Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs
As a fresher in India, job-hunting can seem like a complicated and challenging process. It's not like opportunities are rare—companies are constantly hiring employees for various functions.
However, you have to constantly keep in mind that you have to land a job that suits you as a person and a candidate. And, it has to be a job that not only allows you to take care of your expenses and future savings but also gives you recognition.
Hence, when looking for the highest paying jobs In India for fresher candidates, one has to look hard and find the apt role. Earlier, medicine, law, civil services, and accounting were the highest paying fields in India.
But now, the social, public, and private sectors are also expanding and offering great salaries for graduates from both niche and mainstream fields. All one needs to do is know where to look and what to look for.
We have made it much easier for you by listing the top 10 highest-paying jobs in India for fresher job-hunters.
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs In India For Freshers
To make job hunting easier for you, as promised, we have compiled a complete and detailed list of the highest paying jobs in India for fresher pass-outs. Read on to find information on job title, job description, job details, and an average estimated salary package.
The top 10 highest paying jobs in India for freshers are:
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Software Developers
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Civil Services
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Investment Banker
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Machine Learning Expert
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Medical Professional (Doctors)
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Lawyers
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Chartered Accountants
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Merchant Navy Professional
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Commercial Pilots
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Data Scientist
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Software Developer Or Full Stack Developer
Web applications have been a revolution when it comes to changing how users worldwide view technology and IT. In India, IT and coding have also taken the education system by storm, with newer apps coming out every day that persuade younger students to take up coding and other software development courses.
Consequently, India also has quite the IT graduate population, and the domain is still one of the most popular ones on the job front. Full-stack development is a niche IT field that comprises the development of both user and business ends of an application.
Full-stack development is also one of the most popular job prospects for freshers in India. However, like almost every other job, a lot of factors influence your packages at a job—like your company and your skill level.
Money Matters
But, having said that, a full-stack developer job is still one of the highest paying jobs in India for fresher graduates. This can fetch you anything from 3–10 lakhs per annum.
Freshers, by definition, are candidates with 0–3 years of experience. The average salary for freshers is close to 3–3.6 lakhs per annum.
But it goes without saying that full-stack developers will be spoilt for choice of companies that currently have full-stack development teams in India: Apple, TCS, IBM, Capgemini, CTS, etc. So, all in all, an established yet growing discipline that continues to attract students and freshers.
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Civil Services
This is traditionally one of India's most prestigious disciplines to get into for any career/education level. Civil service exams like UPSC have always attracted hundreds of Indian students and give candidates a way to take part in the well-being and administration of the country.
The exams had been established in 1922, and personalities like Subhash Chandra Bose had not only taken the examination but also been employed as civil servants. Broadly, there are two kinds of Indian civil services: Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).
Besides that, there are two other groups of services, i.e., Group A (IFS, IA&AS, etc.) and Group B (pertaining to UTs and their administrative and police agencies).
While civil services have always been a high-paying domain, the 7th Pay Commission has also modified the salary packages now offered to junior-level officers.
Money Matters
According to the Seventh Pay Commission, junior-level civil service officers can expect a grade pay of INR 16000 a month, but gross salaries normally vary from INR 45,000–1,45,000. This is quite the reward for the time that it takes to prepare for the exams.
Civil services, considered to be dignified career choices, are definitely among the highest paying jobs in India for fresher graduates.
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Investment Banking
Investment banking is a very high-profile occupation that finance graduates pine for. It is among highest paying jobs in India for fresher graduates. So much so that this niche field has also attracted students from disciplines like engineering, humanities, and the basic sciences and inspired them to take up management as a postgraduate degree.
If that's not reason enough, Chetan Bhagat, one of the best-selling Indian authors of modern times, who started as an engineer, steered his career towards investment banking. He went on to work for Goldman-Sachs and then Deutsche Bank—two of the biggest names in the industry.
So, we can safely conclude that people have not only branched out from their expected career paths towards investment banking, they have also diversified their expertise and gone into other fields as well. The job market is a dynamic entity that provides a lot of scope for growth and expansion.
Money Matters
Investment banking is not one of the highest paying jobs in India for fresher candidates for nothing. The average expected salary of an entry-level investment banker is INR 9,92,681 per annum, depending on their alma maters.
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Machine Learning Expert
Machine learning is one of the more niche fields to have emerged from under the broader umbrella of IT. Its origin can be linked with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning is the science by which an AI can be trained to perform a task accurately without being programmed for it.
Nowadays, both the university and job markets have a steady demand for machine learning experts/consultants, placing it among the highest paying jobs in India for fresher candidates.
Besides that, there are a myriad of online courses (offered by the likes of IBM and upGrad) that give students certification from top institutions.
Money Matters
According to Gartner's 2020 Magic Quadrant Report, the rise of AI and the subsequent significance of machine learning will give rise to more than 2 million job postings. In India, an ML expert can easily expect a salary nearing 5 lakhs per annum.
Top Highest Paying Jobs in the world
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Medicine (Doctor)
For the most important profession, especially in a world ravaged by a pandemic, there will never be a shortage of opportunities for qualified front-line medical workers. Despite the hard work needed to become a doctor, the result is definitely rewarding—both for the graduate and the community.
Of course, being a doctor is not enough. This is one of the professions where your university/institution branding matters. So, it's always wise to start preparing early. Besides, your domain or specialization will also be key to determine your fresher salary package.
Money Matters
Fresher doctors can easily expect pay packages of 7–12 lakhs per annum. High-demand specializations like ortho, cardio, radiology, surgery, etc., can earn graduates up to 18 lakhs as well, besides allowing them to practice solo to hone their skills even more.
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Advocates/Attorneys-At-Law
Law has always been one of the noblest professions in the country—with the likes of Pandit Nehru, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Deshbandhu C.R. Das, Mahatma Gandhi, and many others gracing the occupation. Nowadays, the law is a specialized profession like medicine, with branches like corporate law, environmental law, etc., coming to the forefront.
Even today, fresh law graduates can choose from a number of domains to join or even set up their independent practice.
Money Matters
Corporate law is among the highest paying jobs in India for fresher law students, fetching students with Bachelor's degrees from premier law colleges salary packages of up to 7 lakhs per annum.
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Chartered Accountancy
Chartered accountants are the real financial advisers and handlers that neither businesses nor individuals can do without. CAs are entrusted with the tough job of filing taxes, recording investments, and unbiased auditing.
Apart from providing financial advice, they also prepare financial reports for businesses and provide business expertise. For the level of expertise that this job requires, CA aspirants are required to take many examinations and undergo a strict screening process before they are licensed. Among the domain, the auditing "Big 4" are the biggest and best hirers.
Money Matters
The first step to becoming a qualified CA is to get certified by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. The average starting package for this coveted and high-paying job begins at 7 to 8 lakhs per annum.
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Merchant Navy
This is by far one of the most lucrative and challenging fields. Being a merchant navy allows you to go far away places and pays reasonably well. However, it is not only physically demanding but also one that requires you to stay away from family and home for long stretches of time.
Money Matters
Working with a reputed company in a good location can earn you up to 80 lakhs an annum, even as a fresher, making this indeed the top-ranking one when it comes to highest paying jobs in India for fresher graduates. However, there is disparity among the firms competing, and often there are too few vacancies at good places.
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Commercial Pilot
Again, this is a challenging yet glamorous job and gives you the opportunity to visit faraway places. Commercial pilot training and certification programs are quite common, and this is one of the jobs that let you earn even when you are training. There are many airlines to choose from too, and with travel restrictions slowly being lifted, the aviation sector is also expected to bounce back.
While the hiring situation is quite dire in this particular field, it remains a top-paying gig for trainee pilots too.
Money Matters
During your training period, you can earn around 2 lakhs per annum. After you fly for 200 hours in your training period, you will pass your exams, and fresher pilot salaries can often go up to 20 lakhs a year, depending on the airline you choose.
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Data Scientist
The 1988 Turing Award winner, Jim Gray, once named data science "the fourth paradigm of science." Data science has taken leaps and bounds—today, the interpretation of "Big Data" can cause millions of dollars of cost savings and produce essential insights for both stakeholders and users.
For freshers, this is an excellent and new specialization to achieve if they're already in the engineering/IT field as the demand is quite high. And with the world moving more and more towards digital, it is only a matter of time that more such specializations come to the foray.
Money Matters
When it comes to salaries, depending on your JD/level/company, you can expect a package of 7–7.5 lakhs per annum on average as a fresher Data Scientist.
Conclusion
Although choosing a career is one of the most daunting experiences of our lives, this list is an apt place to start researching the highest paying jobs in India for fresher students. It can be challenging to choose one career path and stick to it. Our careers, just like the job market, are dynamic and prone to changes. It is essential to remember that one of the most important motivations for maintaining a good academic record is to land a high-paying job.
These are only a few examples of the highest paying jobs in India for fresher candidates. In a competitive world, pursuing careers that are lucrative and secure is vital. Often fresher's do not have the required clarity on their career choices, which is perfectly acceptable. The industry has become a lot more adaptable, allowing people to change directions and upskill across the span of their careers.
