Loading page
Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 113Up 3
#11 in Highest-Paying Careers
of 20 ranked entries
IT and Computer Systems Manager
Technology management
This role sits at the management layer above individual technical contributors, and the combination of technical fluency and people-management responsibility is reflected in pay that regularly exceeds senior engineering roles it oversees. Recorded specifics: median pay 169000, typical education Bachelor’s degree, 10-yr growth 15. Panel highlighted above-average projected demand growth as organisations expand technology teams, clear promotion pathway from senior individual-contributor technical roles and compensation regularly exceeds many of the engineering roles managed within it. The reservation on record is people-management responsibilities pull time and focus away from hands-on technical work.
Technology
Score breakdown
How IT and Computer Systems Manager earned 84.3
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Highest-Paying Careers.
- Compensationweight 30%
- 86.6
- Job securityweight 25%
- 85.1
- Entry barrierweight 25%
- 83.0
- Growth outlookweight 20%
- 81.6
On the record
Recorded detail
| Median pay | $169,000 |
|---|---|
| Typical education | Bachelor’s degree |
| 10-yr growth | 15% |
| Rating | 7.9 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Above-average projected demand growth as organisations expand technology teams
- Clear promotion pathway from senior individual-contributor technical roles
- Compensation regularly exceeds many of the engineering roles managed within it
Where it gives ground
- People-management responsibilities pull time and focus away from hands-on technical work
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
From the same list
Ranked alongside it
Rank 01Editor’s pickSurgeon
Surgical medicine
Surgeons carry the longest and most expensive training path on this list — four years of medical school followed by five to seven years of residency before independent practice — and the pay reflects both that entry cost and the direct liability of the work.
96.8/100 Top 49 score—No change
Rank 02Editor’s pickAnesthesiologist
Anesthesiology
Anesthesiologists carry direct, moment-to-moment responsibility for a patient’s vital functions during surgery, and the licensing and residency requirements are correspondingly rigorous even by medical-specialty standards.
95.9/100 Top 49 score1Down 1
Rank 03Editor’s pickOral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Dental & oral surgery
This specialty requires both a dental degree and, frequently, additional medical training, a dual-credential path that is one of the more unusual and demanding combinations in healthcare.
93.6/100 Top 49 score4Up 4
Rank 04Orthodontist
Dentistry
Orthodontics requires dental school followed by a competitive residency match, and private-practice ownership economics — not just clinical skill — drive a meaningful share of the income variation within the specialty.
91.9/100 Top 49 score1Down 1
Rank 05Obstetrician and Gynecologist
OB-GYN
OB-GYNs combine surgical training with primary-care-style ongoing patient relationships, and unpredictable delivery timing makes the on-call demands of this specialty distinct from most other high-paying medical fields.
91.8/100 Top 49 scoreNewNew entry
Rank 06Psychiatrist
Mental health medicine
Psychiatry has one of the more favourable growth outlooks in medicine as demand for mental-health care has risen sharply, and the specialty offers meaningfully more scheduling flexibility than most surgical fields.
89.9/100 Top 49 score3Down 3
Rank 07Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Advanced practice nursing
CRNAs administer anesthesia with a shorter and less expensive training path than an anesthesiologist’s medical degree route, and the role carries one of the strongest projected growth rates of any occupation on this list.
88.7/100 Top 49 score—No change
Rank 08Chief Executive
Executive leadership
Compensation for chief executives varies more than any other role on this list — a small-company CEO and a Fortune 500 CEO share a job title but almost nothing else structurally, including pay, risk and required experience.
87.4/100 Top 49 score—No change
Explore more of Top 49
Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.