Topping the list of highest paid CEOs is 43-year-old Nabeel Gareeb of Pakistani origin, CEO of chipmaker MEMC Electronic Materials since April 2002 with a total compensation package of $79.6 million.

Gareeb joined MEMC as CEO in April 2002. Gareeb's appointment came after Texas Pacific Group purchased the company from its German owners in 2001 and recapitalised the business.

Prior to joining MEMC, Gareeb was the Chief Operating Officer of International Rectifier Corporation, a leading supplier of power semiconductors, where he was responsible for worldwide operations, research and development and marketing.

He joined International Rectifier in 1992 as Vice President of Manufacturing and subsequently held other senior management positions. Gareeb immigrated to US from Pakistan more than 25 years ago. He holds an MSc in engineering management, and a Bachelors in electrical and electronic engineering.

Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia

Second on the list is Nvidia Corporation co founder Jen-Hsun Huang. Huang founded graphic chip maker in April 1993 today commands a pay packet of $45.9 million. He has being President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member on Nvidia's Board since its inception.

Under his leadership, Nvidia emerged as a leading name in programmable graphics processing technologies and one of the semiconductor industry's largest fabless companies.

Huang also serves on the Rand Corporation's Board of Trustees and is a member of the Committee of 100, an organisation that addresses issues concerning the Chinese-American community and US-China relations.

Prior to founding Nvidia, Huang held engineering, marketing and general management positions at LSI Logic, and was a microprocessor designer at Advanced Micro Devices.

Huang holds a BSEE degree from Oregon State University and an MSEE degree from Stanford University.

Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystems

Jonathan Schwartz, chief executive officer and president of Sun Microsystems is the third highest-paid young tech CEO with an annual package of $13.5 million. A member of Sun's board of directors, Schwartz became company's CEO in 2006, succeeding the Sun's co-founder and current chairman of the board, Scott McNealy. 

Schwartz was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2004, and managed all operational functions at Sun -- from product development and marketing, to global sales and service.

A leader behind many of Sun's open source and standard setting initiatives, Jonathan's been an outspoken advocate for the network as a utility with more than just value for the computing industry -- but as a tool for driving economic, social and political progress.

Prior to his position as COO, Schwartz served as Sun's executive vice president for software, its Chief Strategy Officer, and held a variety of leadership positions across product and corporate development.

He joined Sun in 1996 after the company acquired Lighthouse Design, where he was CEO and co-founder. Prior to that, Schwartz was with McKinsey & Co. Schwartz received degrees in economics and mathematics from Wesleyan University.

Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Systems

Forty-four-year old electronics engineer from Hyderabad, Shantanu Narayen, became Adobe's CEO last year. His annual compensation is at $12 million.

Narayen joined Adobe in January 1998 as Vice President and General Manager of Adobe's engineering technology group. In January 1999, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products and in March 2001 he was promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Product Marketing and Development. 

In January 2005, Narayen was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Adobe. Prior to joining Adobe, Narayen co-founded Pictra Inc in 1996.

Together with the ex-CEO Bruce Chizen, Narayen spearheaded the $3.4 billion acquisition of Macromedia Inc in 2005, expanding Adobe's software platform and solutions and strengthening the company's presence in key markets ranging from enterprise and vertical industries to mobile devices and multimedia publishing.

Narayen is a frequent speaker at industry and academic events. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.

Narayen holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Osmania University in India, a master's degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University, and a master's degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia

At no. five is CEO of Expedia Dara Khosrowshahi with a total compensation package of is $4.9 million.

Founded as a division of Microsoft in October 1996, Expedia was spun off in 1999. The company was later purchased by USA Networks in 2001.

The 39-year-old Khosrowshahi became CEO of Expedia when it spun off from IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) in August 2005. He joined IAC in 1998 as vice president of strategic planning. Prior to this he worked at Allen & Company LLC from 1991 to 1998, where he served as vice president from 1995 to 1998. 

Khosrowshahi received a BA in engineering from Brown University in 1991

Francisco D'Souza, Cognizant

At no. six is thiry-nine-year old Francisco D'Souza, president and chief executive officer of Cognizant. D'Souza who has been the company's President and CEO since January 2007 has an annual compensation package of $3.7 million.

Prior to this he was the Chief Operating Officer for Cognizant's global delivery, marketing and sales, business development and client services operations. He has also led the company's North American and European operations.

Earlier, Francisco held key positions at The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation in marketing, strategic planning and new business development in Germany, US and India.

Born in Kenya, he has Bachelors degree from the University of East Asia. He has also done MBA from Carnegie-Mellon University.

If you are interested in the various online opportunities for getting paid--freelance writing, surveys, get paid to post, get paid to read emails, affiliate programs, you should sign up for those money-making opportunities that do not require upfront fees.

In addition, you should work for those websites that guarantee residual income, such as freelance writing websites. To find these "get paid to" programs, put "get paid to" in your search engine. Keep a notebook listing the get paid to programs that interest you.

Sign up for several. Perhaps a "get paid to write," "get paid to read emails" and an affiliate program, e.g. Toy Connection or VMC Satellite TV. Focus on making money from these "get paid to" websites.

You should have a work schedule. For example, write several articles per day to submit to your favorite "get paid to write" website. Read emails sent to you per day. Then work advertising your affiliate program and recruit for your read emails downline.

In addition to maintaining a work schedule, set money-making goals. How many articles should you write and/or emails should you read per day to obtain your per day money-making goals?

Continue to research other "get paid to" websites. List these in journal. Recruit subaffiliates, where possible.

For addition income, you can publish your research in articles or how to books. These how to books can be published free at Lulu Press.

Get paid $25 to $150 by participating in out focus groups! You have seen this one, right? I have tried to participate in dozens of these focus groups only to be informed that I don’t qualify. I can only conclude that I am not Hispanic, 25 years old, with a few children under my wing. I mean no offense to the many single Hispanic mothers out there, which are the qualifications these focus groups are looking for.

There are many other reasons also. I am not the right gender. I don’t live in the right area. I don’t make the right amount of money. If I made enough money I wouldn’t even bother with the online focus groups.

There is only one reason for these focus groups. To acquire information on you to send to companies that want to sell you something. If you do happen to make any money it might just be enough to purchase so-called “sponsored” items.

Secret Shoppers

This is a good one. And I mean that in a negative way.

There are three reasons to stay away from this one

1. You have to pay them to become a member
2. You have to endure a mountain of offers, you know, the ones where you answer yes or no (usually have to accept 1 to 3)
3. If you didn’t accept any of their offers you either don’t qualify or you have to use your own money, and maybe you will get reimbursed.

So you see, you will end up spending time and money for a “job”, as they try to advertise this as being, and getting very little in return except aggravation.

Paid Surveys

If you want your e-mail flooded with “free” offers then go for this one. The fact is very few actually pay in cash. Most give you points that are redeemable on E-bay or Amazon.

To acquire enough points you would have to fill out surveys 10 hours a day, 7 days a week for maybe $20 to spend on one of the commercial sites. Does that sound like fun?

They try to make it sound official by telling you many companies need people like you to test or give your opinion on their products. This is just another huge advertising campaign to get your personal information so they can try to sell you something.

Conclusion

These are not jobs. They are scams for ignorant people like me, who have been trying to make money for 6 months now using these methods and have not seen one penny for my efforts.

There are a few, and I mean a very few who make extra money using these methods, but they are the ones who spent 100’s maybe 1,000’s of dollars on software and/or sponsored offers that give them a heads up over ordinary people like you or me.