Mean Income: $84,146 Top 10%: $122,950
Air traffic controllers get paid a great salary because they are responsible for the difference between a great commercial flight and a full-blown national disaster. The job includes monitoring weather changes, staying on top of flight schedules, and being in constant communication with the pilots. Air traffic controllers are required to have an almost unlimited capacity to stay focused and alert throughout their shift.
To work in air traffic control, you’ll need to be a U.S. citizen and pass rigorous background and medical examinations. Many companies prefer to hire people with past military experience, but it’s not mandatory. You also must have an aviation degree or go through the FAA’s Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative program.
Makeup Artists: Theatrical And Performance
Mean Income: $63,710 Top 10%: $120,050
People with a passion for makeup have an almost unlimited abundance of opportunities nowadays, as anyone can start a YouTube channel and become rich and famous. Unfortunately, as opportunities show up, so does the competition. If you want to get a job or have a freelance business as a theatrical or performance makeup artist, you better know what you’re doing.
To become a full-time makeup artist, you’ll have to get a cosmetology license. Good luck though, because the competition is tough and it might take a while to become really successful.
Virtual Assistant
Mean Income: $61,075 Top 10%: $120,000
The profession of being a virtual assistant has been steadily on the rise in recent years, as the internet opened up that possibility for just about anyone. You can find people in the Philippines offering to sell you their time for as low as $2 an hour, but truly experienced, disciplined, and talented virtual assistants can often charge as much as $100 an hour.
You really don’t need anything to enter this field, and can simply create an Upwork profile and get started. Things that will help you find high-end jobs in this industry are great marketing skills, having a full stack of skills, and a great resume of administrative jobs.
Technical Writers
Mean Income: $67,280 Top 10%: $102,250
Technical writers are highly detail-oriented and get paid to write extremely precise documents. Every company that sells a product needs one, and finding technical writers that are skilled and dedicated is not easy. If you’re very good at writing and communicating, and have an extremely precise ability to pay attention to detail, this six-figure job is perfect for you.
Technical writers are often required to have a Bachelor's degree in either communications, writing, English, journalism, or the specific field in which the company operates. Being a great writer, having a portfolio, and showing your potential employer that you are fluent in the language of their business will give you a massive advantage when trying to land this job.
Technical Lead
Mean Income: $107,657 Top 10%: $209,000
Imagine being the quarterback of a winning NFL team. Add a lot of nerdiness, and you’ve just become a technical lead. This is an extremely complicated job, and it requires both a mastery of programming and highly developed leadership skills. This is a very rare combination, which is why they get paid so well.
Tech leads are also often guaranteed stocks and shares in companies, which is why many of them end up very rich despite not being the founders of a given company. While a master’s degree is often required for the job, you might still get by without one in a field as dynamic as tech, assuming you’ve can truly impress and actually deliver the goods.