One of the most frustrating aspects of applying for a high-paying job is knowing you’re competing with hundreds of equally capable applicants. This can be disheartening and lower your chances of getting an interview. However, when you apply for a job with fewer applicants, your odds of getting past the resume screening process and securing an interview increase.
Thankfully, there are many highly paid and exciting jobs in various industries with less competition. We’ve chosen 15 of the best jobs with the highest salaries in the least competitive markets in America, with incomes up to $284K.
1. Pediatrician
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Becoming a pediatrician requires four years of undergraduate school and four years of medical school — longer if you choose a subspecialty. Pediatricians work with children, providing medical care and diagnosing their young patients.
The job involves detecting conditions, illnesses, and injuries and prescribing medication and treatment plans based on the assessment of diagnostic tests. The average median salary is $224k+.
2. Mechanical Engineer
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If you have an eye for details and enjoy technology, the role of a mechanical engineer could be the one for you. The job involves designing, building, and testing mechanical systems and developing products for a company. You will also assess problems, such as faulty equipment, and recommend solutions.
The job requires a degree in mechanical engineering, and the average median salary is $95k+.
3. User Experience (UX) Designer
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A UX designer creates a positive user experience (UX) for a company’s products or services. They conduct ongoing software, application, and website tests to ensure the user experience is seamless, user-friendly, and matches a client’s brief.
You will need a bachelor’s degree in design, software engineering, or marketing and a good grasp of UX design principles and tools. The average salary is $110k+.
4. Managing Consultant
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Managing consultants help companies identify and solve issues that may be restricting growth. They guide organizations in improving performance, analyzing the company structure, reducing friction points, and advising on developing specialist skills. The average salary is $97k+.
You will need a high level of problem-solving and analytical skills combined with experience in business, economics, and finance.
5. Compensation and Benefits Manager
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Compensation and benefits managers help organizations ensure that employees receive accurate and fair compensation, including competitive wages and benefits. An experienced management consultant’s job pays an average of $135k+.
You will need a master’s or bachelor’s degree in HR (Human Resources) or business. A background in statistical analysis and finance can increase your chances of a job offer. Ideally, it’s best to gain a few years of work experience in human resources.
6. Family Nurse Practitioner
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A family nurse practitioner has an average salary of $123k+. The job involves helping families with healthcare by using diagnostics, conducting physical examinations, prescribing medication, and developing individual treatment plans for chronic or acute illnesses.
You will need a qualification in an accredited postgraduate, graduate, or doctoral program in Family Nurse Partnership (FNP). After that, you can apply for accreditation with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), which includes 500 supervised clinical practice hours.
7. Finance Director
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The median salary for an experienced finance director is $197k+. You will need a sound understanding of financial management principles and a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, mathematics, economics, or a similar field.
The job involves helping companies plan effective financial strategies, prepare budgets, and analyze performance. You may also be responsible for training accounting and finance staff.
8. Director Of Product Management
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A director of product management runs an organization’s product planning, leads project initiatives, improves processes, creates effective strategies, and monitors market direction. It’s a high-paid job, with an average salary of $195k+.
Job requirements are a bachelor’s degree in economics, product management, business, or related field or an industry-specific qualification, such as computer science.
9. Dentist
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Not everyone wants to spend their working hours looking into people’s mouths, but dentists have one of the highest-paid jobs on this list, with an average salary of $194k+. Dentists manage their patients’ oral care, diagnose oral diseases, advise on dental hygiene, and remove decaying teeth.
It can take about eight years of training, including gaining a bachelor’s degree and time in dental school.
10. Psychiatrist
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Psychiatrists work with patients who have a diagnosis of mental illness, emotional, or behavioral disorders. They acquire a variety of skills and techniques to work with patients. It can take about 12 years to qualify as a psychiatrist, starting with a bachelor’s degree with four years of training and then four years in medical school, followed by a long residency to gain practical experience.
When qualifed, the average salary for a psychiatrist is $250k+.
11. School Principal
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School principals earn about $118k annually. It’s a potentially stressful job with a lot of responsibility. School principals support staff and students, overseeing operations and activities and advising on curriculums and teaching methods. You will need a background in teaching and a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
Some states require a principal to have a school administration license, but requirements can vary by state.
12. Optometrist
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Optometrists are specialists in eye care, with an average salary of $142k+. They are responsible for providing patient vision tests, completing diagnostics, and analyzing results. Depending on patient requirements, they may prescribe glasses or contact lenses.
Job requirements are a bachelor’s degree and completion of a four-year optometry program for a Doctor of Optometry degree.
13. Pharmacy Manager
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Pharmacy managers earn an average salary of $175k+. They supervise daily operations within a pharmacy, manage staff, advise patients, and dispense medications. They are also responsible for reviewing inventory and ensuring drugs are safely stored.
Pharmacy managers need a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. Some companies require their managers to acquire additional education, such as a Ph.D. in pharmacy.
14. Pharmacist
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Pharmacists are responsible for dispensing prescribed drugs, advising patients on possible side effects and recommended dosage, and highlighting potential interactions with other medications. The average salary for a pharmacist is $151k+, and they need a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree.
Admission requirements vary for individual programs, but they may include a bachelor’s degree or pre-pharmacy program.
15. Physician
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Physicians diagnose patient conditions and recommend treatment to improve and maintain health, including prescribing medications and organizing and analyzing diagnostic testing. The average salary for a physician is $230k+ (more for specialists),
Before you can become a physician, you must complete a four-year undergraduate program, four years in medical school, and then undertake a residency, which could be a further three to seven years. In addition, you will need a valid state license.
