Hyper-Specialized Arbitrator. Salary: $48,000 or less 

They told you that specialized arbitrators were in demand, so you went all out. Not only did you spend nine years nabbing a bachelor's and doctorate, but you then went back to school for another nine years to get a Ph.D. in biology with a specialization in herpetology. That's right, lizard science. You're now the foremost expert in lizard law on the planet, but, as you're coming to realize, there aren't a whole lot of lizard law cases out there to arbitrate.

Specialized Arbitrator. Salary: $65,450 

After a few years working for a law firm specializing in insurance claims (the lizard law thing didn't pan out), you decide to turn back to the arbitration side of the market. You establish yourself a national-grade expert. You're hired daily to arbitrate insurance disputes between contractors. Sure, the only thing more boring than studying insurance law is settling arguments about insurance law. But you're on track to start raking in the big bucks.

Court-Appointed Arbitrator. Salary: $76,840 

You got out of the insurance racket years ago and have spent a few decades behind the bench. Now you're finally retiring to join the arbitration court roster. Listening to a divorcing couple squabble about who gets to keep the family coffee table wasn't your original idea of "retirement," but neither was losing all of your life savings to that Ponzi scheme.

"The Decider." Salary: $137,500 

They call you, "The Decider," and that's all you have printed on your business card—just those two words in a black, blocky font. When the biggest companies in the world have a beef, you cook that beef into an expert, precision-point legal opinion. Then you serve it to them on a plate made of American justice. Got a problem with that? Of course you don't. Everybody knows: you don't argue with The Decider.

Daytime TV "Judge." Salary: $47,000,000 a year. 

After Judge Judy fell into that open pond of electric eels, the world said she'd never be replaced. You proved them wrong with your sharp decision-making, flair for drama, and sassy but fair running commentary. Sure, your "bailiff" is just your beefed-out next-door neighbor, and your official rulings are passed down between "action!" and "cut!" commands, but whatever you're doing must be working. The ratings (and the money) are pouring in.