Earlier in this series, we’ve taken a look at why Vets are so highly valued, and why they’re in such demand. Let’s take a look at the highest paying veteran jobs they can access if they prepare themselves during their service.
#10
A career in the military as Dental Hygienist begins with free tuition, a living stipend, and $14,400 a year in pay. Post-service, that training and experience translates into a starting salary in the civilian sector of $69,760.
#9
The military has been in the forefront of Nuclear Engineering from the field’s inception. Providing advanced training to qualified personnel, specialists in this area can command a starting, yearly salary in the civilian energy sector in excess of $105,160.
#8
An Air Traffic Control (ATC) Operator (15Q) is responsible for managing the safe and efficient scheduling of aircraft ascent and descent just as his civilian counterpart. The training and experience he receives as a normal part of his classification enables him to command a starting salary of $114,460 a year in the civilian sector.
#7
Receiving flight and academic instruction far beyond anything available in the civilian sector, military aviators are in high demand, post-service. Their skill-set and experience prepares them to be at the forefront of the newest technology, allowing them to command a salary after separation in excess of $118,070.
#6
Medical training in the military can also include experience as an Anesthesiology Assistant, a medical specialist who managers and administers general and local anesthetics, often maintaining life-support during surgical procedures. Employment in this field is 100% in the civilian sector, and the average salary begins at $120,000.
#5
Well-drilling detachments are now part of the US Army, and the US Navy. They are needed for combat operations in which current supplies of ground water are inadequate, and the cost, or difficulty of transporting water for troops, is prohibitive. Using mud, air, and percussion drilling these specialists receive training and experience that qualifies them for employment in the civilian sector that averages $124,971 in the US, and exceeds that figure in many other countries.
#4
Information Operations Officers are required in every service branch, and serve to advise, design, implement, and maintain both offensive and defensive information systems. The training the military offers in this area is the best in the world, by far. From cryptology to advanced computer theory these specialists are trained in a field that will pay them in the neighborhood of $125,660 per year.
#3
As the military continues its shift from the command-and-control organizational model to the sense-and-respond model, more personnel are receiving opportunities for advanced training and experience as managers, and researchers, in the Natural Sciences. As applied physics, chemistry, and biology become more important in the military, these scientists will find post-service employment in civilian life beginning at $128,230.
#2
The US Army is the world’s largest construction operation. Encompassing Combat, Geospatial, Horizontal, Special Forces, Technical, and Watercraft engineering disciplines, the US Army Engineer Corps prepares its officers for post-service employment as engineering managers that earn between $167,660 and $186,800 a year.
And the #1 highest paying job for Veterans…
The finest medical training is often provided to qualified military applicants for free, with a living stipend, and an automatic Captain’s rank on completion of their training. Post-service, surgeons can look forward to an average yearly income of $231,000!