How to earn six figures without an M.D. or Doctorate

Let’s face it, graduate school isn’t for everyone. But it’s not the only way to make big bucks!

Ladders’ salary analysis of 1.9 million U.S. professionals shows the top 10 highest-paying career paths for associate or bachelor’s degree graduates.

Earning a college degree has become a critical gateway to obtaining a secure, high-paying career. In fact, the value of a college degree has never been higher.So, if college is a must, what is the highest yield you can get from the minimum college investment?

While many of today’s highest-paying professions (i.e. doctors or lawyers) still require years of additional training beyond a standard two or four-year degree, don’t despair! Those uninterested in the curriculum or added burdens of graduate school are still in luck. Ladders found thetop 10 highest-paying career paths for graduates with a bachelor’s degree or less.

To determine this, Ladders analyzed a year’s worth of salary insights from 1.9 million U.S. professionals with a bachelor’s or associate degree to find careers with the largest concentrations of top earners. The study identified more than a quarter-million professionals earning over $150,000 annually in these top 10 fields alone.

Here’s a look at the top 10 highest-paying career paths for associate and bachelor’s degree graduates:

1. Sales Operations

• Earning Potential: $213,852

• • 19% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience): $77,896
• Hot Jobs: Director of Sales Operations (Avg: $126,000), Sales & Operations Manager (Avg: $86,000).

2. Sales (B2C, B2B)

• Earning Potential: $213,538
  • 20% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually

• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience):$77,433
• Hot Jobs: Director of Sales, (Avg: $130,000), Regional Sales Director (Avg: $137,000), Account Executive (Avg: $94,000).

3. Business Development

• Earning Potential: $211,590
  • 24% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience): $83,348
• Hot Jobs: Director of Business Development (Avg: $124,000), Manager, Business Development (Avg: $104,000).

4. Supply Chain & Logistics

• Earning Potential: $211,458

• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years of Experience): $77,573

• Hot Jobs: Director of Logistics (Avg: $120,000), Supply Chain Consultant (Avg: $115,000), Global Supply Chain Manager (Avg: $118,000).

5. Product & Brand Marketing

• Earning Potential: $211,033
  • 11% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually

• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years of Experience): $73,583
• Hot Jobs: Senior Brand Manager (Avg: $131,000), Product Marketing Manager (Avg: $103,000).

6. Digital Marketing

• Earning Potential: $209,755

• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $73,263

• High Earning Jobs: Director of Digital Marketing (Avg: $125,000), Digital Marketing Manager (Avg: $83,000)

7. Public Relations & Communications

• Earning Potential: $209,747

• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $62,127

• High Earning Jobs: Communications Director (Avg: $100,000), Director of PR (Avg: $96,000).

8. Plan & Facilities Management

• Earning Potential: $209,202
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $80,997
• Hot Jobs: Director of Facilities Management (Avg: $108,000).

9. Customer Service

• Earning Potential: $208,577
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $62,127
• Hot Jobs: Director of Customer Service (Avg: $107,000).

10. IT Management & Consulting

• Earning Potential: $204,634
  • 13% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $93,328
• Hot Jobs: Director of Project Management (Avg: $128,000), IT Project Manager (Avg: $100,000), IT Consultant (Avg: $97,000).

For more career insights, visit Ladders’ free Job Market Guide for real-time salary information on over 2,000 job titles: www.TheLadders.com/Careers

Methodology: This report is based on insights from Ladders’ community of over 7 million professionals nationwide. For this study, we specifically analyzed career and salary data from 1.9 million U.S. professionals with a bachelor’s degree or lower who shared their current salary with recruiters via Ladders between January 2014 and January 2015.

Within this pool, we found that over a quarter-million professionals earned over $150,000 annually, and we then determined which careers had the highest concentrations of high-earning professionals. These top 10 promising careers were then ranked by Earning Potential, which we’ve defined as the average salary of the top eight percent of earners in each of these fields without an advanced degree.