Much has been made of people who live beyond their means. When you
see a neighbor bring home a fancy new car, you can't help but wonder
how she can afford it on her salary. However, you can't assume you know
how much she (or anybody) makes unless you've seen her tax returns.

Searching the heavens for stars, planets or black holes can pay very well.
Plenty of people earn surprising paychecks -- some higher and others
lower than you expect. For this reason we've put together a list of
jobs and their unexpected salaries. It's good information to know just
to satisfy your curiosity (or nosiness).
Plus, the next time
you're job hunting, use the list as a reminder not to make a snap
judgment about any job before you do your research.
Court reporters
What they do:
Court reporters transcribe court proceedings, meetings, speeches and
other events where verbatim documentation is necessary. Any time
someone says "Strike that from the record," court reporters are the
ones writing that record.
Surprising salary: $59,970*.
You might not have thought typing could earn you so much money, but
once you realize court reporters can't miss a word -- often in
fast-talking situations -- it makes more sense.
Elementary school principals
What they do:
Elementary school principals ensure that students are meeting education
requirements by communicating with other administrators, evaluating
teachers, monitoring the curriculum and interacting with parents on a
regular basis.
Surprising salary: $79,310. Careers in
education, particularly those not at the college level, are notorious
for being underpaid. Principals, however, earn significantly higher
salaries than you might expect, sometimes as much as forty percent more
than an elementary school teacher.
Paramedics
What they do:
Paramedics respond to emergency situations and attempt to provide the
necessary medical care, whether it involves transporting participants
to a hospital or treating them on the scene.
Surprising salary: $27,070.
Seeing as paramedics have high stress jobs that require them to be on
call and ready to save lives at a moment's notice, you might expect
their mean annual salary to be higher.
Astronomers
What they do:
Astronomers use their physics and math skills to study the universe and
its origin, which includes galaxies, solar systems and the planets
within. They use this research to analyze and solve problems dealing
with satellites and space travel.
Surprising salary: $95,740.
Though maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising considering a
doctorate is the standard level of education and there are only 1,700
astronomers in the U.S.
Fashion designers
What they do:
Fashion designers design and create new clothes and other fashion
accessories to be sold to the public in retail stores. Depending on
whether they work for their own label or for someone else's, they might
set new trends or follow existing ones.
Surprising salary: $69,270.
Aspiring fashion designers are warned that few people can be the next
Marc Jacobs, with runway shows at Fashion Week, actresses wearing their
dresses at awards shows and millions in the bank -- but the less famous
fashion designers, which include those working for retail chains, are
earning more than you probably thought.