According to recent tax statistics, jobs that do not need a university degree frequently pay six figures.
Brain surgeons make an average income of $553,569.
That is higher than Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s salary of $549,250.
Meanwhile, plastic surgeons make more than lifesaving heart surgeons on $464,243 and judges on $423,945.
However, it is still feasible to earn an above-average wage with merely a vocational diploma and without having to spend years at university.
According to new Australian Taxation Office figures for 2019-20, railway station managers earn an average taxable income of $109,123.
This was much more than the average tax pay of $63,882, which included both full-time and part-time employees.
The federal government’s Your Career website portrays railway station management as “stressful,” and it notes that future need for the position is declining, particularly with more professionals able to work from home.
Best-paying occupations in Australia
NEUROSURGEON (BRAIN DOCTOR): $553,569
OPTHALMOLOGIST (EYE DOCTOR): $520,966
SURGEON IN PLASTIC: $475,081
CARDIOLOGIST (HEART SURGEON): $464,243
JUDGE: $423,945
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGIST: $417,050
The Victorian government’s Rail Academy website urged anyone interested in becoming railway station managers to expect to work 40 to 44 hours per week, including nights, weekends, and public holidays.
Railway positions in general are well-paid, with signal operators earning $117,308 and train drivers earning $118,873.
Another transportation-related career, air traffic controllers, with an average salary of $150,132, with this occupation needing a Diploma of Aviation.
Helicopter pilots earned an average of $123,481 and were required to attend a flight school in order to receive a license.
They were far from the only positions that did not need a degree but were nonetheless paid more than a university professor on $110,857 and a lawyer on $138,904.
Dredge operators working on maritime construction projects earned an average of $139,522.
Paper mill workers were paid $102,176, while crane operators on building sites were paid $104,692.
Coal miners earn an average of $124,550 a year, compared to $150,442 for power plant operators who operate coal-fired electricity generators.
Bank managers earned an average taxable salary of $144,595, with this employment needing a Certificate IV in Financial Services.
Railway positions are well-paid, with signal operators earning $117,308 and train drivers (Queensland Rail operator, shown) earning $118,873.
They earn more than dentists, with an annual salary of $131,773.
However, with the large banks eliminating locations and clients doing more transactions online, there are fewer long-term career possibilities for bank managers.
Nonetheless, the SEEK jobs website featured 657 positions for bank managers on Tuesday.
Other managers get six-figure wages as well, with construction site managers earning $117,043, which is equal to school administrators earning $130,142 and advertising managers earning $110,044.
Police inspectors are normally compensated $120,310 per year.
Those who want to be TV presenters or announcers may earn an average taxable income of $136,410, but the media sector is fiercely competitive, with employment based on ratings and advertising revenue.
Journalists are often required to have a communications degree from a university, however on-air personalities have been hired with just a certificate.
Australia’s highest-paid bureaucrats
Stephen Rue, CEO of the National Broadband Network: $2,647,974
Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad: $2,249,978
Rodney Boys, former acting CEO of Australia Post, received $1,871,932 in compensation.
CEO of Australian Rail Track Corporation, Mark Campbell: $1,186,727
Phillip Lowe, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia: $1,076,029
Angus Campbell, Chief of the Defence Force: $1,034,315
Greg Moriarty, Defence Secretary: $963,428
Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Glyn Davis: $944,829*
Steven Kennedy, Treasury Secretary: $922,022
Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo: $912,422
Kathryn Campbell*, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade: $874,288
Secretary of Energy, Science, Energy, and Resources David Fredericks: $817,762
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: $549,250
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles: $433,063
Treasurer Jim Chalmers: $396,094
Foreign Minister Penny Wong: $369,688
Katy Gallagher, Minister of Finance: $364,406
Sources: Remuneration Tribunal, yearly reports
* Based on the terms of their predecessor
Television journalists earned an average taxable salary of $107,918, with this profession including both reporters in front of the camera and producers behind the scenes.
They often interview economists, who earn an average salary of $147,358, although they must have a degree in economics.
Those with analytical ability may also become accountants, with practice managers earning an average of $109,724.
Those in this sector often obtain a Bachelor of Accounting from university, followed by certification as a CPA – Certified Practising Accountant – or a Chartered Accountant.
Individual tax filings and quarterly business activity statements are the most usual jobs for accountants, while others in this sector might specialize in bankruptcy, determining what a troubled firm owes creditors.
Auditors who analyze a company’s financial records earn an average taxable income of $142,922.
Most professionals in this sector have a university degree, but in order to practice, they must be a Certified Internal Auditor.
Those who excel at mathematics may become actuaries, who assess risk and determine insurance rates.
This speciality demands a university degree, yet the average salary is $194,613.
The major money, though, comes in finance broking, with investment brokers earning an average taxable salary of $269,064 in a profession where they assist customers in obtaining financing.
Those in this position may get a Certificate IV in finance and mortgage broking.
Futures traders had an even higher average compensation of $290,942, while stock brokers earned an even higher salary of $306,518.
Financial investment managers earned more money again, with an average salary of $331,812.
They were paid more than mining engineers, who earned $185,568.
In the medical industry, a suburban general practitioner generally earned $175,731 per year.
Neurosurgeons, who do brain procedures, earn $553,569.
This was the only profession where the average compensation was higher than Mr Albanese’s $549,250 salary as President.
Opthalmologists, or eye physicians, were the most paid at $520,966.
Ear, nose, and throat surgeons, also known as otorhinolaryngologists, make an average of $502,800 a year.
Plastic surgeons were not far behind, at $475,081.
They earned more than cardiac surgeons, commonly known as cardiologists, who normally earned $464,243, and orthopaedic surgeons, who operate on the back, who averaged $436,407.
Anaesthetists in operating rooms made an average of $388,814.
Oncologists, or cancer physicians, earned $321,360 per year.
Gastroenterologists who specialize in intestinal disorders were regularly compensated $401,912.
Urologists, who specialize in men’s reproductive health, earned $442,091 a year, while gynecologists earned $363,453.
Paediatricians made $240,800 on average as physicians specializing in children’s health, while psychiatrists paid $252,691.