The Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs
Finding a good-paying job is tough when you’re just entering the market. At the entry level, there’s a strong chance you could be stuck making $15 an hour — or less — and that can be hard to live on in many places.
There are some jobs, though, that pay well, even when you’re the low person on the ladder. Glassdoor analyzed salary reviews left in 2018 from employers in the United States, using those from workers aged 25 and younger.
If you don’t have a lot of experience, you can still get a decent-paying job — as long as you look in the right places. It’s important to realize, too, that entry level doesn’t always mean no education. Some of these jobs prefer those who have a college degree. However, at least you’ll be able to afford your student loan payments with many of these jobs, which isn’t always the case when you’re fresh out of college.
Here are the 25 highest paying entry-level jobs in the United States.
25. Business Analyst
Median base salary: $63,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
As a business analyst, you’ll look at company procedures and processes, and look for areas of waste and inefficiency. It’s a job that requires attention to detail, and often an understanding of business best practices.
24. Project Engineer
Median base salary: $63,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
A project engineer is in charge of overseeing different aspects of a company’s big projects, often construction-related. You’d be in charge of coordinating between departments and making sure the project is moving forward. In many cases, a bachelor’s degree in construction management or engineering is preferred for this entry level job.
23. Field Engineer
Median base salary: $63,750
Education usually required: Certification or Bachelor’s degree
Depending on the type of work you do, you might be able to do this job without a degree — as long as you have the required certifications. Field engineers do a number of tasks, depending on the career field, whether it’s setting up equipment, dealing with electrical issues or other skilled jobs.
22. Physical Therapist
Median base salary: $63,918
Education usually required: Certification and license
In general, physical therapists need to go through a training program, but it’s not necessarily a four-year program. You might also need to be licensed in your state of employment. This is a patient-centered job that allows you the chance to help people recover from injuries or other issues.
21. Quality Engineer
Median base salary: $64,750
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In general, this a job that requires attention to detail. You’ll review project plans or product designs to ensure high quality. Additionally, you usually need training in business best practices, including those that focus on processes.
20. Programmer Analyst
Median base salary: $65,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In addition to writing code, you’re likely to need to test it, and be able to find problems. You might also analyze systems and procedures to find problems and figure out ways to solve them.
19. Test Engineer
Median base salary: $65,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In many cases, this position is a software test engineer. You would design different tests and apply them to software programs for a company. The software might have a variety of uses, depending on what’s needed. In some cases, depending on the position, you might be able to do this job after attending a technical school.
18. Applications Developer
Median base salary: $65,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
With this job, you design various applications. They can be specialized applications for a company, or it might be something like designing virtual reality applications. If you have a high level of experience as a developer, you might be able to get an entry level job, even without a related degree.
17. Design Engineer
Median base salary: $65,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
If you like troubleshooting and are detail oriented, this job might be good for you. As a design engineer, you’ll design products or programs, and help with their launch. You likely need a knowledge of different design programs and tools and understand how to test prototypes.
16. Mechanical Engineer
Median base salary: $65,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In general, a mechanical engineer focuses on physical equipment, tools and processes. You’d also likely test different equipment and design improvements. It’s a job that requires some ingenuity as well as attention to detail.
15. Electrical Engineer
Median base salary: $66,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
With this job, the engineering is focused on electrical-related projects. You might be in charge of maintenance, design and improvements of electronic equipment and systems. You might also be in charge of maintaining and improving sensors, navigation and photonic systems.
14. Actuarial Analyst
Median base salary: $66,250
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
These workers analyze the potential financial costs associated with risk and uncertainty. In many cases, actuarial analysts work in the insurance industry, trying to assess the risks associated with people and events.
13. Product Engineer
Median base salary: $66,750
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
Product engineers help design and develop products, as well as take them through the testing phase. It’s important to be able to manage experiments and detect design flaws so that they can be fixed before being rolled out to customers.
12. Front End Developer
Median base salary: $67,500
Education usually required: Experience, certification or Bachelor’s degree
With this job, you may not need a degree if you have the right experience. You’ll develop code and design applications and software, as well as test to see if your creations are working as they should. Usually, you need to show proficiency in one or more programming languages.
11. Process Engineer
Median base salary: $68,258
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In addition to helping to create processes for companies and projects, you might also work with project and design engineers to help them with their own processes. The idea is to look for opportunities to implement more efficient processes in projects and for the business as a whole.
10. Software Developer
Median base salary: $68,600
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
Software developers are all about creative development. You might be able to create video games, applications or even systems designed to manage various networks. This is a job that’s in high demand and requires a low level of needed work experience.
9. Systems Engineer
Median base salary: $70,000
Education usually required: Technical or Bachelor’s degree
If you’re good at integrating systems, and have good communication skills, you might be able to work as a systems engineer. This job requires understanding systems architecture, especially in IT. Your job is to make sure your company and clients have access to the technology and systems they need to be effective.
8. Java Developer
Median base salary: $72,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
This is another entry-level job that doesn’t necessarily require a bachelor’s degree. Your knowledge of Java and experience using it enhance applications is more likely to be of use in the long run. You might need to have experience in certain databases to do this job most effectively.
7. Implementation Consultant
Median base salary: $72,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In general, an implementation consultant is someone who can help a company implement best practices and systems. You might also fulfill a sales-type role, helping service-oriented companies work with clients. For example, if you work for a HR management company, you might help clients manage their accounts as they set up employee payroll and benefits.
6. UX Designer
Median base salary: $73,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
Because user experience is so important, a UX designer can make a decent salary, even in an entry-level position. This job is about anticipating what users need and creating enhancements to current offerings so that they improve the experience. It involves design, experimentation and an ability to execute.
5. Product Designer
Median base salary: $85,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
As you might expect, a product designer develops different ideas for products that consumers might want. Additionally, they might design changes to existing products in a way that improves the consumer experience.
4. Investment Banking Analyst
Median base salary: $85,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In this job, you’re required to have a solid knowledge of finances, investing and the markets. Your job is to look for trends, analyze the current situation and suggest changes to a bank or company’s portfolio in an effort to make sure that returns and risks are acceptable.
3. Product Manager
Median base salary: $89,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
In addition to helping develop requirements for products, a product manager is often also involved in overseeing marketing strategy and coordinating manufacturing. It’s a managerial role that provides you with an opportunity to bring new products and product enhancements to the market.
2. Software Engineer
Median base salary: $90,000
Education usually required: Bachelor’s degree
As a software engineer, your job is to develop new programs for various purposes. Often, you need knowledge of more than one programming language. You might create software for automation, documentation or a number of other purposes.
1. Data Scientist
Median base salary: $95,000
Education usually required: Master’s degree
Not only is this the highest paying entry-level position, but it’s also the “Best Job in America,” according to Glassdoor. In this job, you look for new approaches to understanding data, and teasing out the meanings behind data. Whether it’s science-related data, or related to online analytics, your ability to understand numbers can give you a solid entry-level job. However, this is also the job that requires the most education at the entry level.