High-Paying Jobs in the U.S. (question about medical insurance)

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Custom/MSN/CareerAdvice/472.htm?siteid=cbmsnhp4457&sc_extcmp=JS_js7_feb05_home1&GT1=6158&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=f7118566004d4a96b404889edf9fe170-161182149-rq-1 ^

[thulldud]

Yah, being able to actually do the job counts for a lot, and you don't want to be caught working in the places where it doesn't.

I have a college degree, but I've never used it for a job -- every job I've had has been a hobby that got transmuted into "real work". But the corporate workplaces where I've been all take note of the existence of the degree -- but NOT of its content. To them, it's more as if I had passed some sort of initiation by getting it; it is not an occupational qualification per se. Just as well -- in the tech world, any knowledge over 10 years old is next to irrelevant. (8086 assembler? How about VAX MACRO?)

[Smokin' Joe]

I am a consultant who gets good reviews from clients as a matter of course.

I charge top dollar for my industry and location. Every decision affects the outcome of a multimillion dollar project.

There are many who will work more cheaply, so, yes, my clients initially feel the need to justify spending the extra money.

Once I have worked a job for them, they know. That is what I meant by proving you are worth every penny. Repeat business has kept me working for the same two companies for 10 of the last 25 years, which is really good in an industry which has periodic collapses related to global commodities prices.

[ken5050]

Not a comparable example. I was a finanacial advisor to a large medical practice fro many years. First , the busines has a HUGE overhead..rent, staff salaries, malpractice, supplies..the usual...you don't make a dime until you cover it..but once you do..a large part on any excess drops right to the bottom line, your net...It varies from speciality to specialty, and location to lcoation..but in general terms, if a well managed practice grosses between $500k to $1 million, the doctor should net from 30-50% of his gross..before his own income taxes..Hope this helps..

[angkor]

Once I have worked a job for them, they know. That is what I meant by proving you are worth every penny.

Sure, that makes sense. When I started out, I made it my personal benchmark "to have happy clients," which is really the same thing. Works for me, works for them, and I always get written recommendations at minimum (sometimes a job offer, sometimes a contract extension).

I did walk from one contract because I couldn't get the client's cooperation (and I charged them nothing), and turned down an extension because a new gig was already scheduled (after 4 weeks of asking the existing client).

Two unpleasant situations in 12 years is just the real world.

[Smokin' Joe]

Two isn't bad for 12 years. Mine is usually a mission oriented environment, which removes a lot of BS, but I have had one client in 25 years who seemed hell bent on scuttling their own project.

I think they could have had a real money maker there, but they insisted on micromanaging a highly time sensitive project with a 12 to 24 hour delay and would not let the onsite people make the decisions which needed to be made within minutes, not hours.

What a train wreck! I billed them (as much for aggravation--I got results in spite of them), they paid, and then I refused to work for them again.