​Jobs That Pay $50 An Hour Or More​​

By: | 10/10/2012 10:29 AM ET

Jobs that pay $50 an hour. If you are looking for a top hourly wage, say $50, then prepare to attend classes to train in the fields that pay more, and these jobs are mostly in IT, health care, engineering, law and other fields. There’s a way for you to earn a six figure income, depending on one of these industries.

10 Jobs That Pay $50 An Hour

Clinical Psychologist – $50 – $102

If you find human behavior fascinating, and you’d like to earn a hefty income, consider a career as a clinical psychologist. You can work in a variety of settings, from a private practice in your home to a being part of a medical team at a hospital. Clinical psychologists help their patients deal with both mental disorders, like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, as well as shorter-term needs like processing the death of a loved one or a divorce.

Attorney/Lawyer – Hourly pay: $513 – $102

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’ll always have a job. From building a new office building to sorting out a will, lawyers are essential to all kinds of negotiations and business processes. As a lawyer, you can specialize in the area that most suits your strengths and interests, like justice for children or patent law for new technologies.

Senior Electrical Engineer – Hourly pay: $42 – $69

Who makes a DVD player show movies, a robot talk or your computer save those family photos? Electrical engineers do. They design, test and improve electronics of all kinds.

Optometrist – Hourly pay: $50 – $62

If you have your eyes on a healthy salary in a growing field, consider optometry. As the baby boomers age, this is yet another area of health care that is expected to grow. Optometrist test for eye sight problems and eye diseases and can prescribe certain medicines or refer patients to other doctors.

Consultant, Business Process / Management – Hourly pay: $43 – $73

Here’s a “behind the scenes” gig that makes a big difference in how decisions are made at a company, government department, university, hospital or any other organization. You provide a knowledge base that an organization doesn’t already have and use it to help them solve a problem, like reworking their marketing strategy or streamlining their manufacturing process. And, you get paid well for your help.

Project Manager, Information Technology (IT) – Hourly pay: $44 – $73

In a world where technology can put a company on the fast track to success, workers who understand both technology and how to lead a team have a lot of work opportunities. Most IT project managers have an undergraduate degree in some area of computer science or math and employers often prefer that they have an MBA, as well. Project managers are often in line to become chief technology officers.

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Lead – Hourly pay: $44 – $57

Do you tend to find and notice everything wrong with how your computer, a website or some other electronic device works? You might be able to put that knack to work. In fact, you might not even need an undergraduate degree to get hired if you’re a natural.

Consultant, Education/Training – Hourly pay: $39 – $78

Education and training consultant was named one of CNNMoney’s “Best Jobs in America.” Imagine flying to some major city, meeting with a company’s top employees to train them on the latest technology or team building technique. For the right person, this could be a really fun job.

Psychiatric Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) – Hourly pay: $42 – $61

Nurses are in-demand and well-paid these days. But, which ones earn the most? Registered nurse practitioners with a specialty in psychiatric care can earn more per hour than most.

Senior Mechanical Engineer – Hourly pay: $35 – $51

Mechanical engineering is a field with very broad work opportunities. You could lead a team of engineers who design refrigerators, gas turbines, elevators, escalators, robots and much, much more. This job requires at least an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering or a related field, with continued professional exams to keep up with changing technology.