Salary
Average Salary: $99,720
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $4,163,000
Hey, all you would-be human resources directors. These days, the sky seems to be the limit for compensation packages for the successful, hardworking HR director who happens to land in the right company. Get this: The HR honchos at companies like Home Depot, Viacom, and Boise Cascade can rake in bucks in the millions. Not bad for setting policy and overseeing everything admin for top companies with tons of employees (er, "resources").
But even if you don't reach those Empyrean heights of compensation, take heart. The money isn't exactly chopped liver. The median income of an HR director hovers around $81,000; the low end is a not-too-shabby $50,000, and the high end is a whopping $130,000 (source). Income depends on location, size of company, and, of course, dumb luck at being promoted to the head of the company HR universe.
With salaries like these, you can live a little.