Business and money
Accountants, analysts, and the people who run companies.
29 careers
Money and finance
10Accountant (CPA)Count, check and explain the money. A four year degree, one hard exam, and a job in every town.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highActuaryPut a price on risk. A math degree, a long ladder of exams, and one of the best paid desk jobs in the country.Typical pay$130kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandVery highBookkeeperKeep a business's money records straight so the owner, the bank and the tax office all see the same numbers.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateEconomistMeasure how money, work and prices actually behave, then say what a policy or a merger will really do.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedFinancial AnalystWork out what a company or an investment is really worth, and explain it to people betting money on your answer.Typical pay$103kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodFinancial PlannerHelp people decide what to do with their money over a whole life. Half technical, half sitting with someone while they panic.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodInsurance AdjusterDecide what a claim is worth and what the policy actually covers. No degree required in most states, a license in nearly all of them.Typical pay$78kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedInsurance BrokerSell and manage the policies that cover people's cars, homes, health and businesses. Cheap to start, brutal in year one.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateInvestment AdvisorYou manage other people's money and their nerves. Licenses first, then years of slowly earning trust.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodMortgage BrokerTake somebody's income, debts and credit file, find a lender who will say yes, and get paid when the house closes.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Marketing and sales
7Market Research AnalystFind out what people actually buy and why, using surveys and data, then tell a company what to do about it.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highMarketing SpecialistPlan and run the campaigns that get a product in front of people, then prove with numbers whether it worked.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPublic Relations SpecialistYou decide what an organization says in public and who it says it to. No license, so your work samples are the whole interview.Typical pay$75kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highReal Estate AgentFast to get licensed, and paid only when a deal closes. Most people who start quit inside two years.Typical pay$53kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateRetail Store ManagerRun a shop: the staff, the stock, the takings and the targets. No degree needed, and you can be doing it two years out of high school.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodSales RepresentativeSell technical products to businesses. No license, no set degree, and your pay is partly up to you.Typical pay$105kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateSocial Media ManagerYou run the accounts a company talks to the world through. Judged on numbers, not on vibes.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood
People and operations
10Customs BrokerGet imported goods legally into the country. One federal exam stands between you and a licensed career.Typical pay$81kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateExecutive AssistantRun a senior leader's calendar, travel, inbox and information. One of the best paid jobs you can reach without a degree.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedHuman Resources SpecialistHire people, pay them right and keep the company on the correct side of employment law.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highManagement ConsultantCompanies hire you to study a problem they cannot fix themselves, then tell them what to do about it. Long hours, fast learning, good pay.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highOffice AdministratorRun the machinery of an organization: schedules, records, vendors, payroll, the people at the front desk. You can start at eighteen and work your way up.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedPayroll AdministratorYou make sure everybody gets paid the right amount, on time, with the right tax taken off. Get it wrong and the whole company notices.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedProcurement SpecialistBuy everything an organization needs, on time and for the right price. An office career you can start without a degree.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedProject ManagerKeep a big piece of work on schedule and on budget, across a team that does not report to you.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highRecruiterMatch people to jobs for a living. No license and no set degree, but your pay rises and falls with the hires you make.Typical pay$76kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highSupply Chain AnalystWork out how a product gets from a factory to a shelf on time and for less money, then prove it with numbers.Typical pay$82kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Property
2Property ManagerYou run buildings other people own: tenants, rent, repairs, budgets. You can start at 18 and learn on the job.Typical pay$70kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateReal Estate AppraiserYou put a defensible number on what a property is worth, and a lender bets money on your answer.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimited