Who makes the most money in Vermont? What skills are most desirable? – Burlington Free Press

Want to make great money in Vermont? Go to medical school.

That's the clear lesson to be learned from a list of the top 25 highest paying jobs in Vermont, compiled by Mat Barewicz, labor market information director for the Vermont Department of Labor. The top 11 slots on Barewicz's list are occupied by members of the medical profession, led by ophthalmologists. These doctors earned amedian wage of $100 per hour, which translates to $208,000 annually.

Barewicz said the salaries on the list are based on 52 weeks of a 40-hour work week, for a total of 2,080 hours.

As a reminder, median wage is the point at which 50% of the wages are less than and 50% of the wages are more.All median wages on the list are from 2021. Barewicz said all of the medical professionals are listed at $100 per hour because of the limitations of the survey.

"Eventually the grid runs out, that's why it can't be a precise estimate," he said. "(The salaries are) somewhere beyond the stratosphere."

Barewicz compiles the list not for those who already know they can command $200,000 or more annually, but for the rest of us, the majority who don't make that kind of money. He also compiles lists of the occupations that employed the most people in Vermont, the occupations expected to have the fastest rate of growth through 2028, and the occupations expected to have the most annual job openings through 2028. The lists are intended to help Vermonters figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

"The whole purpose of our division is not to tell you what to do, we don't know you, your family or your circumstances," Barewicz said. "But we can provide information to help you make the best decision for you in your situation."

The stranglehold on income in Vermont held by orthopedic surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, anesthesiologists and other doctorsis only broken when we get to, of all things,physicists,who had a 2021 median hourly wage of $92.84, or about $193,000 annually.

Barewicz said there were 41 physicists in Vermontas of 2018, the latest data available, with three more job openings expected annually through 2028. The largest share of the physicists in Vermont 40% are involved in commercializing scientific research by developing products or services. Another 20% are academics and another 20% work for the federal government. Barewicz doesn't know the circumstances of the remaining 20%.

The largest category of high earners in Vermont are chief executives, with a median hourly wage of $63.67, or an annual salary of about $132,500. There were 1,208 CEOs in Vermont as of 2018, with another 74 openings expected annually through 2028. All other managers in Vermont made a median hourly salary of $50.61, or an annual salary of about $105,000.

Yes, computer hardware engineers are on the list of highest paying jobs in Vermont, coming in with a median hourly wage of $61.39, or about $128,000 annually.

The fastest growing occupation in Vermont is personal care aides and home health aides, not surprising given Vermont's aging demographic. These aides make a median hourly wage of $14.44, or about $30,000 annually. Solar photovoltaic installers are third on the fastest growing list, making $18.11 per hour, or about $37,600 annually.

Software developers, third on the list,make a median hourly wage of $47.70, or about $99,000 annually. Computer numerically controlled (CNC) tool programmers a staple in Vermont's manufacturing sector make a median hourly salary of $29.40, or about $61,000 annually. If you love animals, veterinarians are on the fastest growing list, making a median hourly salary of $47.32, or about $98,500 annually.

Barewicz points out that low-paying jobs are by no means a dead end. Take those solar installers for example, making about 18 bucks an hour.

"That might not sound super high, but you're talking about a high school degree, these are people who are 19," Barewicz said. "Within a few years you could be starting your own company doing solar installations."

Guess what occupation tops both the "Largest Employment" and "Most Openings" list? Cashiers, making a median hourly wage of $13.74 per hour, or about $28,500 annually. Again, Barewicz speaks up for low-paying jobs. He was a cashier himself, he said, at the local grocery store all the way through high school.

"That's where I got my start," Barewicz said. "I could have made more at fast food, but that was where I thought I would be successful."

There were 9,527 cashiers in Vermont as of 2018, most of them, hopefully, on their way to bigger and better careers like Barewicz. The biggest occupation by far making good money is registered nurses. There were 6,778 nurses in 2018 making a median hourly wage of $36.24, or about $75,000 annually. Basically we're talking about the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Another relatively high paying occupation with lots of Vermonters doing it is general and operations managers. There are 3,615 of those in the state, making an median hourly wage of $36.85, or about $76,600 annually.

Registered nurses and general and operations managers are also the two best paying jobs expected to have the most openings through 2028 431 annual openings for nurses and 332 annual openings for managers. The career path to becoming a registered nurse is obviously more clearly defined than the path to becoming a general and operations manager.

Barewicz said when he talks to Vermont employers about the skills they're looking for, the three he hears about most are:

"Those are three core skills that never do you wrong in any situation, and are not captured in this skill data," he said. "(Employers tell me), 'Give me someone who can show up on time, work well with others and follow instructions and we will train them and put them on a path to financial independence.'"

Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 802-660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

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Who makes the most money in Vermont? What skills are most desirable? - Burlington Free Press