10 Six-Figure Jobs without a Professional Degree
by Joe Taylor Jr.

Earning $100,000 in any profession requires a combination of hard work, career training, and personal experience. These ten jobs prove that you can grow your salary to six figures without a law degree or a medical school diploma. In all ten cases, online career training programs can help you learn the skills to pursue a career with megabucks potential while continuing to build experience at your current job.

With education and will, these ten career equations offer ways to earn serious money:

#1: Marketing Manager + trend spotting = a Six-Figure Income
In today's economy, nearly every kind of enterprise requires a marketing manager to grow sales. So what makes a top manager? Professionals at the start of their marketing careers can use the best practices learned in online marketing degree programs to understand the constantly shifting landscape of sales and marketing. Having a nose for the financial news and being the first to spot a market trend means career advancement. According to government statistics, most marketing careers offer salaries and bonuses of over $100,000 at the executive level.

#2: Health Services Manager + the science of compliance = a Six-Figure Income
Complex legal requirements and pressure from insurance companies have created a demand for health services managers who can maintain compliance while maximizing profits. The top ten percent of healthcare management professionals can earn performance bonuses that raise their annual compensation packages to over $117,000. Experience managers with compliance skills will find that an online healthcare administration degree program can help them move from the job they have into a health care management position.

#3: Information Systems Manager + high goals = a Six-Figure Income
Set your sights on a CIO position if you want an information systems management position to payoff big time. If you're already a manager who likes deciding everything from hardware to personnel, pursuing a degree in IT online offers a convenient route into information systems management. Aim for the corner office and rack up some experience if you want your technology degree to yield a six-figure salary. More than half of the CIOs responding to a recent government salary survey reported annual incomes of over $100,000.

#4: Financial Manager + ethical choices = a Six-Figure Income
Having an MBA in finance is a good start, but even an MBA needs good experience and smart choices to grab a stratospheric salary as a financial manager. Today's highest paid CFOs blend career training with solid track records and high ethical standards. Finance careers in commodities brokerages offer salaries of over $120,000. Many online finance degree programs offer professionals the opportunity use work projects as research opportunities, making finance career training even more convenient.

#5: Human Resources Manager + high performance = a Six-Figure Income
In human resources, performance is golden. Successful HR managers do much more for their employers than stage recruiting fairs at local universities. By developing compensation programs and reducing employee turnover, HR managers can earn hefty bonuses. According to government statistics, the top ten percent earn over $129,000 annually. For professionals with business degrees, earning a human resource management degree online can be an exciting first step toward a job as a "talent tactician."

#6: Fashion Designer + uniquely individual style = a Six-Figure Salary
Winning "Project Runway" isn't the only way to earn $100,000 in a fashion design career. While many six-figure fashion designers may not yet be household names, they cater to clients who prefer custom couture. A high salary in a fashion design career requires more than just a fashion design degree, though. According to experts, successful designers must find a niche, market their brand, and build a loyal base of private clients.

#7: Court Reporter + overtime = a Six-Figure Salary
Even though government statistics show that many court reporters earn over $40,000 per year, some court reporters to have the chance to make much, much more money than that. Why? Document backlogs in certain cities have pushed overtime pay for court reporters to record levels. The court reporter who adds freelance transcribing for private depositions and business meetings to a base income can crack $100,000 per year. In addition to earning your bachelor's degree, most states require certification.

#8: Computer Application Development Manager + leadership = a Six-Figure Salary
Application development managers lead small teams of programmers through specific deadlines. Tight budgets and competition for graduates of computer programming degree programs keep AD managers busy. It's a career in which leadership pays. Most application development managers earn over $98,000 annually. Veteran managers skilled at getting the most out of their teams can earn a computer programming degree and make the leap to an AD management position.

#9: Nursing Supervisor + persistence in leadership = a Six-Figure Salary
At first glance, nursing schools don't seem like a rung in the mega money ladder. Still, some veteran nurses are realizing their dreams of becoming leaders in their field. By earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, experienced registered nurses can qualify for higher-paying administrative jobs, earning about $55,000 per year. Given the competition in some cities for talented nursing career professionals, that income escalates dramatically. With persistence and performance, administrators who reduce turnover and maximize compliance can now reach six-figure incomes.

#10: Education Administrator + quality assurance = a Six-Figure Salary
Under pressure to save money while reducing class sizes, many school boards recruit expert leaders from the business community to serve as education administrators. School boards expect to pay these "civilians" more, so an effective leader can turn a degree in education administration into a six-figure career. Adding a master's in education administration to an existing business degree offers enterprise professionals a new career option. Although most education administrators earn about $77,000 per year, they too can hit six figures with bonuses for improving standardized test scores and staff turnover rates.

So, where there's a will, there's a way to a six figure salary--even in fields that don't yield six figures as a rule. These ten careers not only offer earning potential far beyond the norm (which the BLS reported at just short of $36,000 in 2005), they also lure workers pursuing allied career paths into getting enough education to jump ship. Perhaps 2008 will be the year you decide to join them.