After four-plus extra years of school and thousands of dollars (or more) in student loans, college graduates have high hopes for the kind of job and lifestyle they imagine their bachelor's degree will bring.
On average, new grads expect to earn $60,000 in their first job out of college, and while that number may be high — most will earn closer to $50,000 — most will get there in time. Bachelor's degree holders make a median weekly salary of $1,173, or about $60,996 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's far more than what someone with an associate's degree or high school diploma will take home, but about $35,000 less than what a professional degree holder typically earns annually.
But heading back to school to collect additional degrees isn't the only path toward salaries in the $90,000s. Instead, there are dozens of jobs that will reward bachelor's degree recipients with a similarly hefty paycheck. The trick is to know which positions to go after.
To help job seekers best capitalize on their academic achievement, CNBC Make It analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the occupations that pay workers the largest salaries while only requiring a bachelor's degree to be hired.
So if you want to earn well into the six-figures with your undergraduate experience, consider one of these 10 jobs:
Purchasing managers
Median salary: $118,940
Projected job growth through 2026: 5 percent
These workers oversee and coordinate the activities of a company's buyers and purchasing agents or the people responsible for buying products and services for a company to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, interview vendors and visit suppliers' plants and distribution centers, negotiate contracts, and attend meetings and trade shows to learn about new industry trends. In addition, they maintain and review records of items bought, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories, develop their organization's procurement policies and procedures, and train new staff.
Compensation and benefits managers
Median annual pay: $121,010
Projected job growth through 2026: 5 percent
These workers develop and oversee a company's programs for compensating employees. This means they help set the organization's pay and benefits structure, determine competitive wage rates, select and manage outside partners, such as benefits vendors, insurance brokers and investment managers, and ensure that pay and benefit plans comply with federal and state regulations.
Natural sciences managers
Median annual pay: $123,860
Projected job growth through 2026: 10 percent
These managers supervise the work of scientists, such as chemists, physicists and biologists. They direct research and development activities and coordinate all testing, quality control, and production procedures. Natural sciences managers also typically work with executives at a company to set the goals for researchers or developers on staff, create a budget for projects, review staff members' methodology and the accuracy of their research results, and present project proposals, research findings, and the status of projects to clients and top management.
Sales managers
Median annual pay: $124,220
Projected job growth through 2026: 7 percent
Responsible for directing a company's sales teams, sales managers must assign sales territories and set sales goals or quotas, develop training programs for an organizations' sales representatives, resolve customers complaints regarding sales and service, project sales and determine the profitability of products and services, monitor customer preferences, and develop strategies for acquiring new clients. They also frequently work closely with managers from other departments in the organization, such as marketing or research and design.
Financial managers
Median annual pay: $127,990
Projected job growth through 2026: 19 percent
These managers look after the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, ensure that legal requirements are met, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization. Because of technological advances that have reduced the amount of time needed to produce financial reports, many financial managers now do more data analysis and advise senior managers on ways to maximize profits.
Marketing managers
Median annual pay: $134,290
Projected job growth through 2026: 10 percent
Understanding the need or demand for the product or services an organization offers is this manager's main job. It is up to them to identify potential markets interested in the company's products and develop pricing strategies that help maximize profits and market share while keeping customers satisfied. They work closely with sales, public relations and product development staff to discuss topics such as budgets and contracts, marketing plans and the selection of advertising media.
Petroleum engineers
Median annual pay: $137,170
Projected job growth through 2026: 15 percent
These engineers develop methods for extracting oil and gas from onshore and offshore underground reserves as well as find new ways to do the same from older wells. They design equipment used to extract the fossil fuels and ensure it is installed and operated correctly, create the plan for how to drill in these oil fields and recover the oil, find ways to inject water, chemicals, gases or steam into an oil reserve to force out more oil or gas, and finally evaluate well production. They work closely with geoscientists and other specialists to understand the rock or other formation containing the deposit.
Architectural and engineering managers
Median annual pay: $140,760
Projected job growth through 2026: 6 percent
These managers are responsible for developing the overall concept of a new product or for solving the technical problems that prevent the completion of a project within an architectural and engineering company. This means they make detailed plans for the development of new products, lead research and development projects to create new products, processes or designs, review the methods and technical accuracy of their staff's work, and determine the budgets needed for projects. They often work with other managers, including those in finance, production, and marketing, as well as with contractors and equipment and materials suppliers.
Computer and information systems managers
Median annual pay: $142,530
Projected job growth through 2026: 12 percent
These tech workers direct all computer and technology-related activities within an organization. They determine a company's computer needs and recommend the appropriate products to top executives, oversee and plan the installation and maintenance of computer hardware and software and ensure the security of a company's network and electronic documents.
Chief executives
Median annual pay: $189,600
Projected job growth through 2026: -4 percent
Also known as chief executive officers, executive directors, managing directors or presidents, these leaders are responsible for the overall direction of a company or organization. They manage the company operations, formulate and implement company policies, oversee an organization's financial and budgetary activities, and ensure profit, revenue and sales goals are met.
Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!
