57 Highest Paying Jobs To Pursue in 2020

Whether you are new to the job market or plan to change careers, the one thing that inevitably interests you is the pay range. Just how much can you earn by doing X or Z? Freesumes team decided to do some serious digging and prepared this data-backed list of in-demand, well-compensated jobs.

Buckle up and let’s take a close look at different groups of the highest paying jobs in America. 

The 20 Highest Paying Jobs and Job Niches in 2020

Salaries are often dictated by the skills demand and rarity. People with in-demand, niche skills can command higher rates, while “generalists” usually receive less attractive offers. Boston Consulting Group recently published a massive study showcasing which skills are in the highest demand and how this reflects on the offered compensation.

Below is a list of high growth jobs that pay $70,000 annually or more:

1. Application software developers – median base salary: $106,710
2. Database Administrator – median base salary: $86,996
3. Civil Engineer – median base salary: $86,141
4. Information Security Analyst – median base salary:$82,200
5. Occupational Therapist – median base salary: $80,943
6. Registered nurses – median base salary: $73,550
7. General and operations manager – median base salary: $71,424
8. Computer Systems Analyst – median base salary: $71,230

In addition, Business Insider also suggests that the following jobs will experience significant growth in 2020 and onward. Similarly, the list includes the top paying ones:

9. Family and general practitioners  – median base salary: $198,740
10. Dentists – median base salary: $151,440
11. Computer and information systems managers – median base salary: $139,220
12. Financial managers – median base salary:$125,080
13. Lawyers – median base salary: $119,250
14. Physician assistants – median base salary: $104,860
15. Nurse practitioners – median base salary: $103,880
16. Medical and health services managers – median base salary: $98,350
17. Postsecondary health specialties teachers – median base salary: $97,870
18. Construction managers  – median base salary: $91,370
19. Physical therapists – median base salary:  $86,850
20. Management analysts – median base salary:$82,450

8 Highest Paying Part-Time Jobs

For those who want to earn a good paycheck without clocking in 40+ hours per week, the prospects are great too.  Flexjobs just released their annual report showcasing who is hiring for “flexible” positions in 2020. By flexible work the company means:

• Remote part-time and full-time jobs
• Freelance (contract) jobs
• Jobs with flexible schedules or alternative work hours.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of tech companies among “flexible” employers. However, a number of healthcare, educational and scientific organizations are also hiring for part-time roles, both in-house and remote. Here is a list of part-time jobs offering great pay as per Flexjobs:

1. Exam Prep and College Course Instructors: (grab a teacher resume example to help you with writing)
2. Project Managers and Project Coordinators
3. Back-end and front-end developers (we also have a resume example for engineering positions)
4. Technical Writer
5. Visual and graphic designers (check our graphic designer resume example if you are feeling stuck)
6. Food Photographer
7. SEO Manager/Digital Marketing Manager
8. Business System Analyst

17 Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree

A college degree does not always equal higher pay and better employment prospects. Today, with the rise of e-Learning and alternative education, most employers are increasingly willing to hire experienced candidates without traditional educational credentials.

Here’s proof: according to CNBC, the following jobs pay over $79,000 per year that do not require you to have a degree:

1. Media and communication equipment workers
2. Power plant operator
3. Elevator installers and repairers
4. Powerhouse, substation, and relay electrical and electronics repairers
5. Detectives and criminal investigators
6. Commercial pilots (note: you’ll need to obtain a license though)
7. Power distributors and dispatchers
8. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
9. Nuclear power reactor operators
10. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

And we’d like to add a few more other well-compensated career options you can easily pursue without graduating from college:

11. Real estate agent (also one of the highest paying part-time jobs!)
12. Property manager
13. Website developer (there’s plenty of free and paid coding courses available today)
14. Commercial Makeup Artist
15. Personal Stylist/Shopper
16. Flight Attendant (certification required)
17. Sales Representative

12 Highest Paying Entry-Level Jobs

Being new to the workforce doesn’t mean you should settle for a meager paycheck. According to Glassdoor, fresh graduates earn $50,004 on average as their first salary. However, compensation in the in-demand niches such as finance and tech is way above that figure. Just how much are we talking? Here are the numbers.

1. Data scientists – median base entry-level salary of $95,000.
2. Software engineer – median base entry-level salary of $90,000
3. Product manager  – median base entry-level salary of $89,000
4. Investment banking analyst – median base entry-level salary of $85,000
5. Product Designer – median base entry-level salary of $85,000
6. UX Designer – median base entry-level salary of $73,000
7. Implementation Consultant – median base entry-level salary of $72,000
8. Java Developer – median base entry-level salary of $72,000
9. Systems Engineer – median base entry-level salary of $70,000
10. Software Developer – median base entry-level salary of $68,600
11. Process Engineer – median base entry-level salary of $68,258
12. Front End Developer – median base entry-level salary of $67,500

Wrap Up 

Tech, healthcare, finance, legal and management are among the highest-paid job niches. Creative jobs in design and marketing also hold great potential salary-wise. And those with strong mechanical engineering skills can also count on a good paycheck (even if they don’t have a degree).

Planning to get serious with your job search in 2020? Don’t forget to grab a free resume template from our team to pack an extra punch in your job application!