Highest-paid jobs in Georgia: Lots require a medical degree


Twenty Highest Paying Jobs in Georgia

Job title ………………..………………………Average Salary ……Number of people

1 Anesthesiologists ………………………………..$269,720 ……….. 560

2 Internists, General …………………………… $260,370 …… 1,440

3 Orthodontists …………………………..……….. $259,400 ………. 130

4 Obstetricians and Gynecologists ………. $253,550 ……….. 720

5 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ………… $236,110 ..………… 50

6 Psychiatrists ………………………………………. $224,560 …………..410

7 Dentists, (Other Specialists) ………….. $221,700 …………..310

8 Physicians and Surgeons …………………… $221,540 ……. 10,600

9 Family and General Practitioners ………. $207,770 ……….3,220

10 Chief Executives ………………………………… $185,480 ………..8,710

11 Dentists, (General) …………………………… $177,540 ………. 2,450

12 Pediatricians ………………………………….….. $173,870 ………..1,050

13 Podiatrists ……………………………………………. $145,950 ………….310

14 Nurse Anesthetists ………………………….….. $141,060 ………….860

15 Financial Managers ………………………………. $135,920 …….15,970

16 Air Traffic Controllers …………………………… $135,530 ……….. 920

17 Physicists ………………………………………………. $133,610 ……..…..90

18 Marketing Managers …………………………….. $132,800 …….. 5,920

19 Architectural and Engineering Managers $132,360 …….… 4,260

20 Compensation and Benefits Managers ….. $131,800 …….. 510

Sources: Zippia, Bureau of Labor Statistics

As W.C. Fields sorta said, a rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. And a medical degree.

At least when it comes to compensation for jobs in Georgia, a bit of medical training – actually, quite a bit – is the most likely way to wend your way to the top of the list. Or, perhaps, you could run the hospital.

Of the ten best-compensated jobs in the state, nine are medical professions and medical specialties and the other is chief executive.

That is, according to a parsing of the government data on jobs and wages, done by San Francisco-based Zippia, an online source of career advice and information.

The company also recently offered a list of the lowest-paying jobs. Lowest-paying full-time job in Georgia is that of a hostess at a restaurant, who averages $17,980 a year. That is, as it happens, one-fifteenth of the top job's average.

An AJC story about the lowest-paying jobs is here.

As for the top of the charts? Anesthesiologist, who averages $269,720 a year, followed by internist, orthodontist, obstetrician and oral surgeon, fifth-highest with an average pay of a paltry $236,110 a year.

Ready to rush out and score yourself a medical degree?

First, one important note: According to Zippia, these gigs may have sweet-looking paychequote from cks, but they not only require many years of schooling and training, and long hours of work with occasionally high stakes and stress and there just aren't that many positions to be had.

For example, there are only 560 anesthesiologists in the state of Georgia.

Now, if it turns out that getting into one of tough-to-attain medical jobs is harder than you expect — say, you have trouble passing organic chemistry — then we recommend another insight from W.C. Fields: "If at first you don't succeeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it."