If you’re hoping to earn six figures at some point in your career, you may be wondering if an advanced degree is necessary. While an advanced degree can help, it’s not always necessary. In this blog post we will share research from The Ladders with examples of six-figure jobs you may want to target. These jobs do not require a Masters or Doctorate degree. 

Should you or shouldn’t you pursue your MBA?

One question I receive rather frequently is whether or not an MBA or Masters in Business Administration degree is worth it in order to advance one’s career. There’s no easy answer to this question because the answer is entirely subjective based on your career goals, target industry, etc.  However there are a few considerations you want to make before deciding to make such a huge financial and time investment.

When NOT to pursue an MBA

First you will need to consider whether or not an MBA is absolutely required for you to land your dream job. While “MBA” does look nice next to one’s name, it’s not always necessary to land a great job. If you pursue an MBA unnecessarily, you will find that you become no more attractive in a job market simply because you possess it. Furthermore you will be stuck with a whole lot of debt (and no job to pay it off). Sure the MBA may personally and professionally help you by topping up your skills. It may be incredibly valuable to you. However you must also weigh out the employer’s view of an MBA in order to really determine the value from a hiring standpoint. After all, you are hoping for a great job at the end of the MBA. Right?

Another time an MBA may not be worth it is when  you are going straight from undergrad into an MBA program. While you may be totally driven by the advanced degree track, keep in mind that your job search at the end of it, will be more difficult. Employers want real world experience. An MBA is no substitute for that. Unless you are completely confident that your MBA program offers internships or real-world company experience that could turn into a job, I would recommend against an MBA for recent college graduates. The best thing you can do for your career is work a few years before going back to school. This will give you some experience to speak of and to reference in the MBA. It will also shoe employers you are building a career path based on actual work experience.

How employers view the MBA on your resume

Most employers are more interested in actual, relevant work experience, than an advanced degree when it comes to vetting hundreds of candidates. Only very specific career paths/employers will value the MBA as a required part of a candidate’s profile. Some employers can take it or leave it and won’t value it as highly. It will all depend on the career path and company you are targeting.

To determine whether or not the MBA is absolutely necessary, you will need to review a sampling of job descriptions for your target dream job. You may also find it valuable to network within your target industry so that you can get a strong sense of how your target employers value (or not) the MBA when hiring talent. If most of the job descriptions you are targeting say, “advanced degree/MBA optional” – then you do NOT need to pursue the MBA to land a job with this company. Even “MBA preferred” tells me that your chances of landing the job are greater if you have an MBA. However it also tells me that you don’t need to have an MBA to be considered a viable candidate.

The only time you absolutely need to have your MBA is if majority of job postings you review say, “MBA required.”

However if you’re pursuing career advancement in order to earn a higher salary, there are options available that don’t require years of added study or outrageous tuition payments.

The top 10 highest paying professions for graduates without advanced degrees

The Ladders recently released a study that reveals the highest paying professions for graduates with a bachelor’s degree or less. The repot analyzed salary and career data from 1.9 million U.S. professionals without Master’s degrees between 2014 and 2015 and produced the following list of careers based on earning potential, average salary and top earners.  Here are the top 10 highest paying career paths that will have you earning some serious dough with nothing more than a bachelor’s degree (or less in some cases):

1. Sales Operations

• Earning Potential: $213,852 (19% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually)
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience): $77,896
• Target Job Titles: Director of Sales Operations (Avg: $126,000), Sales & Operations Manager (Avg: $86,000).

2. Sales (B2C, B2B)

• Earning Potential: $213,538  (20% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually)
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience):$77,433
• Target Job Titles: Director of Sales, (Avg: $130,000), Regional Sales Director (Avg: $137,000), Account Executive(Avg: $94,000).

 3. Business Development

• Earning Potential: $211,590 (24% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually)
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years Experience): $83,348
• Target Job Titles: Director of Business Development  (Avg: $124,000), Manager, Business Development (Avg: $104,000).

 4. Supply Chain & Logistics

• Earning Potential: $211,458
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years of Experience): $77,573
• Target Job Titles: Director of Logistics (Avg: $120,000), Supply Chain Consultant (Avg: $115,000), Global Supply Chain Manager (Avg: $118,000).

 5. Product & Brand Marketing

• Earning Potential: $211,033 (11% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually)
• Average Entry-Level Salary (Under 5 Years of Experience): $73,583
• Target Job Titles: Senior Brand Manager (Avg: $131,000), Product Marketing Manager (Avg: $103,000).

6. Digital Marketing

• Earning Potential: $209,755
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $73,263
• High Earning Jobs: Director of Digital Marketing (Avg: $125,000), Digital Marketing Manager (Avg: $83,000)

7. Public Relations & Communications

• Earning Potential: $209,747
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $62,127
• High Earning Jobs: Communications Director (Avg: $100,000), Director of PR (Avg: $96,000).

8. Plan & Facilities Management

• Earning Potential: $209,202
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $80,997
• Hot Jobs: Director of Facilities Management (Avg: $108,000).

9. Customer Service

• Earning Potential: $208,577
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $62,127
• Target Job Titles: Director of Customer Service (Avg: $107,000).

10. IT Management & Consulting

• Earning Potential: $204,634 (13% of professionals earned over $150,000 annually)
• Average Entry-Level Average (Under 5 Years of Experience): $93,328
• Target Job Titles: Director of Project Management (Avg: $128,000), IT Project Manager  (Avg: $100,000), IT Consultant (Avg: $97,000).