First, a JD is not a âfirstâ degree. Like an MD, a JD is a professional doctorate only attainable after completion of a four-year bachelor's degree. Second, neither an MD nor a JD require a dissertation.
If you enjoy making fancy cakes, breads and other treats, your income may rise like bread dough as a pastry chef. Pastry chefs are in charge of the baking aspect of kitchens and restaurants, delivering cakes, breads, and any bread based components to meals.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes pastry chefs in the broader job category of chefs and head cooks. These workers earned an average annual salary of $46,620 and a median salary of $42,490 in 2013, the BLS reports. Annual salaries ranged from $24,160 or less to $74,240 or more.A beginning pastry chef should expect a salary on the low end of the range, from $24,160 to approximately the midpoint of $42,490. Certain work settings and industries offer higher than average salaries, however. pastry chef who had just finished culinary school could expect a salary of $17,000. However, the Indeed.com job website reports a higher average annual starting salary for pastry chefs -- $25,000 a year -- as of 2014.