By Kate Lorenz, www.TheWorkBuzz.com, CareerBuilder's job seeker blog
Last month, I wrote a post about 50 jobs that pay $50,000 or more and a lot of you commented that you wanted to see jobs that pay that amount at the entry level.
I did some detective work and found 20 jobs whose entry-level salaries range from $41,000 to $77,000 a year. Compare these to the national mean of $41,231 for all workers and that's a nice chunk of change for starting out in a new career.
One thing to keep in mind: While there are jobs that pay well at the entry-level, that pay is usually related to education. If you want a high starting salary, you'll have to do your homework ... literally. Certifications, post-secondary education and baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees are usually needed for these jobs.
Here are 20 jobs with high entry-level salaries, according to SalaryExpert.com, which powers CBSalary.com:
1. ERI Specialist
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $41,680
2. Scientific Artist
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $43,053
3. Veterans Service Officer
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $44,319
4. Developmental Psychologist
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $45,241
5. Medical Social Researcher
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $47,594
6. Product Marketing Engineer
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $53,156
7. Compensation Analyst
Industry: Health care
Annual salary: $54,568
8. Industrial Health Engineer
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $54,716
9. Sales Engineering Agent
Industry: Sales
Annual salary: $55,693
10. Marine Engineering Machinist
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $58,177
11. Athlete Agent
Industry: Sales
Annual salary: $59,879
12. e-Commerce Business Analyst
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $60,022
13. Hydraulic Engineer
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $60,729
14. Systems Administrator
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $63,209
15. Industrial Engineer
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $65,600
16. Computer Information Scientist
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $65,624
17. Web Developer
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $66,861
18. MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)
Industry: Engineering
Annual salary: $71,935
19. Systems Analyst Lead
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $74,518
20. Software Developer
Industry: IT
Annual salary: $77,511
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Search by Company | Search by IndustryKate Lorenz is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, TheWorkBuzz.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
Oct 28th 2009 @ 8:59PM stephen
fyi
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 3:03PM Joe B
One of the best areas to find a job, even in this economy is law enforcement. It pays well, is, for the most part, steady with plenty of OT, Pensions are still part of the benifits (unlike most private sector jobs) and there is room for advancement. The selection process may take time and can be very tough, including initial training. A good example of how much people are needed in this career field, look, for example at Memphis Tn, they need as amny as 500 new recruits in the next few years.
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 3:21PM JC
I have lost a job paying very well, and hat to take a positon 40K less than what I was making, just a few short months ago. I do not have a college degree, so this puts me as an out cast in the ever growing jobless market, where can I start to look, and what entry level jobs can I find with over 10 years of AP/AR and no degree that are paying at least 50K?
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:10PM JC
Accountst Payable / Receivable
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:30PM hope
I would try the medical field, my friend works for apollo college placing medical students in externships and job placements and she said that medical field always has a high demand and turnover rate for billing/paperwork positions and that billing/coding positions are very $$ valuable and hard to fill... she even just busts out a phonebook and just starts calling every dr. office to ask about job openings so maybe try the jobing.com/monster.com websites and maybe just try to call... hopefully this helps :)
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:37PM JC
Thanks Hope, I have tired the medical route, but am always told I need to have medical coding/billing exp. Hmmm I'm just at a loss, and while unemployment rates climb to almost 10% in SF its getting harder to find anything other than a cashier at Walgreens!
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 8:53PM Kim
JC, coming from an HR/hiring standpoint and also laid off right now, don't worry! When I received and sorted through resume's those with on the job experience were just as likely to be contacted for interviews as those with a BA or a Masters. Bottom line is if you're a good fit, your a good fit period.
The purchasing and AP/AR fields are relatively high in demand so I don't anticipate you being unemployed very long. I would suggest that you take advantage of Obama's educational stimulous pkg and your states' "no worker left behind" agency (if there is one available) and get certified. This should make you feel better. In my world, hiring non college grads seemed to work very well for my company. Sure they were paid less but not by very much.
For those of you who are posting phony "work at home ads", you are just giving the unemployed false hope. I do not understand the reasoning behind it, but you should be ashamed of yourselves. For those of you who really want to take a closer look, try Elance for at home contract/bid work or Convergys. I've been researching too and these two are the only two legitimate sites that I've found so far. Good luck to us all.
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 3:51PM Dave
All 20 positions mentioned above are hardly 'entry-level.'
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 3:51PM GaryG
If you are born into the right family, your entry level job might just net you $500,000.00 like Chelsea Clinton. That was most likely her very first job her entire life.
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 8:38PM Borisbadenovisback
Correctomento: it is NEVER what you know but WHO you know.
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:15PM Leon
a few hypothetical questions:
What if 6 million americans suddenly went to school and got a degree in those fields? Do you think there would still be enough job openings at that price medium?
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:20PM BH
Actuarial Student or Assistant Actuary Level 1 positions also pay in this range.
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:23PM Tom
This list misses one of the highest-paying entry level jobs, obtainable with an undergraduate degree from one of our maritime universities: merchant marine officer. In the Gulf Coast, where I teach, entry level jobs for these graduates START at $90K per year and go up.
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:52PM grant
An officer in the US Military will start at 31k, but with housing allowance and other benefits, your looking at around 45-50k. I just branched Transportation corps, if I work in Northern VA, my housing allowance would be close to 2k a month on top of my base pay. :) Go Army, Go ROTC get a free degree
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:02PM smart0672
Beware of scammers who are looking for their preys and disguising in these blog as genuine victims and then claiming Internet Jobs heled them...all humbug!!
Please bloggers be aware of these internet work from home sammers on the blogs actively promoting their gimmicks!!!
Reply
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:04PM smart0672
Beware of scammers who are looking for their preys and disguising in these blog as genuine victims and then claiming Internet Jobs heled them...all humbug!!
Please bloggers be aware of these internet work from home scammers on the blogs actively promoting their gimmicks!!!
Reply
Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:05PM smart0672
Beware of scammers who are looking for their preys and disguising in these blog as genuine victims of the recession and then claiming Internet Jobs helped them...all humbug!!
Please bloggers be aware of these internet work from home scammers on the blogs actively promoting their gimmicks!!!
Reply
Oct 24th 2009 @ 4:03AM jl
Kate - I think your data is flawed. What do BS(4 yr) or MS(5-6yr) entry level engineers earn, for example - biomedical, electrical, mechanical or petroleum engineers?
You don't have to be a Clinton, be able to spell or spned 7 yrs in school to earn big bucks. You might have to fail differential equations once or twice, and work a few math problems, but our economy needs more problem solvers and fewer law suits.
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:13PM Patty
Ditto on the job searching blues - I have well over 20 years in Business Dev in Construction Managment - I am willing to work anywhere and answer phones at this point. I have been searching diligently for well over a year and really do not where to turn at this point - Ieven hired someone to "re-do" the resume; sent it to hundreds and hundreds of sites and recruiters - SOS
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Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:15PM bill
Bullshit. Preying on the desparate. You should be ashamed.
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