Indeed, often the highest paying positions are protected by union contracts, David S Rose pointed out. “At the Metropolitan Opera, the master carpenter earns over $500,000 a year, which is about 20% more than his boss earns.” “The lowest-earning carpenters at Carnegie Hall made $300,000 in 2009, and the props master made over $400,000,” Leigh wrote.

Here’s what respondents in-the-know had to say about the unexpected jobs that pay big.Īccording to opera singer David Leigh, one of the best paid jobs is that of a theatrical carpenter in New York City. We turned to question-and-answer-site Quora for a look at the jobs most people assume don’t make a lot of money but, in reality, pay very well. But it turns out that your childhood dreams of becoming a carpenter or a crane operator may have served you equally well-or better-financially. Growing up, your parents may have encouraged you to become a doctor or lawyer, careers that elicited prestige and, quite often, were equated with very high pay.

Opera singer salaries