Careers with the highest earning potential

Plenty of professions let you amass a cool million of pay over 10 years or less. No surprise that lots of them are medical, technical or business-related. Yet some don’t require advanced degrees, like realtor or plumber.

We’ve compiled a list of seven lucrative Canadian jobs. Each one pays a gross salary that totals to seven figures in a decade or sooner. However, keep in mind that money’s not the only thing that should make you pick a career path.

1. Physician

Quick, is there a doctor around? Physicians work in hospitals, clinics and private practice. They could be GP’s (General Practitioners) or specialists such as a surgeon, psychiatrist, gastroenterologist etc.

• Median pay (with about five years experience): $161,000
• Typical degree: med school plus residency
• Years to $1 million: 5-6, but the student loan debt can be crushing

2. Lawyer

Legal beagles can make loads of moolah once they’ve practiced a few years. Corporate lawyers defend companies. Personal injury lawyers get the most for their injured clients. Social justice lawyers tend to earn less but help marginalized people.

• Median pay (with about five years experience): $109,000
• Typical degree: law school LL.B. (Bachelors in Law) plus articling
• Years to $1 million: 9, but could be a mere 5-6 if super ambitious

3. Nurse Practitioner

Got a bit of Florence Nightingale in you? Nurse practitioners give primary and nursing care to patients. They often work in hospitals, long term care facilities or doctors’ offices. That is to say, not for the squeamish or people lacking a bedside manner.

• Median pay (with about five years experience): $104,000
• Typical degree: RN (Registered Nurse) or LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Years to $1 million: 9+

4. Data Scientist

This IT career’s based on advanced statistical analysis and machine learning. Database management ensures proper insertion, extraction and storage of info.

• Median pay (with about five years’ experience): $105,000
• Typical degree: B.A. or Masters in Computer Science or Computer Engineering
• Years to $1 million: 9 or so

5. Business Continuity Planner

Owners of The Titanic probably hired a disaster planner too late. Anyway, that person would have scrutinized company operations and developed strategies to avoid calamities and keep things running in emergencies.

• Median pay (with about five years’ experience): $99,000
• Typical degree: B.A. or Masters in Business plus continuity certification
• Years to $1 million: 10

6. Aerospace Engineer

So you want to be a rocket scientist, eh? Here’s your chance. Create aviation specs and design planes, rockets and missiles. Better know your engineering, physics and aerodynamic flow theory!

• Median pay (with about five years’ experience): $99,000
• Typical degree: B.Eng. or Masters in Engineering, aerospace specialty
• Years to $1 million: 10

7. Actuary

Makes an excellent drinking companion for Business Continuity Planners. Actuaries calculate the financial costs of risk and uncertainty. Because of that, probability analysis and statistical modelling are crucial skill sets. Insurance firms hire these folk in bulk.

• Median pay (with about five years’ experience): $92,000
• Typical degree: B.A. or Masters in Business, Statistics or Actuarial Sciences
• Years to $1 million: a little more than 10 but quicker at high paying firms

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Monster can be your golden pathway to prosperous employment. There are job postings of all types, ranging in pay from minimum wage to those with stratospheric salaries.

Search Monster now for advertised jobs . It takes years of accumulated earnings to equal a million dollars, so get started today!

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Salary figures used in the above article are based on the Monster.ca Salary Tool and are for general purposes only. That is to say, do your research to find out current pay scales.