20 highest-paying jobs
Anesthesiologists take home a median $290,000 salary annually. What other great careers from Money and PayScale.com's list of Best Jobs in America offer big paychecks?
6. Primary Care Physician
Gina Tartaglia, 44, is a physician in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Best Jobs rank: 34
Median pay: $174,000
Top pay: $256,000
Primary care doctors take care of you when you have a cold, give you your flu shot and can refer you to a specialist when you come in with a trickier problem. Caring for patients from cradle to grave can come with high financial rewards.
"Because I'm a family doctor, I do everything from newborns to geriatrics. It's different every single day, and I like the variety," says Gina Tartaglia, a physician in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
"You shouldn't go into it for the money," she adds. "I have a 15-year-old who wants to be a doctor, and my husband dissuades her. We get paid less and less every year. Medicine is so demanding that if you don't love it you'll be miserable."
NEXT: Nurse Anesthetist
Last updated October 11 2010: 8:13 AM ET
Source: All pay data from PayScale.com
Note: We looked at jobs from the top 100 with the highest top pay. Median salary is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile.
Note: We looked at jobs from the top 100 with the highest top pay. Median salary is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile.
