Doctors, pilots and lawyers deliver essential services, often at strange hours and under high stress.

And they're paid well for their effort.

Doctors earn more than anyone else in the private sector, averaging $145,688 a year, according to a Bizjournals.com analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Airplane pilots and navigators rank second at $128,406, followed by lawyers at $118,004. The numbers are for 2004, the latest year available.

Seven occupations made the six-figure list of salaries. Joining doctor, pilots and lawyers are: optometrists, with an annual average of $116,403; medical-science professors, $115,786; marketing and advertising managers, $103,883; and law professors, $103,283.

The bureau estimated wages and hours for hundreds of jobs, based on a survey of employers in the private and public sectors. Bizjournals.com narrowed the focus to full-time workers on the private side and removed statistics for part-time employees and government workers.

The Bizjournals.com study shows the connection between salary and education. Seven of the top 10 jobs require postgraduate degrees, while two call for bachelor's degrees. Airlines generally prefer that pilots be college grads, though they don't insist upon it, but they do require the rigorous commercial pilot's license.

The typical private-sector worker earned $37,715 in 2004. Waiters and waitresses, the lowest-paying occupation, earned $8,751 per year. That figure does not include tips, which were not covered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.

It's no surprise that professional, technical and managerial jobs dominate the upper end of the private-sector rankings. White-collar jobs paid an average of $46,744 in 2004, far ahead of the blue-collar average of $32,618.

The top 59 occupations in the salary standings are classified as white collar. The highest-paying blue collar job is oil well drillers, who rank 60th overall and earn $62,409 per year.

The study found no link between annual wages and hours. Employees at nine of the 10 lowest-paying jobs averaged more than 1,900 hours at work in 2004. But four of the 10 highest-paying jobs fell below the 1,900-hour threshold, with airline pilots averaging just 1,083.

Physicians yield first place in the rankings when salaries and hours are combined. Pilots soar to the top with average earnings of $118.58 per hour. Then come doctors ($66.58) and law professors ($66.55 per hour).

Man, now I want to fly even more :p

I never knew any commercial pilots though. I bet it is a lot of time away from the family, and some crazy hours X_X

It's worth the money. You can start off by looking into a flight school. Choose one that has ties with a major airline. I think there's a good one that has the United name in it. Do a search on Google. It's going to run you like $100,000 when living expenses are added. Their school is located in Florida.

I bet it is a lot of time away from the family, and some crazy hours X_X
not really.

the FFA has a maximum ammount of hours that a pilot can fly per month. There are a couple delta pilots (possibly former delta pilots now) that live around here, and they are only gone 1 - 2 weeks a month flying. Usually home more then they fly.

woo hoo!

Maybe the survey was for salaried positions only..... I know of at least one sales engineer who is probably beating those figures easily. There is something to be said for bonuses and stock options, lol.

Deisel Mechanics can make upwards of 120k a year, depending on skill, where you work(mines make the most) and if you are on call 24/7 365.

Maybe the survey was for salaried positions only..... I know of at least one sales engineer who is probably beating those figures easily. There is something to be said for bonuses and stock options, lol.

They're not being specific enough for these numbers to really mean anything.

You really want to see who makes the most money, narrow down the categories a little bit.

Hedge Fund Managers
Fixed Income Traders
Energy Traders/Arbitrageurs
Commercial Real Estate Developers
Investment Banking
Currency Arbitrage

I bet the average Hedge Fund Manager makes 7 figures a year, the very best make 8 or 9.

Shit, the head of my department (my bosses boss) made about $3 million last year, so where's M&A on that list?

The top 59 occupations in the salary standings are classified as white collar. The highest-paying blue collar job is oil well drillers, who rank 60th overall and earn $62,409 per year.
But have you ever worked in the oil industry? It kinda sucks.

not really.

the FFA has a maximum ammount of hours that a pilot can fly per month. There are a couple delta pilots (possibly former delta pilots now) that live around here, and they are only gone 1 - 2 weeks a month flying. Usually home more then they fly.
I think you mean FAA? FFA = Future Freaks (or Farmers) of America.

As far as good jobs go.... check out www.pbrnow.com/ Down at the bottom there's a "Scores" area... Click "Top 20 All-Time Earners".

Chris Shivers has earned over $3 million in his career.
Not to mention you're only working 8 seconds at a time :D

Banking? Finance? That report is leaving off quite a bit. Out of the majority of people I know that are clearing 6 figures, none of them work in the professions listed above.