Mean Income: $108,771 Top 10%: $139,523
People today not only don’t appreciate libraries enough, but they have also stopped visiting them altogether. These prestigious bodies of knowledge contain much of the world’s literature and are an incredible place to sit down and work quietly. Being the supervisor of a library is also cool, as it gives you the responsibility of hiring, educating, and managing library staff.
You’ll get to spend most of your time at the library, which depending on your taste, is either the best use of your time or a complete bore-fest. You’ll need at least a few years of experience working in libraries and using their systems to qualify for the job. Also, being very customer-oriented and a good manager helps too.
Speech Writer
Mean Income: $106,020 Top 10%: $185,613
Being a speechwriter is an extremely cool job if you can do it. It’s an unbelievable honor when you realize that some of the world’s most successful people are reading the speeches you wrote for them for the whole world to hear.
Things you’ll need in order to become a successful speechwriter include the ability to communicate clearly with a lot of emotions, being able to convey principles and messages in short sentences, and a strong grasp of human psychology and trends in business and politics. If you’ve always wanted to do public speaking but prefer to avoid the people staring at you, this is definitely the gig for you.
Registered Nurse
Mean Income: $76,000 Top 10%: $116,000
If you don’t mind forfeiting much of your days, giving up the idea of a good night’s sleep, and watching doctors take credit for your hard labor, you might have what it takes to become a registered nurse. It also helps if you’re very passionate about helping people, and being able to calmly deal with hysterical patients.
To get the job you’ll need a Master’s degree in nursing or a related area, and a license provided by the state you’re in. Needless to say, the more experience you have in the medical field, the easier it will be to get hired as a registered nurse and start bringing in those paychecks.
Geophysicist
Mean Income: $91,763 Top 10%: $183,703
Geophysicists are highly proficient at studying and analyzing the earth’s patterns, after which, they use that vast knowledge to make discoveries and predictions. If you have a love for mother nature and a scientific mind, this job is very exciting, and also earns six figures annually.
For entry-level positions in the field, you’ll need your basic Bachelor’s degree. However, in order to get to some of the highest levels of responsibility (and salary) of the job, you’ll definitely need a master’s degree in the field. So if you have one of those kids who bring leaves and dirt home from kindergarten each day, just know there’s hope for them.
Film and Video Editors
Mean Income: $66,690 Top 10%: $126,250
If you’ve got a passion for editing films and videos, you should know that nowadays this field is a lot easier to get into than most people think. The challenge is to find a job at a high-end organization instead of an amateur one — that’s a matter of skills, luck, tenacity, and connections.
Most studios and companies would require you to have some sort of a degree in the subject or at least a really good demo reel. You’ll also need to learn various Adobe software, including After Effects, Premier, Auditions, and others. Luckily, Adobe caters to students, so you don't have to shell out much to learn the software.