By Carol Coultas,Business Writer

For the hordes of incoming freshmen who are bewildered about declaring a major, answer this:

How green is your dream?

Because if money matters, and you want to stay in the state of Maine, you should pick one of the following degrees: medicine, business or law.

In a state survey of the highest paying jobs in Maine, physicians dominate the top 10 categories. The only other professions to rank among the top 10 are lawyers and CEOs.

The survey, published by the Maine Department of Labor, lists the 100 top-paying jobs in Maine based on 2003 data. That doctors, lawyers and chief executives take home the fattest paychecks isn’t much of a surprise to most Mainers, whose average wage in 2003 was $14.52.

But here’s something notable: There’s a big discrepancy between the highest-paid docs (surgeons, at $95.47 per hour) and the lowest (dentists, at $50.98 per hour.) And if you want to become an anesthesiologist – Maine’s second-highest-paying job at $93.51 an hour – you better be competitive. There are only five projected openings a year.

Of course, money isn’t everything. John Dorrer, director of Maine’s Labor Market Information System, points out that job satisfaction comes from many sources.

“It’s not always the case that good wages and salary equal rewarding,” he said. “But wages are important.”

So, for the curious, rounding out the top 10 highest-paid jobs list are: ob/gyns, psychiatrists, internists, pediatricians and general practitioners. In eighth place are chief executives – the first nonmedical professionals in the top 10 – earning $54.97 per hour on average. They are followed by dentists and, finally, lawyers, who earn an average $42.43 per hour.

Those wages compare with the 2003 Androscoggin County average wage of $14.15 per hour. In Franklin and Oxford counties, it’s a little lower – $13.62 and $12.72 respectively.

In a capitalist economy, wages are mostly a matter of supply and demand. But paychecks are also influenced by factors such as education and working conditions. These days, cross-training is a real boon.

“The higher the cumulative skills, the fewer the people that have them,” said Dorrer.

He said accounting is already a pretty good career (average wage: $23.76 per hour), but accountants who have experience with personnel or who can maintain a computer network increase their value exponentially.

“The notion of specializing in only one job is going by the wayside,” he said. “Having a combination of skills will lead to higher rewards.”

When choosing a profession, however, there’s also the matter of opportunity. Maine’s 450 surgeons might make the most money, but there are only 17 projected openings each year in that field. In fact, among the 2,771 medical specialists in Maine whose professions are reflected in the top 10 survey, only 89 annual openings are expected.

The greatest opportunity for Maine’s best-paid workers is in the executive suite. There are 2,257 chief executives in Maine and they expect 69 openings each year.

Nationally, the compensation for chief executives is staggering. According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, the wage of the typical CEO rose 79 percent from 1989 to 2000. In 1965, CEOs made 24 times more than a typical worker; by 1989 the ratio had risen to 71-to-1 and by 2003, it was 185-to-1.

If that kind of compensation appeals, here’s a surprising bit of advice: Get an undergraduate degree in liberal arts.

Dorrer said a recent national survey of top American CEOs found more than half had liberal arts degrees, then picked up specialty degrees in graduate school.

And if you’re inclined toward the world of business and willing to set your financial sights a little lower, the opportunities increase. General managers earn about $34 per hour. There are 11,288 of them in the state with 376 projected openings per year. The only other profession that expects more openings per year is registered nursing, at 619.

Dorrer said he expects the jobs field will loosen substantially in the next few years as baby boomers leave the marketplace. That should open a lot of doors to the highest-paying jobs.

“The early wave has already hit education and state government,” said Dorrer of the baby-boomer exodus. “In five or six years, it should hit the private sector.”

So if you’re inclined to shoot for the biggest paycheck, what’s the best preparation? Brace yourself for a lot of education and hard work. And use your marbles.

“Right now I’d advise young people – anyone really – to acquire a strong foundation of cognitive skills, problem solving and critical thinking,” said Dorrer. “Having the ability to work through a complex situation is key.

“If you can develop those skills, you can compete, and there are lot more opportunities once you have them.”