Highest-paying jobs right out of school revealed

New data has revealed the highest-paying jobs for Americans right out of high school, as college graduation nears for students across the country.

According to the analysis, conducted by Glassdoor, a variety of engineering roles occupied the top 15 spots.

A primary care physician topped the list with a median salary of $130,000. Other top positions included a pharmacist, software architect, product manager and software engineer — all of which had a median salary between $100,000 and $120,000.

Glassdoor analyzed U.S. median salaries provided by employees with three or fewer years of relevant job experience. Each job mentioned had at least 75 jobs submitted to the firm between May 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024.

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Students throw their mortarboards in the air during their graduation ceremony. (Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Consultant positions also showed high wages with a management consultant and actuarial consultant ranking 11th and 12th on the list.

Highest paying entry-level jobs in 2024

This data comes in contrast to another recent study conducted earlier this year, showing the lowest-paying college majors for students early in their careers.

According to the analysis, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, students who majored in liberal arts, performing arts, or theology and religion, had the lowest salaries within five years of graduating college. 

RELATED: Worst-paying college majors revealed in new report

All three majors made $38,000 early in their careers. As of 2022, the yearly median income was $40,480, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Lowest-paying jobs for college graduates by major

Education majors also showed low wages with early childhood education and elementary education majors ranking 6th and 7th on the list.  The average early career wage for these positions was $40,000. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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