Being able to save years of study and debt by skipping college in favor of a $200,000 job that lets you work from home right out of high school sounds like a dream. That’s because it is.
While companies are increasingly dropping their degree requirements and allowing workers to remotely apply for their shifts, don’t be fooled into thinking these jobs will bring you the big bucks.
At least that’s according to Ladder. A career website for six-figure jobs analyzed the highest-paying positions posted on its platform and found that the availability of remote work and degree requirements had the biggest impact on the highest salaries.
In fact, only about 12% of the highest paying jobs listed on the website are remote.
What’s more, most of the highest-paying positions on the platform are in the medical field, which is notorious for requiring years of dedicated study to enter.
“The data shows that if you want the best-paying jobs currently available, you should have a college degree and expect to work in person,” John Mullinix, director of marketing at Ladders, who led the research team, said in the report. “If you’re willing to do those two things, you’re going to face little competition for jobs in your field.”
Remote work has fallen out of favor with bosses
On the heels of the pandemic, companies have spent 2021 luring talent with fat salaries and sweet work-from-home perks, especially in the tech scene.
During “Big resignation,” workers jumped on their way to higher pay at a rate not seen in decades—with 50.5 million peopleor roughly one-third of the US workforce, will leave their jobs in 2022.
Since then, bosses have changed the way they work remotely and started returning his promises that workers are never forced back into the office. Now they are even linking salary and promotion with facial expression.
Ladders data shows telecommuting opportunities for top earners have fallen every quarter since the third quarter of 2022.
Remote postings for jobs paying $200,000 or more fell from 37% to just 12% between Q3 2022 and Q4 2023. Meanwhile, top-paying jobs that require in-person work rose from 59% of postings in Q3 2022 to almost 85% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
While there is a general belief that the tech world offers more flexibility compared to corporate companies and traditional occupations, the percentage shift between in-person and remote roles offering more than $200,000 was almost identical in tech and non-tech sectors.
“Research has shown that candidates increasingly have to choose between leaving with the highest salary or staying at home,” Mullinix concluded.
Top 20 Jobs Paying $200,000 or More
1. Family medicine doctor/general practitioner
2. Dentist – DDS / DMD
3. General dentist
4. Primary care physician
5. Associate dentist
6. Doctor
7. Chief software engineer
8. Senior software engineer
9. Family medicine doctor
10. Psychiatrist
11. Sales representative
12. Outpatient psychiatrist
13. Vice President of Public Relations, Cyber Security
14. Psychiatrist for adults
15. Dentist
16. OGC | Deloitte’s legal advisor for automated systems and artificial intelligence
17. Dentist – DDS/DMD
18. Program engineer III
19. SAP CPQ Senior Consultant
20. Seasonal Tax Delivery Manager – Global Services for Employers
The top five positions paying more than $200,000 are all in the medical field, with dental roles appearing most often and general practitioners taking the top spot.
Part of the reason for this, the researchers explain, is that competition for such jobs is weak.
It can last up to 11 years becoming a doctor, with a grueling amount of study and years of on-the-job training. As a result, there are a limited number of people willing to endure such rigor before landing their dream gig.
However, the demand for medical professionals is only growing – forcing hospitals to throw money at the problem.
“Healthcare jobs make up such a large proportion of jobs that pay $200,000 or more because there aren’t enough professionals to fill those roles,” Mullinix said. “Given America’s aging population and the increasing need for medical professionals, I expect healthcare to remain a top high-paying job for decades to come.”
A version of this story was originally published on Fortune.com on February 23, 2024.
