Are there jobs that pay over 300k a year?
Assuming you have a 40-hour workweek (completing 50 weeks a year), a $300,000 yearly salary is about $145 to $150 per hour.
If you’re considering a course or career path, it may seem far-fetched to land 300k salary jobs after graduation. But, is it really?
These jobs prove that it’s possible. Hard, yes, but possible.
30 Jobs that Pay over 300k a Year across several Industries
There are many other 300k jobs, but these 30 job examples should give you an idea about the possible career paths you could pursue.
Medicine
The medical industry has the most number of jobs that pay over $300k. Some of them are:
1. Neurosurgeon ($363,000 to $510,000) – These doctors specialize in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems.
2. Anesthesiologist ($278,000 to $349,000) – These medical professionals are physicians specializing in perioperative care, developing anesthetic plans, and the administration of anesthetics.
3. Radiologist ($380,000 to $505,000) – These doctors specialize in the diagnosis of diseases by using x-rays, fusion imaging, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound, and other medical imaging techniques.
4. Orthopedic Surgeon (around $306,000) – These medical doctors are trained to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the nerves, joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, and the entire musculoskeletal system.
5. Dermatologist ($313,000 to $425,000) – Dermatologists are medical doctors specializing in conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails.
6. Oncologist ($310,000 to $400,000) – These doctors specialize in all kinds of cancers. They can specialize in a particular group of cancer.
7. Cardiothoracic surgeon ($333,000 to $449,000) – These doctors operate on the organs located in the chest (cardiothoracic) cavity, so any disease and health condition of the heart or lungs falls under their responsibility.
8. Obstetrics and gynecology physician (OB/GYN) ($260,000 and $363,000) – These doctors specialize in female productive health, treating women with reproductive health issues and providing care to women throughout their pregnancies until delivery.
9. Urologist ($178,000 to 523,000) – Urologists examine, diagnose and treat conditions and disorders of the genitourinary tracts and organs.
10. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist ($276,000 to $320,000) – CRNAs are the highest-paid nursing specialty. They are trained and certified to administer anesthesia for surgery, labor, and delivery, emergency care, or pain management.
11. Cardiologist ($375,000 to $563,000) – These doctors specialize in the care of patients’ heart and blood vessels.
12. Plastic surgeon ($286,000 to $466,000) – These doctors are trained at performing reconstructive or cosmetic surgery.
13. Pediatrician ($170,000 to $395,000) – These medical doctors serve as the primary care providers of children from birth until 18 years old.
Law
14. Lawfirm Partner ($243,000 to $406,000) – This lawyer is a partial owner of the firm who generates revenue in exchange for a share of ownership and profits.
15. Chief legal officers (CLOs) ($207,000 to $338,000) – Also known as “general counsel”, these CLOs head the law departments of corporations.
Business
16. Investment banker ($300,000 to $10,000,000) – This banking professional works for a financial institution or corporation. He/she is responsible for raising capital for individuals or businesses by using their analytical prowess, industry expertise, and analysis.
Investment bankers could also serve as financial advisers to CEOs and other high-earning professionals.
17. Corporate Controller ($249,000 to $335,000) – This senior-level position is responsible for managing and reviewing the financial and accounting functions of any company. Corporate controllers oversee billing, accounts payable and receivable, budgeting, and more.
18. Senior Securities Trader ($197,000 to $300,000) – Also known as a share trader, stock investor, stock trader or equity trader, a senior securities trader is someone experienced in buying and selling tradable assets, such as bonds or stocks.
19. Mergers and Acquisitions banker ($300,000 to $550,000) – The role of mergers and acquisitions bankers is to advise companies and execute transactions such as selling businesses to buyers, acquiring smaller companies, or divesting specific divisions or assets from other companies.
Research and Education
20. Professor of medicine ($227,000 to $409,000) – This professor teaches medical students in a university setting the practical experience needed to become future doctors.
21. Microbiologist ($206,000 to $315,000) – Medical biologists identify, treat, and prevent infectious diseases from spreading.
Information Technology
22. T6 software engineer ($250,000 to $536,000) – T6 software engineers are software engineers who lead large teams in developing information systems, installing them, and providing support to the systems they designed.
23. Corporate technology consultant ($,000 to $,000) – Corporate technology consultants provide expert advice to businesses on how to best use technology and software that would benefit their business.
Sometimes, these consultants even help build feature-rich software and tools that are most appropriate for the business to be able to thrive and compete with continuous innovation.
24. Principal software architect ($260,000 to $400,000) – As high-level decision-makers, the principal software architects are responsible for the direction of software design, list of tools to use, and technical standards. They review projects based on customer specifications and work with product managers, engineering teams and clients to bring their architectural visions into reality.
25. Distinguished engineer ($270,000 to $600,000) – Distinguished Engineers are recognized experts in multiple technology domains. They are usually known as problem-solvers with a decade or two of experience. Very few people make it to the level of distinguished engineer.
Military
26. Flight Surgeon ($290,000 to $450,000) – The job of flight surgeons is exceptionally specific – they are the primary care physicians of military aviation personnel.
Sales
27. Freelance real estate agents ($175,000 to $300,000) – Not all real estate agents can say that their jobs pay 300k a year, but some do. If they’re located in a state with high-value real estate (such as New York, Vermont or Texas), they have a name that even regular folk know, their portfolio is extensive, and they own their real estate business, these real estate agents can take home $300k or more.
28. Enterprise IT/software sales ($172,000 to $303,000) – In sales, the more expensive the product or service you sell, the more money you tend to make. One of the most in-demand and high-paying industries salespeople can aim for is enterprise-level software/IT/SaaS and hardware, where average annual salaries are around $150k plus at least $150k as commissions.
29. Pharmaceutical sales representative ($365,000 to $500,000) – Like enterprise IT sales, salespeople involved in the pharmaceutical industry are able to take home over 300k a year thanks to the combination of their yearly salaries and commissions from every sale.
Because we know that big pharma makes billions of dollars each year, sales representatives working for major multinational companies have the capability of earning more than other sales jobs.
A Note about Leadership Jobs that Pay over 300k a Year
What kinds of jobs pay 300k per year?
As you can see from the list above, 300k-a-year jobs are more attainable to senior-level professionals (those who have been working on the same skilled job for over a decade). The qualifications or experience people need to land these jobs are not for fresh grads or entry-level positions.
CEOs, CFOs, managers, supervisors, and team leaders can easily fall under jobs that make 300k a year, but this still depends on the industry, the location of the job, and the person’s qualifications.
Make sure to check high-paying entry-level jobs if you’re looking at career options after high school, or the best jobs for the future if you’re worried about future-proofing.
If you’re looking for a change in your career, maybe these digital nomad jobs and non-phone jobs could help you get the ball running while you work on a better option.