10 Highest Paying Jobs in the World

Here is the list of 10 highest paying jobs in the world.

We all probably dream about having a job that brings a lot of money, and that is one of the first things on our minds after a job interview or after we get an opportunity to start working. Some of the people will refuse the job if they are not satisfied with the salary, while some other will be forced to accept anything if they are desperately searching for something to do. However, the biggest mistake is constantly searching for an ideal job that pays well, while forgetting to work on ourselves, improve our skill or learn something new. I don’t think that simply having a degree will bring you the best job in the world, but if you learn an additional language, attend various courses and expand your knowledge on certain topics, this will make you an ideal employee that anyone would hire.

Generally speaking, most of the people are still not satisfied with their job positions, and the statistics actually says that 30% of Americans are not happy with what they do, but they simply work for the sake of surviving. However, this also depends on various socio-economic factors, and the same research also deals with that issue. For example, only 39% of people whose annual income is less than $30,000 claimed that they are satisfied with their job, while the number of people satisfied with their annual income of more than $75,000 is 59%.  It was also quite interesting for me to read the discussion on how satisfied people are with their current jobs, and basically, the conclusion is that most of them needed to change many positions until they found the most convenient one. Also, salary is mentioned as one of the most important factors, again confirming that, no matter what we do, we want to be paid well.

In order to make the list of highest paying jobs in the world, I gathered the ideas from Reddit and Quora, and additionally, I focused on some jobs usually marked as highly paid, checking the average salary on PayScale and Glassdoor. I made sure to get the newest data, from 2016 and 2017, so that we can make a comparison with the list of Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in the World from 2015. Of course, not all of the countries pay the same amount for one position, since some of them are in bigger demand for certain jobs, while some others are not. Taking that into consideration, I provided the average salary for each of these jobs, but I also managed to find the highest-paying countries for almost each of them, thanks to our former Insider Monkey lists.

Let’s see what are the highest paying jobs in the world.

10. Petroleum Engineer

$130,050

Believe it or not, petroleum engineers are among highest paid engineers in the world. In order to become one, you must obtain a Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and you will need to have an excellent performance in chemistry, physics, and other natural sciences subjects. On this job, you will have a lot of work both in a field and in a lab.  The main job of petroleum engineers is designing and developing various functional methods for gas and oil extraction below the Earth, and although they mostly work in offices and labs, they must spend most of their time overseas on offshore platforms, which may be a little bit demanding. Besides the average salary provided, it is important to note that a petroleum engineer in Norway may earn up to $228,500.

9. Pilot

$140,260

Being a pilot is probably one of the most exciting jobs, but it is also very responsible and very complex. In order to become a pilot, you must go through several procedures that you must fulfill devotedly. Although there is not a specific degree for pilots, if you graduate in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or any other similar field, it would be much easier to go on. After getting the degree, you need to obtain 250 hours of flight experience and to gain pilot’s license afterward, by passing certain training and tests. Pilots also have rankings, so after some years of experience, you may become a captain. The highest paying country for pilots is Bahrain, where you may earn up to $159,164.

8. Dentist

$146,340

I personally don’t like dentists and I know many people who feel the same way, but we have to admit that being a dentist today is probably one of the best jobs one may have. However, after reading what a person needs to finish in order to become one, I realized why this job can never be overpaid. First, you need to get a Bachelor’s degree and then finish the dental degree program. After that, you need to gain the license, and you may establish your own dental clinic or work within public or private hospitals as a dentist. Generally speaking, besides the average salary, the highest paying country for dentists is Spain, with $176,000.

7. Chief Executive Officers

$166,548

You don’t even have to know what the position exactly means, but when you hear that someone is a CEO, you have a lot of respect for that person, since you know that it’s something very important. In short, being a CEO means that you are completely in charge of the development of the strategy in the company you work for, and you have to think about the implementation of those strategies in long or short terms. Generally speaking, there are no specific degrees in this regards, but if the company you apply for has something to do with health, IT, art, beauty, it will be useful to have a Bachelor’s from that field. Additional experience and past achievements are the most important. The highest paying country for CEOs is the United States, but generally, this is one of those jobs that are well paid everywhere in the world.

6. Senior Level Corporate Executive

$173,320

Although this is a highly stressful and demanding job, it is definitely one of the highest paying jobs in the world, so you should not lose your motivation before you learn more. Basically, the job of senior level corporate executives is to run the company and they need to take care of the organizational and administrative issues within the company, as well as about the presentation of the company in the world. Generally speaking, no specific degree is needed, although you need to have one, but the previous experience is what matter the most in this case. Again, although the average salary is provided, this is also one of those jobs that are well paid worldwide.

5. Psychiatrist

$182,700

Maybe it is a little bit ironic to put it this way, but we live in the world where psychiatrists have never had more work than they have today. In short, psychiatrists, the number 5 on our list of highest paying jobs in the world are actually medical workers who are in charge of treating mental illnesses, as well as diagnosing them properly. This is also a very stressful job, and in order to become a psychiatrist, you need to have a medical degree, as well as specialization and license in psychiatry. The United States are the leaders when it comes to the salary, and especially the state of California, where the average salary for psychiatrists is $250,090.

4. Physician

$183,639

We could not live without physicians and that’s why they are very well paid and highly appreciated everywhere in the world. Generally speaking, physicians are there to diagnose various medical conditions, to treat them and to follow patients’ performances and illness histories. In order to become a physician, you must earn a medical degree minimum, but afterward, you may get a specialization. Also, you need to be licensed in order to be able to work in public or private hospitals. Although the average salary is already high enough, the Netherlands is a leading country when it comes to physicians, and they are paid $253,000.

3. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

$207,987

We are continuing our list of highest paying jobs in the world with oral surgeons that are in charge of performing surgeries and other complex procedures, in order to fix certain injuries or defects of the oral and maxillofacial regions. Besides having a dental degree, in order to become oral surgeon, you must have surgical specialization of the dental profession. As seen from the average salary for this position, this is a highly paid job, but the highest paying country for oral and maxillofacial surgeons is the United States, more precisely, the state of Utah, where the salary goes up to $253,490.

2. Anesthesiologist

$269,612

None of the surgeries, complex or not, could be performed without anesthesiologists that ranked second on our list of highest paying jobs in the world. Generally speaking, the job of anesthesiologists consists of making people sleep before their surgeries, so they don’t feel any of the procedures ongoing. In order to become an anesthesiologist, you must finish a medical school and complete a four-year anesthesiology residency program after that. Although the salary for this job positions is more than amazing, if you go to Iowa, you may expect to be paid even up to $307,663.

1. Neurosurgeon

$380,378

Even though all of the jobs in the medical fields are responsible, demanding and at some points very risky, neurosurgeons are probably on the top when it comes to responsibility and hard job. They deal with the most sensitive organ in our body – brain – and performing surgery on it demands high concentration, knowledge, and largely developed skills. Besides the medical degree, you need to finish the specialization and to get the license for working. If you look at the average salary, you will realize that this is a great job, but if you are a neurosurgeon in the United States, you may be able to receive up to $540,000, being the reason why this job is on the top of our list of highest paying jobs in the world.