonus, and overtime pay) has a salary of $278,085 (based on 63 salaries)
- An anesthesiologist with 1-4 years of experience has a salary of $297,768 (based on 231 salaries)
- An anesthesiologist with 5-9 years of experience has a salary of $299,031 (based on 138 salaries)
- An anesthesiologist with 10-19 years of experience has a salary of $339,496 (based on 150 salaries)
- An anesthesiologist with an experience of 20 years and higher has a salary of $349,102
As with any other role in medicine, the role of an anesthesiologist is very important. If this is the job you see yourself in be prepared to:
- Administer general or local anesthetics to a patient
- Watch patient’s vital signs during surgery and give feedback to the surgeon
- Continue the anesthetics if it’s necessary for the patient to stay unconscious longer than anticipated
- Ensure the patient’s body remains perfectly still during the entire surgery
- Communicate with patients and observe their comfort levels during localized anesthetics
To become an anesthesiologist and have a job that pays over 300k a year you should be a licensed and certified physician. This career path requires the same rigorous training requirements as the other medical vocations: undergraduate studies, medical school, residency, and many other physician specialties.
6. Emergency Medicine Physician
If you check out the data on Salary expert you’ll see that the average hourly rate of an emergency medicine physician is $148, the average annual salary is $308,189, and the average bonus is $19,015. According to these data taken straight from employers and anonymous employees in the US:
- An emergency medicine physician with 1-3 years of practice has an average annual salary of $205,673
- An emergency medicine physician with more than 8 years of experience has an average annual salary of $406,958
The following duties are in the job description of an emergency medicine physician, a job that pays over 300k a year:
- Detect, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries that usually occur in the general population
- When needed refer patients to specialists for further treatment
- Treat patients with life-threatening illnesses
- Resuscitate and stabilize patients
- Enable suitable transition care (the ICU, hospital, home, or other endpoints)
- Be a team, player and work well with other physicians, departments, and other members of the emergency specialties staff
- Evaluate different health conditions
- Think fast to diagnose and establish the right treatment course
To be able to offer medical treatment to patients requiring severe and life-saving care as an emergency medicine physician, you must have a medical degree, finish a residency and get the required licensing and credentialing.
7. Oncologist
The average annual oncologist salary in the US is $323,766, as of Aug 18, 2022. That means that you’ll be paid approximately $155.66 an hour, $6,226 a week, and $26,980 a month. According to ZipRecruiter’s data the salaries go as high as $400,000 per year and as low as $152,500 per year. This data also shows that the following three cities offer the highest oncologist salaries in the US:
- Atkinson- an average annual salary of $479,706
- Deer Park- an average annual salary of $398,975
- Johnstonville- an average annual salary of $388,529
For this noble job that pays over 300k a year you must:
- Efficiently converse with patients and other members of the healthcare staff
- Treat patients with sympathy and understanding
- Monitor and document information related to the patient’s care
- Manage a team of health care professionals
- Attend patients with special attention
- Evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments
- Make fast decisions when the patient’s life is in danger
You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, a medical school degree, and, three to seven years in internship and residency programs if you want to work as an oncologist. Besides the required education and experience, you’ll need additional skills and qualifications to be competitive and have a better chance of getting the job.
8. Dermatologist
A dermatologist is another job on our list that pays over 300k a year. The average annual dermatologist salary is $364,500as of July 26, 2022, while the range is usually from $313,100to $425,300.
To win one of the jobs that pay over 300k a year, and become a dermatologist, you have to specialize in skin health and:
- Examine patients with skin problems
- Outline the advancement of dermatological treatments
- Diagnose skin problems, perform screenings and skin evaluations
- Determine appropriate treatments by analyzing the patient’s medical history
- Supervise the effectiveness of treatments and send patients to different specialists
- Perform non-invasive surgical methods
Previous experience is important for the position of a dermatologist, and a valid government medical license. To work as a dermatologist, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree, medical school degree, completed internship, state license, and completed residency program in dermatology.
9. Urologist
Salary explorer states that the average annual urologistsalary in the US is around $342,000, while the salary range is from $178,000 (minimum salary) to $523,000 (maximum salary). The salary includes other benefits as well, like housing and transport. The salary of a urologist varies based on the job’s location and the person’s experience and skills.
To be successful in one of the jobs that pay over 300k a year as a urologist you should:
- Be familiar with different medical treatment techniques
- Examine, and treat patient conditions and illnesses concerning the genitourinary organs and tracts
- Record and review patients’ histories.
- Order, perform, and read diagnostic tests
- Use fluoroscopes, catheters, X-rays, and other specialized equipment
- Execute pelvic, abdominal, and retroperitoneal surgeries and procedures
- Treat dysfunctions in the lower urinary tract
- Treat infections and injuries by prescribing and administering antibiotics and antiseptics
- Treat erectile dysfunction, infertility, and ejaculation problems by prescribing the appropriate medication
- Consult urology patients
- Refer patients to other specialists
- Lead nurses, residents, and other hospital staff.
To become a urologist, you need to have a medical degree, a completed residency, a urology fellowship, and the appropriate state license and certificates. In addition, all urologists that strive for success need to be able to stay up to date with the latest medical advancements, work long and irregular hours, and be good decision makers and problem solvers. A urologist with a six-figure paycheck should also have analytical skills, be a great communicator, be able to work in teams, and have everything it takes to be a good medical leader.
10. Investment Banker
According to the Corporate finance institute the top of the investment banking hierarchy is reserved for the investment banking managing director:
- The base salary of an investment banking managing director is between $300k and $1M
- The salary bonus is between $200k – $10M+
- The total salary is between $500k – $10M+
The responsibilities of this privileged job that pays over 300k are:
- Building relationships with clients and making income for the company
- Conducting tactical research and investigations
- Issuing debts and selling equity to raise funds
- Managing IPOs
- Finding potential future investors
- Enabling mergers and acquisitions
- Helping with the business restructure
- Analyzing risk and presenting financial information
To be a part of the investment banking world you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree as that is the minimum educational qualification required to work as an investment banker. Entry-level analyst jobs in the field are usually open to bachelor’s degree graduates. In many investment banks, it’s possible to move onto a senior banker role without a master’s degree. However, a master’s degree is very common among the mid-level and senior staff in the investment banking industry,as it helps to pave the way for career advancement. In some investment banks, a master’s degree is required to enter the desirable world of investment banking.
11. Neurosurgeon
The average annual neurosurgeon salary based on experience is as follows:
- With less than one year of experience calculating tips, bonus, and overtime pay: $362,964 (based on 54 salaries)
- With one to four years of experience: $386,590 (based on 226 salaries)
- With five to nine years of experience: $419,107 (based on 149 salaries)
- With ten to nineteen years of experience: $448,494 (based on 218 salaries)
- With an experience of twenty years and higher: a total of $510,035
If you want to become a neurosurgeon your medical focus will be on the brain, spine, and nervous system. You will also have to perform surgeries to correct neurological problems. But that’s not all! Many responsibilities await you if you take upon this job that pays over 300k a year, like:
- Brain tumor surgeries, and other specific neurological procedures
- Diseases diagnose
- Prescription and treatment administration
- Patient’s examination and interpretation of diagnostic tests
- Offering patient counseling on diet, hygiene, and precautionary health care
- Working with patients in a fragile emotional conditions due to their illness
- Working in a team environment with other medical experts
The education and training for a neurosurgeon are difficult and wide-ranging. You’ll need 4 years of pre-medical education at a college or university, 4-years of medical school resulting in an M.D. or D.O. degree, a 1-year internship in general surgery, 5-7 years in a neurosurgery residency program, and a lifetime of continuing education to keep up with the progress in the complicated field of neurosurgery.
12. Distinguished Engineer
According to 6 figures, the average annual salary of a distinguished engineer in the US is $607,000, while the salary range is between $478,000 and $2,145,000 (based on 111 profiles).
Many jobs that pay over 300k a year can be found for the position of a distinguished engineer. Companies like Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, and LinkedIn need distinguished engineers as part of their teams. To have a clearer picture of the salary range in different companies, check out this detailed info:
- A distinguished engineer with 22 years of experience working for Cisco, in San Jose, California,earns an average annual salary of $490,000
- A distinguished engineer with 25 years of experience working for Cisco, in San Jose, California,earns an average annual salary of $625,000
- A distinguished engineer with 19 years of experience working for IBM, in Austin, Texas, earns an average salary of $456,000
- A distinguished engineer with 18 years of experience working for IBM, in Durham, North Carolina, earns an average salary of $460,000
To get the position of a distinguished engineer you have to achieve remarkable technical, and professional accomplishments while working as an engineer. For this tempting position, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. It’s not mandatory, but some employers besides the bachelor’s degree require a master’s as well.
Conclusion
As you can see, jobs that pay over 300k a year, are far from easy. But that shouldn’t stop you from pursuing one of these high-paying jobs. All it takes is love for the profession, proper education, determination, ambition, and hard work.
First, find a job for your talents and skills. Then start preparing to follow through with the required qualifications, certifications, and necessary licensing. Whatever you choose bear in mind that for every job on our list besides the required education it’s crucial to have experience and additional expertise.
Use the information from our list and start working on your future career. It won’t be easy but there’s a high prize at the end!
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