A good job pays well, matches your interests and talents, and isn’t overwhelming or stressful. It’s also one that offers room for career growth and provides a satisfying balance between work and family life. While there is no such thing as a perfect job, there are many careers that meet these basic criteria.

Often to qualify for a good job you either need sufficient education or experience. While a college degree is helpful – and sometimes even necessary to get into a highly specialized field — what really makes the difference when it comes to earning six-figures is continuing education and accumulated experience.

Four Careers to Consider

With that in mind, here are four careers to consider that have the potential of helping you earn six figures a year if you have the right background and steadily accumulate knowledge and experience:

1. A Career as a Mortgage Broker

If you want to become a mortgage broker, you should have a marketing or sales background. It’s also helpful — but not necessary — to have a banking background because you will need an understanding of lending rates, terms, and financial institutions.

Your knowledge and skills should include good verbal communication, writing skills, mathematics, and a familiarity with credit reports and credit worthiness.

Since the job is demanding, based on lead generation and helping clients get the loans they need for buying a private residence or commercial property, it makes a huge difference to work with a team like Eagle Home Mortgage, which provides education, marketing and sales support systems.

Personality is a big plus in this career because you have to generate leads and help clients secure the loans they desire. First, you have to explain how a mortgage works and how to improve credit worthiness to clients. Then, working on behalf of the client, you have to patiently search for a lender. If you’re extroverted, friendly, knowledgeable, resourceful, patient, kind, and helpful you have a much higher chance of reaching the upper-income levels.

2. A Career as a Computer Systems Analyst

A computer system analyst pays well because it requires blending knowledge of business with an understanding about information technology (IT).

The primary skill you need is an ability to thoroughly research what a client does in their business. By understanding the details of a client’s business, you can suggest the best technology they need to use to run their organization better.

Besides researching what a client does in their business, you also need to figure out the best solution for their business problems, which means reviewing hardware, software, and network solutions. Ultimately, your mission is to help clients run their company more efficiently and cost-effectively by designing better computer systems for their business processes.

      3. A Career as a Psychiatrist

People often confuse the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and some even think of them as synonymous.

This confusion is understandable since they do fairly much the same thing: helping people resolve their psychological problems, which are either neurotic or psychotic.

However, from the career perspective, there is a huge difference in both the pay and the prestige.

A psychologist is someone who has acquired a Master’s degree pursuing a program like the Marriage and Family Therapist. The pay for this is usually modest, between $30,000 to $50,000 unless one owns a clinic.

Meanwhile, the pay for a psychiatrist is usually within the six-figure range because a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has gone through a psychiatry residency program. Because of this, they are able to charge higher fees, attract more affluent clients and organizations, and are licensed to prescribe medication and recommend hospitalizations. While a psychologist usually helps neurotic people, a psychiatrist often works with psychotic people, those who have delusions and hallucinations.

    4.  A Career as an Orthodontist

President of the American Association of Orthodontists, Robert E. Varner, says that the most rewarding part of being an orthodontist is the moment when patients take their braces off. “When we look at the before and afters, it’s so amazing. It’s really one of the most wonderful parts of the job.”

An orthodontist helps people remedy problems that arise from crooked teeth and improper bites. The reason why this is among the top paying professions is because it is a highly specialized type of dentistry that requires a tremendous amount of formal education and experience to do well.

After examining a patient’s teeth and jaws, an orthodontist designs a plan to help patients use their jaw efficiently, as well as perfect their smiles. Rectifying bites and straightening teeth that have grown askew is done through various appliances, especially braces and retainers. It is expected that the profession will grow by 18 percent up to the year 2024.

Changing Careers

It’s never too late to change careers. Usually, there is a high correlation between a formal education and a well-paying job. This is not necessary, of course, as many famous millionaires have not even gone to high school. However, unless you have an uncanny amount of street smarts and an iron will, your fastest route to financial success is by going back to school and getting the qualifications you need to enter a well-paying career. However, a good education alone does not guarantee success. Once you enter a professional career, you have to keep on acquiring more knowledge, skills, and experience to get to the six-figure mark.

Categories: General