A Complete Guide to the Highest-Paying Jobs, Companies, Freelance Jobs and MoreHere's a handy roundup of the highest-paying opportunities across multiple job categories.

Knowing what company orjobpays the most is a smart matter to consider when you're job hunting or still in school shaping your future. While income might not be your highest priority when deciding your career, chances are, it's a factor.

Considering the formidable cost of college and other higher-education programs -- and the student loan debts that many of us carry around for decades following graduation -- it makes sense to be practical and strategic about which career and which companies you pursue. All of these decisions add up to your financial future.

Click through these next five slides to get a quick download on the highest-paid jobs, companies, majors, side-gigs for recent college graduates and more.

Related:The Highest-Paying Jobs in America, According to Glassdoor

25 Highest-Paying Jobs for 2017

Health-care and technology jobs dominate the list of thetop 25 highest-paying jobsin America for 2017, according to Glassdoor. Once again this year, physician marks the top of the heap as the highest-paying job with a median base salary of$187,876. Six out of the 25 most lucrative jobs are in specialized health-care, from physician's assistant ($112,529) to pharmacy manager ($149,064).

Glassdoor's research underscores a clear demand for people well-versed in technology and software, including applications development manager ($112,045), software engineering manager ($109,350) and data architect ($102,091).

Related:The 15 Most Profitable Small-Business Industries

The need to fillhigh-paying jobs in techis clearly growing and reflects a U.S.deficitof qualified STEM graduates and workers. According to美国新经济, in 2016 the number of available STEM jobs outnumbered the number of available STEM-trained workers by 3 million. If you're in school and wondering where the future of high-paying jobs is, look to a major and a career in a STEM field.

On the other hand, fewer law jobs appear on this year's Glassdoor list than in the past. However, patent lawyer is one of the top 10 highest-paid jobs at$139,272.

1. Physician

Median Base Salary: $187,876

2. Pharmacy Manager

Median Base Salary: $149,064

3.Patent Attorney

Median Base Salary: $139,272

4.Medical Science Liaison

Median Base Salary: $132,842

5. Pharmacist

Median Base Salary: $125,847

6.Enterprise Architect

Median Base Salary: $112,560

7. Physician Assistant

Median Base Salary: $112,529

8. Applications Development Manager

Median Base Salary: $112,045

9. R&D Manager

Median Base Salary: $111,905

10. Corporate Controller

Median Base Salary: $110,855

Check out thefull list.

To learn about America's highest-paying companies and more,click throughthe next four slides.

25 Highest Paying Companies for 2017

Technology companies make up the majority of the highest-paying companies on a listreleased by Glassdoorthis year. Not shockingly, 20 out of the 25 companies listed belong to the tech-sector. And even though physician is thehighest-paying job in America for 2017, hospitals and other institutions that employ doctors didn't make the cut. (This research examined the median salary across all salaries within a company.)

Related:This List of the Highest-Paid CEOs May Surprise You

Consulting companies top this list, which supportsprior researchdetermining that higher income is closely related to higher education and hot skills. In the case of consulting and technology jobs, companies are willing to pay top dollar for highly specialized skills and social capital (e.g. personal contacts) in the face of growing talent shortages,according to Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist.

If you're considering a career in technology or consulting, also consider the top 10 highest-paying companies for 2017:

1. A.T. Kearney (Consulting)

Median Total Compensation: $175,000

2. Strategy& (Consulting)

Median Total Compensation: $172,000

3.VMware (Tech)

Median Total Compensation: $167,050

4.Splunk(科技)

Median Total Compensation: $161,010

5. Cadence Design Systems (Tech)

Median Total Compensation: $156,702

6.谷歌(科技)

总薪酬中位数:155250美元

7. Facebook (Tech)

Median Total Compensation: $155,000

8. NVIDIA (Tech)

Median Total Compensation: $154,000

9. McKinsey & Company (Consulting)

Median Total Compensation: $153,000

10. Amazon Lab126 (Tech)

Median Total Compensation: $152,800

Find thefull listhere.

To learn about 10 in-demand freelance jobs and more,click throughthe next three slides.

10 In-Demand Freelance Jobs for 2017

Some freelancer skills pay more than others,says serial entrepreneur and online marketing expert John Rampton. He's learned this firsthand in his 10-plus years of experience both working as a freelancer and hiring freelancers. In fact, some freelance jobs actually pay six figures.

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Not surprisingly, many of the freelance jobs that pay well require specialized skills, such as programming and front-end and/or back-end developer knowledge, as well as digital fluency.

1. Natural language processing/Twilio API Development

Compensation: $100,000 annually

2. Swift development

Compensation:$85,000annually

3.Social media management

之间的补偿:67750美元,9美元4,250annually

4.Amazon Marketplace Web Services (MWS)

Compensation: Depends on scope of project

5. AngularJS development

Compensation:$102,000annually

6.MySQL programming

之间的补偿:$45,495 and $99,187annually

7. Instagram marketing

Compensation: $15 per hour

8. Twilio API development

Compensation: $35 per hour

9. Brand strategy

Compensation:$61,044annually

10. Business consulting

Compensation:$71,254annually

To read the entire list of 25 in-demand freelancer jobs, go to Rampton's"Employers Are Paying Freelancers Big Bucks for These 25 In-Demand Skills."

To learn about high-paying side jobs for recent college grads and more,click throughthe next two slides.

10 High Paying Side Jobs for Recent College Graduates

It takes anaverage of six months为recent college graduates to land a full-time job. Instead of waiting for that first job offer, which can take a while, recent college graduates can make money and gain experience doing part-time work that has a lower barrier of entry.

Related:10 High-Paying Jobs You Can Do on the Side

The following list ofhigh-paying side jobs compiled by FlexJobstakes into consideration what recent college graduates would be qualified to do, the time commitment and work location flexibility required for someone balancing a search for a full-time job, as well as the pay. These jobs all pay more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. (Pay information is fromPayScale.com.)

For those who are fresh out of college, here are 10 high-paying side jobs.

1. Marketing Consultant or Specialist

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $34.57

2. Writer

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $20.34

3.Interpreter

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $19.24

4.Copy Editor

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $18.42

5. Gaming Technical Support Representative

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $17.70

6.Proofreader

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $17.49

7. Community Manager (Social Media)

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $17.46

8. Tutor

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $17.28

9. Image Reviewer (Photography)

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $16.47

10. Social Media Specialist

PayScalemedian hourly rate: $16.28

To learn about the highest-paying college majors,click throughto the next slide.

10 Highest Paid College Majors

Here's another argument for majoring in a STEM field worth almost $3.5 million. Findings from a2015 report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and Workforceunderscore that "a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering (the highest-paying major) brings in ... $3.4 million more than a degree in early childhood education (the lowest paying major) ... over a lifetime," writesLaura Entis为Entrepreneur.

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College majors matter when it comes to lifetime income. Degrees in STEM studies, business and health-related fields pay off considerably better than degrees in liberal arts and education. Thelist of the top 10 highest-paying majorsshows that an engineering degree will lead to the highest financial gains -- with nine out of the 10 majors engineering-related.

Here are the 10 highest-paying majors by average annual income:

1. Petroleum engineering:$136,000

2. Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration:$113,000

3.Metallurgical engineering:$98,000

4.Mining and mineral engineering:$97,000

5. Chemical engineering:$96,000

6.Electrical engineering:$93,000

7. Aerospace engineering:$90,000

8. Mechanical engineering:$87,000

9. Computer engineering:$87,000

10. Geological and geophysical engineering:$87,000