To marketing majors everywhere: There's a six-figure job waiting for you at the casino.
Jeff Walker, 47, who graduated from college in 1983 with a marketing degree, is a gaming manager at Mohegan Sun, the Connecticut-based casino and resort. Walker has been with the company 12 years.
His career in gaming started in 1983 when he applied for a marketing job at The Sands in Atlantic City, N.J., when he graduated from the State University of New York's Geneseo campus.
Gaming manager is one of America's surprising six-figure jobs, as compiled by Forbes.com based on the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary data.
The top 10 percent of gaming managers, whose primary responsibilities are overseeing staff and catering to gamblers, earn $106,220 a year, while the average annual salary is $69,600. Nevada, home of Las Vegas, arguably the world's most attractive spot to gamblers, is the top-paying state for this occupation.
Walker said job seekers considering a position in gaming should expect to work at two to three casinos before nestling into a six-figure spot.
"You have to move and sacrifice," he said.
Other jobs on the list include teachers at the post-secondary level, flight attendants and air traffic controllers.
Post-secondary education teachers can earn an annual salary in the average range of $35,996-$116,247. The average annual salary of the top-paying teaching positions on the Bureau of Labor Statistics list is $73,345.
Post-secondary economics teachers claimed the highest annual salary, with the top 10 percent earning $135,380.
Air traffic controllers rank No. 1 on this list with the top 10 percent earning $141,860 a year.
Perched in a tower overlooking the airport, the air traffic controller regulates and controls commercial airline flights to ensure flight safety. The average annual salary is $107,780, while the median annual salary is $112,930. Illinois is the highest-paying state for this occupation. O'Hare International Airport, based in Chicago, Ill., is one of the busiest airports in the world.
Maybe your six-figure opportunity isn't in the tower. Try looking to the skies. The top 10 percent of flight attendants earn an annual salary of $102,660, while the average annual salary is $62,880. Corporate positions will pay the most, though they're hard to get--at least harder than some of the other surprises on this list.