"You should always want to re-assess where you currently stand in the job market, compared to where you want to be"
When people plan their careers, one important thing they think about is how much money they can make in a specific job. This becomes even more important when they are deciding what to study, looking for a job, or thinking about the extra money they might get each year.
To do that, though, they need to know which careers pay the most money, both now and in the future. That’s what this article is for! Here, we’ve made a list of the highest-paying jobs in Canada, with some salaries even higher than $200,000 CAD. This way, you can find the job you truly deserve.
1. Anesthesiologist
The healthcare industry is well-known for offering high salaries to its workers. That’s why it’s not surprising that medical doctors are the first professionals mentioned on this list. Anesthesiologists are known for making some of the highest salaries in the country, at a whopping average of $273,510 per year. This is because they are responsible for anesthesia care, pain management, and critical care medicine, thus holding one of the most important roles in the surgical experience. They go through years of training (averaging around 12 to 14!) to master their craft, which includes medical school and roughly 12,000 to 16,000 hours of clinical work.
2. General Manager
If you are effective at multi-tasking under pressure, communicating with different kinds of people, and paying attention to detail, this profession might be your calling. You will be tasked to oversee different departments within a company, ensuring that they are functioning smoothly both individually and collectively. This is the role of a leader, and having mastery over it is crucial for the business’s overall success. What’s more, if you are good at it, you may be rewarded well! While median wages hover around $45.44 per hour, they can expect to earn $67.58 at the higher end of the scale.
3. Vice President
As a VP, you would be overseeing the company’s internal matters – such as staff and operations – and make sure that the company is meeting its targets. It is a senior role, after all, second behind only the president and CEO! The salary is bound to meet that designation, with an average pay of 162,488!
4. Lawyer
Fancy suits are not the only perk that comes with this job! Lawyers in Canada hold a median wage of $116,940 but can earn up to $294,346 per year. This varies by province as well, with Albertan lawyers having the potential to make a salary of $423,922 on the higher end!
Just like for healthcare, several years of hard work go into becoming a practicing lawyer in Canada. Entering this profession requires you to first complete a 3–4-year undergraduate degree, after which you need to go to law school for 3 years, take the Provincial bar admissions course, article for 9 months to a year, and pass the bar exam.
5. Full stack developer
Ever been to a website and wondered to yourself, “wow, this company must have paid a lot of money in getting this page to look so fancy!”
Well, because they probably did. And the person that got paid was the full-stack developer.
With an average annual earning potential of $143,959 CAD, these engineers are responsible for building both the front- and back-ends of a website. They hold expertise in not just the creative parts of web design (such as what fonts to use, how to craft the user interface, etc.), but also the technical parts involving data storage and processing and troubleshooting software. This career has the added perk of being more flexible towards remote work options, as developers can mostly collaborate on projects using just their computers.
What next?
Identifying the pay-grades of different professions falls under the umbrella of career planning, which is relevant for not just those who are yet to embark on their professional journey, but also for those who already have an established career. You should always want to re-assess where you currently stand in the job market, compared to where you want to be. After all, large proportions of one’s time, effort, and resources are dedicated to making a name for oneself in one’s career. It only makes sense to allot some hours towards planning it out, and adjust according to one’s own professional goals.
For more information on how we can help you navigate that route, contact us at [email protected]. See you soon!
