Top 10 Jobs of 2014, Along With the Median Income

Hate to break it to you, but if you want one of the best jobs you'll have to learn how to code. Or do complex math. Or decipher data. Or all of the above.

For those that already have these skills, your bank balance probably shows it. According to CareerCast's "Best Jobs of 2014" report, employers are paying big bucks to lure employees that understand data, code and math (which really translates to "data analytics"). In fact, jobs that depend on these geeky skills comprise half of the top 10 jobs of 2014.

Data analysis is so important to the modern enterprise, in fact, that one executive recruiter declared, "In 15 years, if you don't have a solid quant background, you might have a permanent pink slip," simply because "so much of decision-making in corporations is going so quickly toward having a quant foundation."

Scary? Yes. But also likely true.

Not everyone can be a "quant jock," of course. And as much as technology companies need engineers and data scientists, they also need English major-types to help craft a compelling narrative around their products. But more often, those that know data or code command the best jobs, which is measured in terms of environment, income, outlook and stress levels.

Here are the top 10 jobs of 2014, along with the median income for the position:

Mathematician / $101,360
Tenured University Professor / $68,970
Statistician /$75,560
Actuary / $93,680
Audiologist / $69,720
Dental Hygienist / $70,210
Software Engineer / $93,350
Computer Systems Analyst / $79,680
Occupational Therapist /$75,400
Speech Pathologist / $69,870