If you’re interested in making beaucoup bucks after college, you have to start deciding early on what you want to major in and which area of career interest you want to pursue. While money isn’t everything, it can surely make a lot of things in life much more accessible, and by default make life much more enjoyable and less stressful.
Do you want to become a doctor or a surgeon? What about pursuing an entrepreneurial pathway, and starting your own corporation? If your focus is most definitely on making lots and lots of money, then make sure you look at this list of college majors that will put you on the right track to bringing in big bucks.
1. Medicine: Anesthesiologist $290k+
The anesthesiologists are the ones who are responsible for keeping patients alive so that the surgeon can adequately perform his duties. How important is their job? Well, that responsibility is their main focus, and it pays handsomely well for something that is pretty straight-forward.
The average income for the anesthetist is $290,000 and tops out at $393,000. The positions that pay extremely well are usually those that are at large or private hospitals or exclusive private out-patient centers.
2. Medicine: General Surgeon $260k+
The patient that the anesthesiologist kept alive is now in the hands of the crafted, skilled surgeon who will work his magical wonder on the patient. Although the surgeon makes slightly less (on average) than the anesthesiologist ($260,000), they top out much, much higher than their counterpart (at $412,000).
These well-paid, highly-skilled surgeons are usually specializing in an area where there aren’t very many of them. Specific lucrative specialties include cosmetic (skin, breasts, hair) with sub-specialties in everything from trauma surgery to vascular surgery.
3. Physics or Science: Scientist or Engineer $250,000+
Playing with matches as a kid may actually pay off with this major! The student does excellently in math and science when he or she pursues these intense degrees, but the payoff is more than worth it in the end.
The scientists are those that develop formulations and strains for various medicines, antibodies, chemicals and/or other medical or environmentally related interests.
4. Sales/Marketing: Sales Director $225k+
When the medical students get their practices and start doing well, there will be a host of salesmen coming around to sell them the latest and greatest piece of equipment that promises to escalate their practice. That salesman may even be one of his former college buddies…YOU!
Sales directors are in charge of helping a company excel and grow their product base, customer base and generating the sales team to sell more products or services. They are highly skilled at what they do, and they are very creative in getting the job done. Although the median pay is average ($142,000), there is potential there to double or even triple that number since salespeople usually get commission on their efforts.
With beaucoup bucks comes big responsibilities, so it’s critical also that while you’re in college pursuing your dream career, make sure you study diligently so that you know your industry well. This will help to ensure that you excel, stay productive and employed and the top of your industry. You want to make sure you keep those big checks coming in!