Yes, you can become a millionaire working for someone else, but the median pay in even the best salaried jobs ($130,000 to $275,000 in the US) will not get you there alone: you need to save and invest a large share, or reach the top of your field where bonuses, equity and ownership take over. Below are 15 jobs that can make you a millionaire, with May 2025 US median pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and our own math on how long it takes.
Billionaire is the new millionaire, so how hard is 7 figures today? In the past you had to build an established company with hundreds of employees. Today you can get there with a better-paying job, if you also manage the money well. We based our research on the United States to keep the jobs on the same scale, and the numbers can differ a lot in your country. Prefer video? Here is the video version:
The 15 jobs at a glance
| # | Job | US median pay (May 2025) | What gets you to $1 million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physician or specialist surgeon | $275,930 | Specialty plus own practice |
| 2 | Corporate lawyer | $159,670 | Partnership at a large firm |
| 3 | Architect | $99,280 | Owning the firm, big projects |
| 4 | Airline pilot and air traffic controller | $232,140 and $148,080 | Seniority, steady saving |
| 5 | Cybersecurity | $129,180 | Senior and management roles |
| 6 | Marketing manager | $165,780 | Chief marketing officer roles |
| 7 | High-end sales | Commission based | High-ticket products |
| 8 | Software developer | $135,980 | Equity in the right company |
| 9 | Petroleum engineer | $144,910 | Senior and management roles |
| 10 | Creator and new-media personality | No meaningful median | A large audience and a business |
| 11 | Professional athlete | Varies widely | Elite contracts plus endorsements |
| 12 | Professional entertainer | Varies widely | A hit and ownership |
| 13 | Investment banker | Bonus driven | Managing director level |
| 14 | Hedge fund manager | Fee driven | Running the fund |
| 15 | Business owner | Varies widely | Equity value of the company |
How long does it take to reach $1 million on a salary?
Our own math, assuming a 7% average annual return (an assumption, not a promise): saving about $5,800 a month gets you to $1 million in 10 years, and about $1,900 a month does it in 20. That is why the highest-paid jobs shorten the path, and why the savings rate matters as much as the salary.
1. Plastic surgeon and specialized doctors
The median pay for physicians and surgeons in the US was $275,930 in May 2025, and specialists in areas such as orthopedics, cardiology, radiology and neurosurgery earn well above that. We put plastic surgery first because it is more lucrative than many people assume: demand is everywhere, especially in the age of social media, and it is a specialization that is relatively easy to enter from the medical field. Medicine takes more than a decade of training and often six-figure debt, so the path to a million is through specialty, private practice or owning a clinic.
2. Corporate lawyer
The median pay for lawyers was $159,670 in May 2025, and big-firm corporate lawyers earn far more. If you are good, you can reach a million-dollar net worth within a decade, and partners at large firms often exceed it in annual income. The most lucrative areas are mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property. You work for large financial or tech companies, and the more value you add or the more you save them, the more you earn. In big cases, a single payout over $1 million is not unusual.
3. Architect
Median pay was $99,280 in May 2025. Good architects earn far more, and a single big project can produce a seven-figure income, but unless you are established, it is unlikely. Real estate keeps producing bigger projects from developers, companies and even cities. As with most jobs here, the reward is large, so the competition at the top is fierce.
4. Pilots and air traffic control
Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers had a median wage of $232,140 in May 2025. Air traffic controllers earned $148,080, and it is probably the second easiest job here to get into. Pay rises sharply with seniority, so a pilot who saves consistently can reach $1 million in net worth in well under 15 years. The training is expensive and demanding, and the job has strict medical and age rules.
5. Cybersecurity
Information security analysts had a median wage of $129,180 in May 2025, and senior application security roles pay a lot more. We live in the most connected time in history, and everything about you is online, which means there is a lot of money to be taken out of the system. Large breaches, such as the Equifax leak that exposed data on about 140 million Americans in 2017, show what a breach can cost. Companies pay well for people who can bulletproof their technology.
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6. Marketing managers
Advertising, promotions and marketing managers earned a median of $165,780 in May 2025, and chief marketing officers earn considerably more. In a crowded advertising world it is harder than ever to stand out, and a great marketing executive can make or break a company. Marketing is more than advertising: it is the way a product is designed, perceived, placed in its market and differentiated from the competition.
7. High-end sales
If you can sell, you will do well anywhere. This one is about those who are really good at it and move to high-ticket items. Why sell cars in a dealership when you could sell property in Monaco? The percentage may be smaller, but the pie is bigger. Sales pay is commission based, so no median captures it, and the top 20% of people in real estate, pharmaceutical and software sales regularly earn well into six figures. We did a video called 15 Skills That Pay Off Forever. Master two or three of them and you should be well off:
8. Software developer
Software developers had a median wage of $135,980 in May 2025. The real prize is equity. A developer can ask for a percentage of the company in exchange for their services, and if the company does well, the developer gets rich. That period of startups showed how valuable someone who can make things happen is: Jobs would not have been Jobs without Wozniak. The caution for 2026 is that AI coding tools are changing what developers do, so the strongest position is a mix of building skills and owning a piece of what you build.
9. Petroleum engineer
Petroleum engineers had a median wage of $144,910 in May 2025. They plan drilling in oil and gas fields and look for new ways to extract resources. Field jobs in the industry come with one of the highest on-the-job mortality rates, so it pays better to be one of the smart people sitting onshore. The industry is cyclical, tied to energy prices, so save during the good years.
10. YouTuber and new-media personality
The average pay is peanuts, and the best of the best make tens of millions. The barrier to entry is almost nil, so a lot of people compete for a small share, and an average calculation is meaningless because most creators earn almost nothing. The big plays are at the very top. In January 2022 a business publication estimated MrBeast, YouTube’s highest-earning creator that year, at around $54 million for 2021. Dude Perfect and PewDiePie also built large businesses from the platform. Beyond YouTube, people such as Kylie Jenner and Jeffree Star used social media to build big companies. The creators who last turn views into a business they own.
11. Professional athlete
There has never been a better time to be a professional athlete, but you need to perform consistently for as long as possible and then avoid going broke. Contracts have grown dramatically: Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers after the 2023 season, then the largest in professional sports. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr deal was reported at about 200 million euros a year, including commercial and sponsorship income. Careers are short, though, and many athletes still struggle after retiring. We explain why in our video 15 Ways Rich People Go Broke:
12. Professional entertainer: actors, musicians, TV and more
This one pays from $250,000 to well over $10 million a year, and where to begin is a challenge. Pay for stars is set by deals and ownership, not salaries, and it has changed over the years. Robert Downey Jr. earned a reported $500,000 for the first Iron Man film before growing into one of the highest-paid actors in the business, which shows how a hit can reset a career. We believe the whole industry is moving toward new media and creator-led content, and the competition is fierce. See also Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for how athletes cross into entertainment brands.
13. Investment banker
Pay in this sector is less about the salary than the annual bonus, which can exceed it. Managing directors can earn at least $1 million a year. Investment bankers help companies and governments with financing, a systematic approach with big numbers on the table. At the very top, JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon received about $43 million for fiscal year 2025, a 10.3% increase. Money and money management are probably the most direct way to get rich, and the hours are brutal.
14. Hedge fund manager
Of every job on this list, the biggest yearly earnings are in hedge funds. A hedge fund pools money from wealthy investors and invests it aggressively. The manager takes a share of the profits and a performance fee. These funds are reserved for the rich because ordinary people do not have the minimum capital.
The top end is extreme. Ken Griffin, the founder of Citadel, earned about $1.8 billion from the firm in 2020. Ray Dalio built Bridgewater Associates into one of the largest hedge funds in the world and stepped down from running it in 2022. If you want to learn how he thinks, we recommend the book Principles by Ray Dalio. Go to Alux.com/freebook and sign up to get the audiobook free thanks to Audible.
15. Business owner
You did not expect this one. Business owners earn a very wide range, and US government data on new private-sector businesses shows about 80% survive the first year and about half are still operating after five years. The difference is that you control how much you earn through the volume of work, your ability to innovate and adapt and your ability to sell. Every business is one step from massive success and one step from failure, and knowing which way to go is the million dollar question. For business owners we will not give a list; you know what the likes of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos have built.
Not everyone can perform at the level of the people we mentioned. But if you are smart, disciplined and pick the right industry, you might do well. If you had to pick one job from this list, which would it be and why?
Keep reading
- 15 surprising ways to make money without a traditional job: the ownership route
- How much money do you need to stop working, by every age: the target behind the million
- 15 ways to invest in yourself: skills that raise your earning ceiling
FAQ
Which jobs can make you a millionaire?
Specialist doctors, corporate lawyers, pilots, software developers with equity, investment bankers, hedge fund managers, athletes and business owners. Salary alone rarely does it; saving and investing, equity or ownership closes the gap.
How much do doctors and lawyers make in the US?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for physicians and surgeons was $275,930 in May 2025, and for lawyers it was $159,670.
How long does it take to save $1 million?
With a 7% average annual return, an assumption, saving about $5,800 a month takes roughly 10 years and about $1,900 a month takes roughly 20.
Can you become a millionaire as a software developer?
Yes, especially with equity. The median developer wage was $135,980 in May 2025, and stock in a successful company is what produces seven figures.
Is business ownership better than a job?
It has a higher ceiling and a higher risk. About half of new businesses are still operating after five years, according to US data.
Do you need a high-paying job to become a millionaire?
No. A high income shortens the path, but a high savings rate invested over decades works for ordinary salaries too.
How we put this list together
We chose jobs where pay, equity or ownership can realistically reach seven figures, then used official US wage data for May 2025 and company disclosures for top earners. Time-to-million figures are our own estimates under stated assumptions.
Last updated: October 2026.
