Good Paying Careers (Houston, Austin: dermatologist, day care, home)

[texasboi]

Hi, wondering on what your advice is on careers that pay very good and are not that hard to find job stability. I am going to be a special education teacher and moving either to the areas of Houston or Austin. I'm guessing at around $49k to start. Anybody have any other suggestions for good paying stable professions on the rise? I'm finishing up my liberal arts degree and going to xfer to a 4 year university for teaching but just want to see if there is something else I didn't think of. Eventually I want to be a professor and day care owner but open to suggestions. What do you suggest Texas? Thank you for the input!

[LostInHouston]

$49k to start for a teacher? I doubt it... but I could be wrong.

Good paying stable profession in Houston? I'd say anything in the oil industry. How about a degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas AM.

[Supermac34]

You can check salary schedules from most school districts just by looking up the district's website to see what teachers make. There really is a pretty big difference form some districts to others. South of Houston, my sister in laws started at about 29K out in a rural district. Where I live, in NW Houston, most of the districts start around 40K or so. I haven't looked up HISD in a while, but I would guess they would be the highest paying in the area.

In Houston, right now, a finance or accounting degree is stable and in demand. Geologists can name their own price, and petroleum engineers are raking it in as well out of college. MIS (IT) is also doing very well right now.

You can also work at any company in Houston with a degree from either A&M or UT.

[tstone]

You can potentially make 49k as a teacher here if you're a superstar at one of the best universities, so you can get into the highest paying school districts and rise above all the comptetition. Then you'd need to work extra-curricular activities after school + full time every summer. You could teach summer school, and I've known some male teacher-handymen who work summers in maintenance & repair.

Special ed, bilingual and math/science -- always in demand because people can easily find better paying jobs in those fields with better raises, better benefits and better working conditions.

[chris_ut]

49k is a decent starting salary. The problem with teaching is your pay doesn't really increase much beyond the rate of inflation so 20 years from now you will still be making around 49k per year in 2008 dollars.

[xiabelle]

My husband is at one of the better paying districts in the area and even as a 7th year teacher he still doesn't make 49K a year. A lot of the districts in the Houston area do start in the 40s, but not that high.

[crocopkick]

lcisd - first year 45,500

[Thaskateguy]

Plumbers make pretty good money---but their samiches often have a funny taste at lunch time.

[studiobtm]

Computer programming. I work from home in my sweats and gross around $130k a year. You would start at between $40-50k and in two years should be making $70k. Or more. Learn C#.net

If I was younger I would get a law degree or be a dermatologist or dentist. If I had the money I would buy a plumbing, electrical, AC/Heating etc. type business.

My sister teaches special ed. The stress level is excessive.

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by studiobtm

Computer programming. I work from home in my sweats and gross around $130k a year. You would start at between $40-50k and in two years should be making $70k. Or more. Learn C#.net

If I was younger I would get a law degree or be a dermatologist or dentist. If I had the money I would buy a plumbing, electrical, AC/Heating etc. type business.

My sister teaches special ed. The stress level is excessive.

Degree in CS? Doing all that stuff at home would be very boring to me. You're working on a contractor basis? But yeah, that cerrtainly would be an option.