What are the best-paying jobs for 2014?
Photo, file: JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images
When it comes to snagging that six-figure salary, it may pay to listen to your mom's advice and go to medical or law school.
A new analysis from CareerCast of America's top-paying jobs finds that seven of the top 10 careers are in the healthcare industry and require an advanced degree. While these jobs are all pegged to show strong earnings growth through 2022, there is a downside: Becoming a surgeon or physician requires years of graduate school and training, which requires an investment of time and money.
"There is a tradeoff for every job," CareerCast publisher Tony Lee told CBS MoneyWatch. "Surgeon might be the best paid job in the country, but what it takes to become a surgeon is substantial in terms of cost and years when your earnings are minimal," such as during a residency.
Many of the jobs also carry a heavy stress load, such as air traffic controllers, who earn more than $122,000 each year but also deal with unusually stressful working conditions.
While an NBA player or a pop star might earn far more than a surgeon, those are uncommon jobs and as such weren't included in the analysis, Lee noted. The top 10 paying careers are professions "people actually have," he said.
Read on to learn more about the top 10 paying jobs.
Surgeon
Photo, file: JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $233,150
Projected growth by 2022: 18 percent
While surgeons are the top-earning workers in the analysis, the tradeoff is often a staggering amount of student debt. Graduates in the class of 2013 left medical school with a median debt of $175,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Still, some surgeons can far exceed the average, with about 6 percent of general surgeons bringing home at least $500,000, according to a Medscape report last year.
General Practice Physician
Photo, file: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $187,200
Projected growth by 2022: 18 percent
General practice physicians rank as the second highest-paid career. Like surgeons, the profession is forecast to have an above-average rate of growth through 2022.
One reason is that baby boomers are starting to retire from their medical practices, but an aging population is keeping demand high for medical professionals. Yet not enough students are enrolling in medical school to make up the shortfall, causing the Association of American Medical Colleges to estimate a shortfall of more than 65,000 primary-care doctors by 2025.
Some medical students are preferring to enroll in training for medical specialties such as cardiology, given higher pay for specialists and the often stressful role of a general practitioner.
Psychiatrist
Photo: iStockPhoto
Annual average salary: $178,950
Projected growth by 2022: 18 percent
Becoming a psychiatrist also requires years of training. After medical school, students enroll in a residency program before getting licensed to practice. While they earn less than some other medical specialists, psychiatrists enjoy higher job satisfaction than others in the medical field, Medscape found.
Orthodontist
Photo: iStockPhoto
Annual average salary: $149,310
Projected growth by 2022: 16 percent
Orthodontists attend dental school before enrolling in either a Doctor of Dental Surgery or a Doctor of Dental Medicine. The next step is to enroll in a post-doctoral orthodontics program. Overall, training can take 10 years from bachelor's degree to the final specialty program.
Dentist
Photo, file: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $146,340
Projected growth by 2022: 16 percent
Getting into dental school can be competitive, notes the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While they often earn high salaries, the downside is that the profession comes with a high level of stress, partly from dealing with fearful patients.
Petroleum Engineer
Photo, file: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $130,280
Projected growth by 2022: 26 percent
Some petroleum engineers are nearing retirement, which is opening up opportunities to younger workers, Lee notes. That's also helping the growth rate for this industry, as well as demand from the growing oil and gas exploration sites.
Air Traffic Controller
Photo, file: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $122,530
Projected growth by 2022: 1 percent
While a high-paying job, working as an air-traffic controller carries a high level of stress. Because of this, some workers burn out while still young, Lee notes. It's also facing a below average growth rate because some functions of air control are being automated, requiring fewer workers.
Pharmacist
Photo illustration, file: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $116,670
Projected growth by 2022: 14 percent
Like other medical professions, becoming a pharmacist also requires years of training. Pharmacists earn a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and must become licensed by passing two exams, the BLS notes.
Podiatrist
Photo, file: Ian Waldie/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $116,440
Projected growth by 2022: 23 percent
This medical specialty is projected to grow faster than the average U.S. profession, thanks to the aging American population, the BLS notes. Podiatrists will be increasingly in demand to treat patients with foot and ankle problems created by chronic illnesses such as obesity, the agency adds.
Attorney
Photo, file: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Annual average salary: $113,530
Projected growth by 2022: 10 percent
Last but not least, lawyers still rank among the top 10 paying professions in the U.S. Following a downturn after the recession, the job market for attorneys is improving, Lee notes. Some Baby Boomer attorneys will be retiring, opening up more demand for younger legal eagles.