The highest mean salary in the US (according to the Dept. of Labor) is "surgeon" at $219,770. So, to answer your question, there is no profession (in the USA,

The highest mean salary in the US (according to the Dept. of Labor) is "surgeon" at $219,770. So, to answer your question, there is no profession (in the USA, at least) with "a high degree of certainty" of hitting $500k. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm