While money certainly isn't everything, everybody wants to be fairly paid for their work and salaries are an important consideration for everyone looking for work.
In this article, we're going to look at some of the most lucrative career choices in Australia, good jobs for teens and students, and some of the highest-paying jobs you can do without a university degree.
The Highest Paying Jobs in Australia
Let's start with the highest-earning jobs in Australia. Most of these are straight from the government's own information on taxable income so if any other jobs earn more, they're likely not declaring their income.
We've also included some other jobs that are also reported as earning well, but since there are some discrepancies across different sources (and a lot of earnings tend to be self-reported), be sure to do your own research before you commit to any of these career paths.
As you go through these career choices, you'll likely see a pattern emerging with certain areas generally including some of the highest-paying jobs.
As with most careers, the highest-paying jobs require the most training or the highest levels of expertise, whether this is through academia and degrees or extensive training.
Financial Investment Advisors
Financial investment advisors earn around $170,000 a year and are tasked with helping their clients make more money through investment.
Financial degrees and qualifications are recommended for this line of work and it doesn't hurt to have a good brain for numbers.
CEO/Managing Director
In any company, the boss is usually paid the most. Being the CEO or managing director is worth around $178,000 a year in Australia, but since this role covers the CEOs of companies of all sizes, there are likely many who earn much less than this and some who earn far more.
The career path isn't as well-established for CEOs, but business degrees and qualifications will certainly help.
Judges and Legal Professionals
Working in law is traditionally seen as one of the best-paying career choices and while it's only 8th in Australia, the average taxable income of $193,000 a year is easily triple that of the average Australian.
Becoming a judge takes at least 8 years of experience, which is after having studied a law degree and any other relevant qualifications.
Mining Engineers
Mining is huge in Australia and can be a lucrative industry to consider. Mining engineers earn an average of $196,000 a year.
Mining engineers require bachelor's degrees in engineering and can further their earning potential with postgraduate study.
General Medical Practitioner
This is the first, but not the last, medical professional on our list. General medical practitioners earn around $252,000 a year.
Most medical practitioners will have completed their medical degree and residency, though there are different routes for roles like GPs, Radiologists, Pathologists, etc.
Psychiatrist
The average psychiatrist in Australia earns $270,000 a year. Much like any other doctor, they've completed their medical training. Beyond that, they have to complete specialist psychiatry training that takes 5 years.
Internal Medicine Specialist
Internal medicine specialists make $334,000 a year. They're medical professionals who've completed their full medical training and then gone on to specialise in internal diagnostics and treatment.
Financial Dealer
People with careers working with money tend to make a lot of it. Financial dealers earn around $342,000 a year and help clients with financial decisions including buying and selling stocks and assets on behalf of their clients.
Anesthetist
Working as an anesthetist is another advanced medical career choice that pays really well. Earning around $427,000 a year, anesthetists are highly skilled, qualified, and experienced medical professionals whose salaries are a reflection of this.
An anesthetist needs to qualify as a doctor, do a two-year residency, and then complete five years of specialist training!
Surgeon
According to taxable income, surgeons earn more money than any other profession, making $457,000 a year!
Becoming a surgeon isn't easy or quick, however. You'll need to complete around 6 years of full-time university or medical school studies.
After university, you'll need a year or two of being a Resident and then a further 5 or 6 years of surgical training. This training is part of programs from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Surgical Education and Training and there are 9 possible surgical specialities.
The Best Paying Jobs without a Degree
Almost each of the top 10 paying jobs requires at least a university degree, but if this isn't for you, there are still plenty of great jobs you can do without going to university.
This isn't to say that you can do them without ever studying as lots of them do require other qualifications, but you can technically do these jobs without a bachelor's degree.
- Aviation (Air Traffic Control and Pilots)
- Construction
- Dental Nurse
- Electrician
- Hospitality
- Machine Operator
- Mining and Construction
- Plumber
- Real Estate
- Sales
- Small Business Owner
- Social Media
- Web Developer
Most of these career choices will require some kind of qualification or experience, but many of these roles also come with opportunities for those with little or no experience.
In areas like sales, for example, the highest earnings come from the best performers as commission can play a large part in someone's earning potential.
The same is true of trades and plumbers and electricians need to have business savvy to make the most of their earning potential by offering a great and reliable service and finding lucrative jobs.
The Highest Paying Jobs for Teens
While many teenagers (and adults) would rather just not work, there are many jobs that teenagers can do to earn their own money and gain some financial independence from their parents.
Since teenagers won't have any qualifications or experience, the highest paying jobs for them are orders of magnitude less lucrative than the jobs we've seen so far, but there's a range of jobs that will pay a nice amount of money, provide them with experience, and teach them valuable life skills.
- Aged Care Worker
- Babysitter
- Background Actor
- Barista
- Camp Counsellor
- Cinema Attendant
- Dishwasher
- Dog Walker
- Grocery Store Stocker
- Lifeguard
- Receptionist
- Retail Sales Assistant
- Tutor
- Virtual Assistant
- Waitstaff
Where possible, teens may want to look into jobs that are related in some way to what they'd like to do as a career.
Those who'd potentially be interested in medical or veterinary careers would do well to work in aged care homes, taking care of animals (dog walking, pet-sitting, etc.).
Teenagers with an interest in teaching, especially primary education, may want to consider babysitting and working with young children.
If you'd be interested in a career in hospitality, travel, or tourism, it doesn't hurt to have worked in areas that involve a lot of customer service such as working as a retail sales assistant, waitstaff, or receptionist.
The Best Jobs for University Students
Much like teenagers, university students need jobs that require little to no experience or qualifications (as they're still earning the latter), but if they've already worked as a teen, a few more doors should be open to them.
Plus, with a few years of university under their belt, they should also be able to work in a few more technical roles, especially if they're related to what they're studying at university.
- Admin/Data Entry
- Babysitting
- Casual Labour
- Cleaning
- Dogsitting/Pet Care
- Driver
- Film Extra/Background Actor
- Hospitality
- Mail Deliverer/Delivery Person
- Personal Trainer
- Social Media Management
- Travel Agent
- Tutoring
- Writing/Editing
Good jobs for university students should ideally offer them something related to their field of study or at least give them opportunities to find work once they've completed their studies.
It can certainly help to be working for a company that you'd look to apply to once you've completed your degree as it doesn't hurt to know the people there as putting a face to a name can definitely grease the wheels in an application process.
University students also need jobs that offer flexibility so they can fit them around their studies. You don't want to struggle with your studies because you can't get time off from your job when you have exams coming up!
Ideally, a university student will want work on a casual basis and jobs that can be done on a freelance basis like tutoring, personal training, or writing and editing are all flexible choices that allow students to earn as much or as little as they need.
With most of the best jobs requiring a lot of study or a lot of work, you might need some extra help. No matter the subject, you can find private tutors to help you study or develop new skills.
There are tutors for all levels and budgets on the Superprof site and with many offering the first session for free, you can even try a few different ones out before choosing the one that's perfect for you and your career ambitions!
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