Skyhigh,

For the record, here's a list of the highest paying jobs in the U.S. Granted, not all airline pilots make this as an average, nor does the list address how long it takes to be making this amount. However, you might think harder about your constant discouragement of people wanting to become commercial pilots. This list came directly from the Careerbuilder.com website.


Top Paying Jobs Overall

# Physicians and surgeons -- $147,000
# Aircraft pilots -- $133,500
# Chief executives -- $116,000
# Electrical and electronic engineers -- $112,000
# Lawyers and judges -- $99,800
# Dentists -- $90,000
# Pharmacists -- $85,500
# Management analysts -- $84,700
# Computer and information system managers -- $83,000
# Financial analysts, managers and advisors -- $84,000
# Marketing and sales managers -- $80,000
# Education administrators -- $80,000


Though many of these occupations require an advanced degree, there are jobs at every education level that pay more than other jobs for workers with similar levels of schooling. Here, courtesy of the Employment Policy Foundation, is a look at the best-paying occupations at varying education levels:

Top Paying Jobs That Do Not Require a High School Degree
These jobs tend to require substantial on-the-job training and work experience rather than formal education and schooling:

# Industrial production managers -- $36,000
# Bailiffs, correctional officers and jailers -- $36,400
# Drafters -- $36,000
# Construction manager -- $33,600
# Electricians -- $31,900


Top Paying Jobs for High School Graduates
These occupations emphasize work experience and on-the-job training rather than formal education:

# Computer software engineers -- $58,900
# Computer/information systems managers -- $56,400
# Computer programmers -- $55,000
# Network systems and data communications analysts -- $49,000
# General and operations managers -- $48,000
# Database, network and computer systems administrators -- $48,000


Top Paying Jobs for a Two-Year College Degree
The following jobs tend to be technical in nature, emphasizing skills developed on the job as well as job-specific training and certifications:

# Healthcare practitioners -- $66,000
# Business analysts -- $58,000
# Electrical and electronic engineers -- $57,000
# Mechanical engineers -- $56,800
# General and operations managers -- $54,000
# Computer and information systems managers -- $50,400