March 09--Not surprisingly, it pays to be a doctor or a lawyer. Those occupations topped Glassdoor's list of the highest-paying jobs of 2015.
Doctors earned a median base salary of $180,000 last year, while lawyers pulled in $144,500, according to the company-rating website's survey, which listed 25 of the highest-paying gigs in the country. Also on the list were pharmacy managers, who earned a median base salary of $130,000, and IT managers, who earn a bit less at $120,000 annually.
The survey also lists the number of job openings posted on the site for each of the top-earning jobs on the list.
The job market for lawyers is tighter with 995 job openings, compared with more than 2,000 for physicians. A few of the jobs listed weren't management positions, including data architect (median base salary $113,00); data scientist (median base salary 115,000); actuary (median base salary 115,000); and pharmacist (median base salary $118,000).
Glassdoor said the report is designed to help people get a better sense of which jobs pay the biggest salaries, since 68 percent of people say that take-home pay is among their top concerns before accepting a job.
"This report reinforces that high pay continues to be tied to in-demand skills, higher education and working in jobs that are protected from competition or automation. This is why we see several jobs within the technology and health care industries," said Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor chief economist, in a statement.
Chamberlain noted however, that Glassdoor's research shows "that a big paycheck isn't necessarily tied to long-term satisfaction in your job," Instead, what matters is the company's culture and values, career opportunities, and trust in senior leadership, he said.
Glassdoor considered job titles that had at least 75 salary reports shared by U.S.-based employees over the past year. C-suite level jobs were excluded from the report.
Top 10 highest-paying jobs
Physician
Median Base Salary: $180,000
Number of Job Openings: 2,064
Lawyer
Median Base Salary: $144,500
Number of Job Openings: 995
Research Development Manager
Median Base Salary: $142,120
Number of Job Openings: 112
Software Development Manager
Median Base Salary: $132,000
Number of Job Openings: 3,495
Pharmacy Manager
Median Base Salary: $130,000
Number of Job Openings: 1,766
Strategy Manager
Median Base Salary: $130,000
Number of Job Openings: 701
Software Architect
Median Base Salary: $128,250
Number of Job Openings: 655
Integrated Circuit Designer Engineer
Median Base Salary: $127,500
Number of Job Openings: 165
IT Manager
Median Base Salary: $120,000
Number of Job Openings: 3,152
Solutions Architect
Median Base Salary: $120,000
Number of Job Openings: 2,838
crshropshire@tribpub.com
