Top-paying jobs often involve regular interaction with colleagues, clients and customers. There are options, though, if you want to make a lot of money without having to deal with people much. These jobs usually center on highly important work tasks that benefit your employer or its customers.
Information Technology
As an employment sector, information technology offers a lot of jobs with high pay and little involvement with people. Chief information officer is usually the highest paying tech job with a strong six-figure salary. Software specialists, high-level programmers and tech engineer jobs also pay well. Even computer support specialists with a two-year degree can earn $40,000 to $60,000 per year to start, according to Jessica Bosari's January 2012 Forbes.com article "Highest Paying 2-Year Degree Jobs in the US." While IT jobs do require some interaction with department and company colleagues, much of the work is spent on a computer or performing job functions autonomously.
Actuary
An actuary is one of the most important positions in the insurance industry. He crunches numbers and analyzes statistics while performing risk assessments on insurance applicants. Although he communicates findings to insurance salespersons and underwriters, much of his work is performed independently. The median annual salary for an actuary was $133,000 in 2010, according to the CNN Money list of "20 highest-paying jobs." Top earners netted $222,000.
Research & Development
Research & development employees work in a variety of industries and companies designing and developing products. The work includes significant time researching technologies and innovations and testing products against quality standards. Much of this work is done independently. The CNN Money list indicated R&D managers with supervisory responsibilities earned a median income of $116,000 in 2010. Typically, a manager oversees a small team of workers, each of which is also well-paid.
Accountant and Auditor
Accounting and auditing are closely related professions that deal with financial record keeping. Accountants work as internal employees in a variety of companies, but they may also work independently, keeping financial books for clients. Financial auditors are hired by companies to analyze financial records prior to public reporting of earnings or when facing concerns about fraudulent reporting. The average salary for accountants and auditors was $70,130 as of 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those that own their own firms may make more.
References
Writer Bio
Neil Kokemuller has been an active business, finance and education writer and content media website developer since 2007. He has been a college marketing professor since 2004. Kokemuller has additional professional experience in marketing, retail and small business. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Iowa State University.