Your best chances of scoring a six-figure salary are in the technology, consulting and legal fields, according to a recent analysis by Glassdoor.
The career community website found that all of the 15 best-paying companies are in those fields, with nine of them being tech companies.
The top 10 are:
1. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (legal industry)
- Median total compensation: $182,000
- Median base salary: $170,000
2. Netflix (tech)
- Median total compensation: $180,000
- Median base salary: $180,000
3. Strategy& (consulting)
- Median total compensation: $162,000
- Median Base Salary: $135,000
4. McKinsey & Company (consulting)
- Median total compensation: $160,000
- Median base salary: $135,000
5. A.T. Kearney (consulting)
- Median total compensation: $160,000
- Median base salary: $135,000
6. Sidley Austin (legal)
- Median total compensation: $160,000
- Median base salary: $160,000
7. Boston Consulting Group (consulting)
- Median total compensation: $158,463
- Median base salary: $140,000
8. Mozilla (tech)
- Median total compensation: $147,556
- Median base salary: $112,737
9. Good Technology (tech)
- Median total compensation: $147,500
- Median base salary: $136,250
10. Altera (tech)
- Median total compensation: $147,200
- Median base salary: $133,250
Tech jobs pay well primarily because of supply and demand, Glassdoor explains:
Salaries are high largely because of shortages of the highest skilled employees needed to advance business into new realms. Booming demand for software engineers, database administrators and data scientists has far outpaced the supply of these skilled, hard-to-find employees.
Legal and consulting jobs pay well primarily because of what economists call “barriers to entry,” Glassdoor reports:
Attorneys and top consultants have personal contacts, reputations, and specialized skills and knowledge. Many clients stay with the same attorney or consultant for decades at a time. As a result, these employees are even more valuable to their employers.
Even if you landed one of these jobs, though, your nest egg wouldn’t necessarily grow along with your salary.
A recent Harris Poll survey conducted for SunTrust found that 43 percent of high earners aren’t saving enough money to live comfortably in retirement, or are unaware whether their savings are on track.
One in three households that earns at least $75,000 lives paycheck to paycheck at least sometimes, according to a press release issued by SunTrust on Thursday. That statistic dips to one in four for households that earn at least $100,000.
Perhaps this helps explain why nearly one in six NFL players files for bankruptcy.
Are you surprised by which companies made Glassdoor’s list? Or didn’t? Share your thoughts in a comment below or on our Facebook page.
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