"...according to the new, second edition of Laurence Shatkin's "250 Best-Paying Jobs" (Jist Publishing)."


"(Shatkin's salary figures are based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Survey released in May 2008.)"


2 quotes from the article. I don't know who this Charles Purdy is, but he's just quoting from an article/booklet from Lawrence Shatkin, who in turn got his data from the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2008), and this government office compilies AVERAGE and MEDIAN yearly salaries form ALL occupations (I know this as fact). How they do this is simple, they take the salaries for everyone at their first year of any position (i.e. first year reg f/o, first year reg capt, first year major f/o, first year major capt, etc) in the flying/aviation industry and average it.


"The following list features ten occupations from Shatkin's list of jobs in which even beginners are paid well."

Another quote from the article. Notice the word EVEN, it is based on the fact that beginning wage's average is based on all those others "first year" positions driving it upwards.