One of the main reasons people go to college and graduate school is to find a high-paying job when they're done.
But a college education and a prestigious job do not necessarily mean you'll be raking in the cash.
Some of these gigs, like being an architect or an optometrist, pay well below what you might expect.
Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the mean salary of full-time civilian workers, we've picked out some of the most prestigious jobs that have surprisingly low earnings.
Optometrists
Average annual earnings: $111,640
Job description: They perform eye exams and make just a fraction as much as some medical professionals. For comparison, the average physician earns $191,880 a year, and dentists, who undergo a similar amount of training, earn $168,870.
Educational requirements: A bachelor's degree is required, followed by a four-year stint in optometry school to earn an O.D. A residency sometimes follows that for those who want to pursue a particular specialty.
Biomedical engineers
Average annual earnings: $93,960
Job description: These engineers work on building solutions for problems in biology and medicine.
Educational requirements: Some undergraduate programs offer degrees in biomedical or biomechanical engineering, but other paths include a more general engineering degree and a master's focusing on biomedical applications.
Chemists
Average annual earnings: $77,740
Job description: Chemists study the properties, structures, and reactions of substances and develop new products or processes for making them.
Educational requirements: A bachelor's is the minimum, but research jobs require a master's or Ph.D.
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