MONEY Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects.

Rank Career
(click for CNNMoney.com snapshot) Job growth
(10-yr forecast) Average pay
(salary and bonus)
1 Software engineer 46.07% $80,427
2 College professor 31.39% $81,491
3 Financial advisor 25.92% $122,462
4 Human resources manager 23.47% $73,731
5 Physician assistant 49.65% $75,117
6 Market research analyst 20.19% $82,317
7 Computer/IT analyst 36.10% $83,427
8 Real estate appraiser 22.78% $66,216
9 Pharmacist 24.57% $91,998
10 Psychologist 19.14% $66,359
11 Advertising manager 20.34% $107,049
12 Physical therapist 36.74% $54,883
13 Technical writer 23.22% $57,841
14 Chiropractor 22.40% $84,996
15 Medical scientist 34.06% $70,053
16 Physical scientist 12.18% $80,213
17 Engineer 13.38% $76,100
18 Curriculum developer 27.53% $55,793
19 Editor 14.77% $78,242
20 Public relations specialist 22.61% $84,567
21 Sales manager 19.67% $135,903
22 Optometrist 19.73% $93,670
23 Property manager 15.30% $78,375
24 Actuary 23.16% $81,509
25 Writer 17.72% $60,519
26 Social service manager 25.52% $74,584
27 Paralegal 29.75% $61,204
28 Health services manager 22.76% $92,211
29 Advertising sales agent 16.33% $112,683
30 Physician/Surgeon 23.98% $247,536
31 Management analyst 20.12% $63,426
32 Occupational therapist 33.61% $51,973
33 Mental health counselor 27.18% $53,150
34 Landscape architect 19.43% $50,383
35 Biotechnology research scientist 17.05% $66,393
36 Urban planner 15.17% $60,891
37 Lawyer 14.97% $153,923
38 Speech-language pathologist 14.57% $58,329
39 Meeting and convention planner 22.21% $56,072
40 Dietitian/Nutritionist 18.30% $52,244
41 Biological scientist 17.03% $61,317
42 Financial analyst 17.33% $66,203
43 Dentist 13.52% $122,883
44 Accountant 22.43% $62,575
45 Environmental scientist 17.11% $59,027
46 Lab technologist 20.53% $51,502
47 Registered nurse 29.35% $68,872
48 Sales engineer 13.96% $78,875
49 Veterinarian 17.39% $79,923
50 School Administrator 14.55% $73,767

here's the story if you want to look at the pretty chart!

Money isn't everything... But it's nice to see DS and wife both made the list with their jobs...

Woo hoo, I'm #1!!

Hehe, but #37 makes the most money on that list.

I'm hoping to find a job as #1 pretty soon.

I really don't know where they get those average salaries from... I do pretty much #21 and I don't earn anywhere close to that!

good to see my wife and I make above avg in our field....

_WE'RE_ number 1!

Does a high grade for difficulty mean it's very difficult or not at all difficult? And is being difficult good or bad?

I'm going for #2, or will be in about 4 years.

Depends on your point of view, I guess :-)

They have property manager as B, engineers and college professors as C, and surgeons and veterinarians as D...draw your own conclusions!

#30 beat out #37

P.S. my emoticon is a mango?