When news broke that Kylie Jenner is on track to become the youngest self-made billionaire, and is a female, it kind of turned the entire world on its head. Crushing the world of beauty with a simple idea to do a lip kit and having a strong social media following behind her, it was easy to translate those likes into lots dollar signs.
While Jenner’s success has sailed women forward as deserving placeholders of high earnings, not every female will reach those epic numbers of money and popularity. Back here in the “real world,” the high-paying jobs for women are a little less glamorous, but important, impressive and require a lot of smarts for decision-making. If you have big aspirations to be a sky high female earner, here are the top tier positions you can set your sights on.
Engineer
Median annual salary in United States: $68,237
Civil, mechanical, computer, electrical and chemical engineering all fall under the umbrella of this high end “handy girl” profession. Responsible for the maintenance, repair, ongoing modifications and improvements of chemical, electrical, computer, mechanical, and other physical structures, this is a high-demand job that not only offers security, but pretty cool opportunities that aren’t going away anytime soon.
Software Developer
Median annual salary in United States: $80,756
Research, design, programming and testing of computer software is, in a nutshell, the job responsibilities associated with this high-paying technology role. Creating new computer programs, analyzing user habits and modifying existing software to meet their needs is actually pretty exciting when you think about how you’re controlling how humanity interacts with the world wide web.
Information Technology Managers
Median annual salary in United States: $87,360
Working with computer hardware, software, web design database development and troubleshooting during computer related projects is just a fancy way of saying you’re everyone’s favorite person in the office when something goes haywire at their workstation. That’s why having keen technical skills is so important these days.
Pharmacist
Median annual salary in United States: $95,628
There’s a lot of poppin’ bottles in this professions, but it’s not the fun kind. Filling prescriptions, giving proper instructions and making sure medications are managed takes compassion. Understanding and practicing patience when dealing day-to-day with people in pain is a tough skill that a pharmacist needs.
Human Resources Manager
Median annual salary in United States: $100,647
Working in Human Resources is kind of like being a den mother. Making vital hiring decisions, ensuring rules of conduct are followed, having strong relationships with all departments and being able to capably train new hires on common workplace practices are all part of the job. Serving as the calm eye of the storm, being able to mediate and resolve conflicts between coworkers, are sought after skills with a nice payoff, which is why an HR Manager falls on the list of high-paying jobs for women.
Physician Assistant
Median annual salary in United States: $103,149
You might be surprised at how much a Physician Assistant makes — I know I was! — but, just because you don’t have the “doctor” title, doesn’t mean you won’t deal with some tough stuff. Working in hospitals, healthcare facilities and group medical practices, PAs assess the medical status of patients, diagnose illnesses and injuries, as well as consult and refer more precarious cases to physicians, surgeons and specialists.
Nurse Practitioner
Median annual salary in United States: $104,770
Serving as the touchstone of patient care, nurse practitioners keep those who are sick and injured get as stable and comfortable as possible. Working with and independently of physicians, they often serve as the primary and specialty care givers to those who are ailing.
Lawyer
Median annual salary in United States: $164,000 to $246,250 at large firms
It’s a bit of a blanket statement to add lawyer to the list of high-paying jobs for women when there are so many facets of lawyering. From entertainment to personal injury, it’s a world of opportunity to fight for what’s right and make a solid living. Just remember, it’s four years of college, three years of law school and then passing your state’s bar exam to work professionally.
Physician
Median annual salary in United States: $203,000
For a general practitioner of medicine, diagnosing, prescribing and, sometimes, operating on patients is all in a days work. Selflessly giving your time to care for the well-being of others is worth every penny of the healthy paycheck that you’ll get in return. Serving as a sort of “human body mechanic” is a job that keeps humanity healthy and the world spinning ’round.
CEO
Median annual salary in United States: $13,093,444
Being a CEO is about as close as you’re going to get to having Kylie Jenner business status. While it’s a ton of work, the payoff is great for women. Out-waging men in this category, it takes a lot of time, smarts and dedication to run major corporations and oversee all aspects of operations, while finding ways to increase revenue and continue company growth. But you’ll know that you’ve truly earned that sweet, sweet paycheck once you reach this level.
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