When it comes to careers for women, it was normally stability that was given precedence over salary. Over the last decade, with better education and opportunities, women have started coming out of the preoccupation of family carer and home management and instead are choosing more high paying jobs that don’t provide the previous stability yet give them the satisfaction of both career and a higher income.

What are those high paying jobs?

There has been a gradual shift from the traditional careers for women like nurse, dental assistant, etc to non-traditional and alternative posts like general practitioners, dentists, etc. This is a welcome change for women and society in general. When we talk about the best paying careers for women today, we easily notice that the field of medicine is dominating the charts.

• The latest to add in this category is the job of anaesthesiologists. They are the ones who give anaesthesia to patients pre-surgery to render them unconscious during the surgery. This involves proper understanding of the patient’s body and the various risks it faces when a particular anaesthetic is given. This is one of the top paying jobs in the market today.

• The role of an internist often goes unnoticed by most of us. They are the ones who provide non-surgical treatment to the internal organs of the patients when they are inflicted with disease. This is a wonderful profession and internists are renowned for taking home healthy salaries every month.

• One field of medicine has almost always been held by women and why not! It is the post of a gynaecologist. A gynaecologist is a special stream of doctors who handle the diseases related to the reproductive organs of women and childbirth. This is a very important job and women have played a massively important role. No wonder such an important job is paid so well.

• It is time women stopped limiting themselves to dental assistants and instead become a dentist. Apart from dentists being one of the best paid people in the industry, like medical doctors they hold highly respected, responsible positions in society.

• If you try to step aside from the field of medicine and consider other alternatives, you will find there are other equally fulfilling jobs for women. A teacher is one of them. Being a teacher has been a rewarding career for many women both in terms of satisfaction and income (in most locations). In fact, the constant contact with bright minds can be very enriching just on its own.

• Human resources in larger firms is another attractive field where women dominate and earn a good pay package. The human resources department of a company handle the employee welfare, recruitment, social activities, etc. In short, it handles everything that concerns the ‘people’ side of the company.

• The Fashion industry has always attracted women. But apart from being just a skinny model gracing the ramp, women can also hold many other posts that are equally or much more rewarding. Fashion designers, make-up artists, event managers, etc. have amazing take home salaries that can turn a top model turn green with envy!

• The post of financial advisor may be quite a risky job as it involves giving advice on the financial matters of people, but it is a high paying job precisely for that. Women who are good in finance and are comfortable giving advice can have the experience of their lifetime in this career as it is a highly interesting job. People are known to earn enormous amounts once they become established in this field.

The list given above is only indicative. There are many fields like sales, psychiatry, analysis etc. that are also rewarding.

Wow! So how do I get one?

Well, no matter what job you want, they almost always involve some basic qualifications. Traditional jobs which women used to hold required little educational requirements in many cases. However, all the high paying jobs usually require proper, formal education as they are most often more complex. Most require degree qualifications and in the case of a career in medicine, it’s usually a tough five to six years medical degree plus some internship.

Education may seem costly sometimes and you may be tempted to slip back and settle for a low paying job. However, that decision of yours can help you lose a lifetime of comfort and satisfaction. There are scores of educational loans that are being offered to students. You can always pay it back over time after you get those dream jobs.

Finally, some research is all it takes and you can even jump on line at your local library (usually for free) if you don’t have a computer of your own yet!