The Top Meaningful Jobs That Also Pay Well

Most people want to find purpose in their life. Even the wealthiest of individuals typically come to realize that there is so much more to life than making money. After all, if you don’t have opportunities to enjoy your success, does it really matter how much money you make? Finding a purpose and enjoying meaningful careers that pay well life can be very fleeting for many people, especially if you find yourself working a job that offers very little satisfaction. Most people spend at least 40 hours a week at their job, and often much more. Throw in the time you spend commuting to and from work, plus the time you spend focused on your job outside of work hours, and you start to realize that you are literally exchanging your life for a job.

The Best of Both Worlds

Therefore, it becomes important to find truly meaningful work. At the same time, you have responsibilities to take care of and you must provide for yourself, and in many cases, your family. Thus, finding the right balance is imperative. While most people want to make a lot of money, many people also want to enjoy what they do. So what kinds of jobs should you be looking for if you want a career that gives you purpose and meaning, but will also pay the bills and allow you to enjoy your time away from work?

Good Job & Good Pay

Finding a meaningful job that pays wells can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. In fact, Payscale.com, a job resource site, recently shared its list of the 25 most meaningful jobs that pay well. The list comes from the results of an ongoing online survey in which participants were asked if their job makes the world a better place. The possible answers included “Very much so,” “Yes,” “A little,” “No,” and “My job makes the world a worse place.” Of course, jobs that both pay well and offer a meaningful purpose are THE TOP MEANINGFUL JOBS LIST THAT ALSO PAY WELL on the list. So, if you’re looking to have your cake and eat it too, then you might want to give these jobs some consideration.

Neurosurgeons Lead the Way

Coming in as the number one most meaningful job that pays well is a neurosurgeon. According to the survey, 97 percent of these medical professionals that responded feel that their job is very meaningful. It would be hard to argue considering that neurosurgeons specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases in the peripheral nervous system.

As for salary, on average neurosurgeons make $381,500 annually, thus putting this job at the top of the list. Perhaps not surprisingly, cardiothoracic surgeons came in second place with an average annual salary of $353,000 and 91 percent of respondents feeling that their job is meaningful. Making $283,600 a year, anesthesiologists came in third place, with 88 percent finding their job meaningful.

Meaning Does Not Always Equate to High Salary

There were several different positions in the medical field that made the list because in general most medical workers feel that the work they do is very meaningful, even though some of them do not make nearly as much money as the top jobs on the list. Additionally, some jobs that are meaningful and pay well ranked as highly meaningful do not pay very well at all, including worship coordinator, sign language interpreter, social worker, and soldier.