When choosing a career, one of the starting points that many people use is to look at which type of jobs pay the most. Figuring out which jobs are the highest paying isn’t as straightforward as seems. So we decided to clear up a lot of the confusion by putting together this guide to the 25 best paying jobs in America. But before we look at the jobs themselves, let’s consider why some careers pay better than others.
Deciding on a career, you want to be where the action is.
But, more than that, you need to be where the action is and will continue to be. You know what you don’t want: Work hard to qualify for a job, work hard every day, work harder, work hardest, then pfftt!! lose the job for reasons that don’t include you. You’ve heard the (mostly true) stories: Obsolete, outsourced, overseas … The big O’s.
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What should you look for in an entry level job? The company is hiring you to be their employee, at a time in your life when you are full of promise and willing to work hard to prove yourself.
But — in a way, you are also hiring them to be your boss. So think about what you want from the relationship, as well as what they say they want from you.
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“Say they want”? Yes, because we must read job postings carefully. What does a phrase like “show initiative” mean? It could mean that the company recruits potential management from the shop floor. Or it could mean that the company’s managers abandon employees to make decisions with no preparation, authority, or backup. You will probably sense which scenario is more likely from your job interviews.
But for now, let us assume that the offer looks promising. Then you must ask what you want from the job: Here are some questions to wrestle with:
Do you look at your age and think, “But I don’t feel that old”? No surprise there. In 1950, life expectancy for Americans was 68.2 at birth; by 2003, it was 77.5.
Not only are Americans living longer, but they living vigorously enough to continue to work longer. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found in a 2003 survey that 80 percent of baby boomers expected to keep working after the traditional retirement age of 65. Anyway, the work force may still need you: More than half of workers are 40 or older, up from 33 percent in 1980.
Senior Living (about.com) tells us that the four basic reasons people want to keep working later in life are money (to maintain a standard of living), love (of the work itself), fear (of having to adjust to a diminished lifestyle), and friends (your colleagues are a key part of your social life).
One approach to choosing a retirement career is to rate yourself from one to ten (least to most) on each of these four factors, and keep the scores in mind while assessing opportunities.
