After four years of college, four years of medical school and four years of residency, Dr. John C. Nelson became an obstetrician-gynecologist. He is a member of Utah's highest-paid profession, where the median salary is a whopping $195,420 a year.
Kristina Nokes didn't need so much training for her job as a waitress. In fact, she just received some quick pointers at first, although she says it took a year to become truly good at her job. She is a member of Utah's lowest-paid profession, where the median salary is just $13,820 a year — 1/14th of the median pay in Nelson's profession.
A Deseret Morning News analysis of new state data on salaries shows that — as in the cases of Nelson and Nokes — the more education a profession requires, the more it usually pays. That is what career advisers and parents have warned for ages as they urge teens to stay in school — especially during the high school graduation season.
But data also show that is not always the case — which may give hope to those who seek to upgrade jobs and skills without four or more years of college. Data show that some jobs that require relatively little post-high school training actually pay more than many that require college degrees or even advanced degrees.
For example, some of the highest-paying Utah professions that do not require college degrees include: air traffic controllers, $99,860; real estate brokers, $77,030; electricians who repair powerhouse/substations, $63,960; and technical/scientific sales representatives, $60,030.
In comparison, some of the lowest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree are: recreation workers, $16,680; survey researchers, $16,790; preschool teachers, $18,180; and recreational therapists, $28,990.
Also, compare them to some of the lowest paying professions requiring a doctorate or professional degree, including: chiropractors, $53,070; computer and information science researchers, $57,210; and optometrists, $63,680.
 | Deseret Morning News graphic What Utah jobs payRequires Adobe Acrobat. |
Those numbers come from a state survey of salaries for 540 different professions in Utah in 2003. It was published last December. The newspaper used computer-assisted analysis to compare wages for the different levels of education that the U.S. Labor Department says is generally needed for those professions.
(The Deseret Morning News has wage and education information for all 540 professions online at left, and the state also offers additional information through its Web site at utah.jobs.gov.)
Satisfaction
Nelson, a Salt Lake City OB/GYN who is also the national president of the American Medical Association, says it was a sacrifice to train so many years and pay so much tuition to become an OB/GYN, but it was worth it in ways besides reaching the top of Utah's financial pay scale.
"When I did my training, I was excited to be a physician, even if I was working for not all that much money," he said. "When I completed my training in 1975, an associate and I were offered what was then an unheard-of amount of money: $30,000 a year. We were called the gold-dust twins, and life was good. I felt like the sacrifice had been worthwhile."
He adds he doesn't believe the state data that say OB/GYNs now have a median salary of more than $195,000. "I'd like to make $195,000, I'll tell you that," he said.
Beyond the money, he says benefits such as the joy of delivering babies make his job worthwhile. "It's the best specialty you can have. I have absolutely enjoyed caring for my patients."
Despite such benefits, he says too few are entering the field now. "That's partly because of the hours, and partly because of the liability (insurance rates)," he said. Obstetricians are known for working long and erratic hours because babies are born at all hours.
And Nelson said the medical malpractice insurance rates obstetricians must pay have skyrocketed.
"In the 1980s, I was paying $8,200 a year. Now it would cost me $81,000 a year if I were still delivering babies," which he has not done in 1 1/2 years as his AMA duties escalated. He still urges others to consider it as a career. "It's a wonderful opportunity that I have enjoyed," he said.
Less than satisfied
At the other end of the Utah pay spectrum, Nokes has worked 17 years as a waitress, including the past year at Lamb's Grill Cafe in downtown Salt Lake City. "You just scrape by," she said about the money it pays.
"We rent an apartment; we don't own," she said of her two-income household. "The nice thing is, you get money every day. I get paid my credit tips (from customers who charge them) once a week. I try to save them for big things like rent and utilities. The cash tips I get every day go for things like food."
Nokes notes that Utah law allows restaurants to pay servers less than minimum wage and base their tax withholdings in part on anticipated tips. She says she has to claim an amount equal to 13 percent of all the food she sells as income. "So, if someone only leaves a 10 percent tip, we fall behind. A lot of people still think that is a good tip."
While it didn't take much formal training to begin as a server, Nokes says it took her a year of work to become truly good at her job. While she likes it, she is not satisfied with the lifestyle her job allows. So she has attended school part time through the years — and plans to return soon. "I want to become an X-ray technician," she said.
She has three children, with one still at home. Does she want them to work at restaurants or as servers? "No," she said. "I don't want them to get caught up in this industry. It really doesn't pay enough."
Stay in school
As a general trend — although it has exceptions — state data show that the more education a job requires, the more it tends to pay, which Nelson and Nokes know. That could make a difference of hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in pay during a person's working years.
"Does it pay to stay in school? Does it ever!" says Lecia Langston, a regional economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
That is shown by looking at median wages as training or education requirements increase. Utah jobs on the lowest rung of that ladder — those requiring only short, on-the-job training — had a median annual wage of $20,530, data show.
On the next-highest rung, jobs that required between a month and a year of on-the-job training paid a median wage of $26,825 a year.
Jobs that required more than a year of on-the-job training paid a median of $32,295.
Jobs that required formal, post-secondary vocational training paid a median of $32,090.
Jobs that require an associate's degree paid a median of $37,245.
Professions that require a bachelor's degree paid a median of $47,985.
Those that require a master's degree paid a median of $46,380.
And those that required a professional degree, such as a medical or law degree, or a doctorate, paid a median of $97,870.
"One interesting thing, too, is that for women it especially pays to stay in school," Langston said. "If you look at the average wage for women with a bachelor's degree or just high school, it is almost a 60 percent increase. It is not nearly that big for men. So for women, it is really important for them to stay in school to get a decent wage."
Highest and lowest
Not all jobs requiring the same level of training are created equal.
For example, postal carriers and waiters/waitresses both require only short-term, on-the-job training. But the median salary for postal carriers was $43,510 — or three times more than the $13,820 median pay for waiters and waitresses.
| Deseret Morning News graphic Highest- and lowest-paying Utah jobsRequires Adobe Acrobat. |
Following are the highest and lowest salaries for other levels of training:
On-job training of between a month and a year: The highest paying is sales representatives for technical/scientific products, $60,030. The lowest is for laundry and dry cleaning workers, $16,910.
On-job training of more than a year: The top salary is for air traffic controllers, $99,860. The lowest is for dancers, $14,210.
Jobs requiring work experience in a related field to enter: The top salary is for real estate brokers, $77,030. The lowest is for graders and sorters of agricultural products, $18,600.
Jobs requiring formal post-secondary vocational training: The top pay is for electricians who repair powerhouse/substations, $63,960; The lowest is for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists, $21,800.
Jobs requiring at least an associate degree: The top is for dental hygienists, $56,410. The lowest is for veterinary technologists and technicians, $21,010.
Jobs requiring at least a bachelor's degree: The top pay is for engineering managers, $85,600. The least is for recreation workers, $16,680.
Jobs requiring at least a master's degree: The top pay is for postsecondary engineering teachers, $81,130. The lowest is for mental health counselors, $21,810.
Jobs requiring at least a professional degree or doctorate: The top is for obstetricians and gynecologists, $195,420. The lowest is for chiropractors, $53,070.
A way out and up
Tony Rizzuto, an academic career adviser at Salt Lake Community College, says he sees people of all ages returning to school to upgrade skills for a higher-paying job.
"If you walk around campus, you will see people who are 40, 50 or even 60 years old," he said. He says some come back voluntarily to seek a better career, but others are forced into it because their jobs disappeared, or because of divorce or the death of a bread-winning spouse.
He points to a sign on his wall that he says conveys a truth he has learned after years of counseling. "Your job is only secure for as long as it takes to export, automate, consolidate or eliminate (downsize) it."
"Some of the most valuable students here are those that had some sort of work background but don't want to do that job anymore — or can't," he said. "Some other students can't relate to things such as why they need algebra in the everyday world. These people know they need it to get through here and get a better job."
Rizzuto, like advisers at virtually all colleges and schools, can walk people through what it will take to become qualified for a wide spectrum of jobs. SLCC, for example, has packets prepared for numerous types of jobs that show what training is required, what the job outlook is, what it pays, and how to seek the job.
It also keeps lists of occupations that are expected to have the most openings, and which of them offer the highest pay.
"Many of them do not require a college degree," he said, they but do require some post-high school training. "For example, there is a tremendous demand for registered nurses," for which SLCC offers a two-year program.
He said jobs such as plumbers and truck drivers are also in high demand and offer relatively good pay with some technical training and without requiring a college degree. "If you don't believe that, the next time you call a plumber on a Sunday . . . you will find he will make some real money."
Rizzuto did not need to go far to show an example of someone who returned to school to upgrade skills — the receptionist for his office, Kirstie Jorgensen.
"I was the office manager for an agricultural industry company" for six years, she said. "I was passed over for a promotion because I did not have a bachelor's degree," even though she already had been doing the type of work required for the higher-level job. (All she had was an associate's degree from Salt Lake Community College.)
She decided to return to school full time at the University of Phoenix to earn her bachelor's degree, and she works part time at SLCC.
"I am a single mother raising a 12-year-old son. I needed to improve our quality of life," she said. "I am making less money (for now), but I am finding it very fulfilling, and I think my son is seeing that, too."
Five-star jobs
The Utah Department of Workforce Services issues regular predictions about what jobs will be in demand in the future, and which will pay the most. The jobs that have both the strongest employment outlook and pay high wages are called "five star jobs" in its rating system.
Langston, who wrote the latest report on those five-star jobs, says jobs in health care or computers may have the brightest outlook.
"Jobs in health care have a high demand and pay relatively well for the training they require, whether it is for a nurse, doctor or dental hygienist," she said.
"Other areas (with bright futures) are in the computer industry, from programmers to analysts to hardware engineers," she said.
She notes that science and technology training is in high demand and pays well, "so it not only pays to stay in school, but to also develop a good science, math and analytical background. They tend to be the best paying and have high demand."
Still, the state lists "five-star" jobs at all different types of training levels.
It currently lists 59 "five-star" professions that require various lengths of on-the-job training but no college degree. It says the best of them include: electricians (with an entry wage of $9.20 an hour); plumbers ($13.80 an hour at entry); police and sheriff's patrol officers ($14.10 an hour); and postal carriers ($16.60).
It lists seven five-star jobs that require more formal education than high school but less than a bachelor's degree. It says they include registered nurses (with an entry wage of $18.30 an hour); respiratory therapists ($16.70 an hour); paralegals and legal assistants ($13.50), and dental hygienists ($25.60).
It also list 31 five-star jobs that require a bachelor's degree or higher. It says some of the best among them are: computer and information system managers (entry wage of $22.62 an hour); lawyers ($31 an hour at entry); pharmacists ($29.80 an hour); and marketing managers ($21).
Job openings
The state also regularly predicts which professions will have the most future openings. Unfortunately, its current predictions show that some low-paying positions are among those expected to have the most new openings such as fast food and retail sales.
For example, between 2002 and 2012, the state expects that 2,420 openings would occur for retail sales workers; 2,370 for cashiers; 1,660 for waiters and waitresses; and 1,490 for fast food workers. Those are the highest number of openings for any profession.
"They have a lot of turnover, and there is just a lot of those types of jobs to begin with," Langston said. "Cashiers and retail sales are the two biggest professions in the state. . . . Most people don't want to make them a permanent career and try to move up from them."
Still, some high-paying Utah occupations are expected to have 100 or more annual opening over the next decade. They include: general operations managers (840 opening a year); financial managers (260 a year); sales managers (240); chief executives (240); lawyers (190); and computer software engineers/applications (180).
The Department of Workforce Services also regularly projects what types of industries will see the most job growth in coming years.
Those with the biggest annual growth projected through 2012 include: health-care support (5 percent); food preparation/serving (4 percent); personal care and service (4 percent); computer and mathematical (4 percent); healthcare practitioners/technical (4 percent); community/social services (4 percent); and education/training/library (4 percent).
Final benefit
Langston offers one final reason to stay in school: It generally leads to better-paying jobs, plus it also leads to jobs that are more secure.
"If you look at unemployment data, the people with the most education are also the least likely to be unemployed," she said. "So not only do they get paid better, they are more likely to have a job."