7 High-Paying Careers Perfect for Today’s Woman

Today’s woman is in a whole different arena than women of even a decade ago and, as a result, women are now highly competitive in just about any profession you can name. Although some statistics still indicate that men with the same level of education and experience net higher incomes for the same jobs, the playing field is finally leveling off. Whether you are a stay at home mom looking at an entry-level healthcare career as a nurses’ assistant or are researching opportunities with long-term advances in mind that will lead to careers in management or administration, here are seven high paying careers perfect for today’s woman.

1. Pharmacist

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks CEOs as higher earners than pharmacists, this isn’t something you could begin thinking about without a good bit of experience in your chosen field. A pharmacist, on the other hand, is something you can step into right out of school and once you’ve passed your state boards. Most often it takes approximately eight years of post-secondary education to become a pharmacist to net an average salary of just over $94,000 annually, but many pharmacists began their careers as pharmacy techs, which is a much shorter course of study.

2. Lawyer

If you are interested in any area of the law, becoming a lawyer can yield a tidy salary with a national average of just under $90,000 per year. Remember, some lawyers make a much higher salary than that while entry-level junior associates may make less. This is the national average for a career that takes about seven years of post-secondary education. However, since an attorney needs to pass the state bar after completing law school, it may take longer than that if that exam isn’t passed successfully on the first attempt.

3. Nurse Practitioner

While this may be your ultimate goal so that you can bring home a salary of about $80,000 per year on average, this is not a position you can step into right out of school. The prerequisites for entering an accredited NP educational program would include having first obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then working at least two years in the field as an RN prior to being admitted into an NP program. Still, this is something to strive for if you want a certain level of autonomy in the field.

4. Software Developer

As greater numbers of women are realizing that math and science aren’t just for men, more and more women are entering into various careers in computer technology. While the national average salary for a software developer is listed at about $73,580 per year, that typically means professionals working for companies and not freelancing. In order to get hired in this position, most companies require someone with at least four years of post-secondary education and at least four years in the field. However, having said that, many of today’s software developers are freelancers working from their own homes and their wages are difficult to assess. With a great deal of fluidity in the field, this may be one for women seeking a professional career they can work from home.

5. Computer Programmer

As with software developers, this is also a rather flexible type of position when it comes to working conditions and rates of pay. Most computer programmers have at least six years of post-secondary education and the national average salary is listed at almost $68,000 per year. Having said that, this is also a career in which many people have chosen to work on a contractual basis from a home-based office, so incomes will vary depending on those factors as well. Sometimes it’s difficult for the BLS to calculate averages when so many people within a field are working as independent contractors.

6. Computer Systems Analyst

This is an odd sort of position in that most employers don’t look for an advanced degree. The typical prerequisites for finding employment as a computer systems analyst are three to five years of a combination of education and field experience. For example, an applicant could have an Associate Degree in Computer Science and have worked in the field for two or three years. This would meet the requirements and they could land a job with an average salary of around $65,000 per year. But, having said that it is always better to have a minimum of a four-year degree if you want to rake in the big bucks.

7. Market Research Analyst

If you are good with facts and figures, becoming a market analyst might be just the job for you. This type of person likes to understand trends and will research until the cows come home. You will generally need at least a four-year degree in market research and many companies require you to begin at an entry-level position in marketing within their firm. However, you must have a well-rounded education in mathematics, as you’ll need to study such courses as quantitative analysis. The reason you will almost always start in an entry-level position is that you’ll also need to have a solid background in distribution channels and in segmenting markets to reach specific audiences. Market analysts earn a median salary of about $63,500 a year but again, experienced analysts can earn double that figure quite easily with experience and a sound client base.

Can You See the Trend in High-Paying Careers?

So then, here you are wondering what you should pursue in order to make a decent living. Can you see the direction high-paying jobs are taking? You may have noticed that there are two distinct categories within the seven careers listed above and those would be healthcare and computer science. If you have the time and means to study for a great paying job, you almost can’t go wrong with any type of job working with computers or in any level of healthcare. Obviously, the higher you progress in education and experience will help you earn higher figures, but to reach that point you need to start climbing now. These are all lucrative careers for today’s woman; it’s only a matter of finding a path that’s right for you.