Movin' on up: The more schooling the better the job — mostly

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 graphicWhat 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.)