Career without college degree
Check out these high-paying jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree (from least to most money).
Installer of solar photovoltaics
Median salary: $47,670
Needs a high school diploma and training on the job. 27% job growth.
These men and women set up and take care of solar systems that turn the sun’s rays into energy. For this job, you have to go to different homes and businesses. This could be a great fit for you if you like to be active and spend time outside. And as this form of energy becomes more popular, the need for this job will grow. People, a growth rate of 51% is out of this world!
Worker in stonework
Median salary: $48,040
You need a high school diploma and training on the job.
Job growth: -2%
Masons use bricks, stones, and concrete to build and fix buildings. But it’s not a piece of cake, people! The job is hard on your body because you have to lift heavy things and kneel and stand up a lot.
Nurse with a license to practice
Median salary: $48,070
Award for postsecondary education without a degree
Job growth: 6%
LPNs work with doctors and RNs to help take care of patients. They check the patient’s vital signs, give medications, and fill out paperwork. LPNs don’t have to go to college like RNs do. You can get the training you need by going to a vocational school that has an approved program.
Carpenter
Median salary: $48,260
Needed: a high school diploma and/or an apprenticeship
Job growth: 2%
This job has been around for a long time and isn’t growing much, but it’s still a way for people to make beautiful and useful things with their hands. Carpenters learn their trade by working with an expert in a formal or unofficial apprenticeship.
Surgical techs
Median salary: $48,510
You need a postsecondary certificate or an associate degree.
Job growth: 6%
Surgical techs help surgeons and nurses do operations. They make sure the surgery room is ready, set up all the tools, and make sure the doctors have everything they need during the surgery.
Real Estate Agent
Median salary: $48,770
License requirements vary by state. You need a high school diploma.
Job growth: 5%
Agents or brokers in real estate help people buy and sell homes. The cool thing about real estate is that you get paid based on how much you sell. You can work hard and put in a lot of hours to grow your business, or you can work part-time and have more freedom. To be a good real estate agent, you need to like selling things and working with people.
Worker in sound engineering
Median salary: $48,790
You need a postsecondary certificate or an associate degree.
Job growth: 10%
For media events, sound techs set up and run the sound systems. Sound techs are most often found in radio, TV, recording studios, and movies. Most of the time, this is a fast-paced job that requires a lot of travel and work on the weekends.
A firefighter
Median salary: $50,700
Award for postsecondary education without a degree
Job growth: 4%
A lot of kids who don’t know what to do with their lives when they grow up want to be firefighters. Because firefighters really are heroes! They put out dangerous fires to save people, animals, buildings, and the environment. There is a lot of competition to become a firefighter, and you will probably also need to become an EMT (EMT).
Sheet Metal Worker
Median salary: $53,440
Needed: a high school diploma and/or an apprenticeship
Job growth: -1%
Sheet metal workers can work in either building or making things. From thin sheets of metal, they make and install products. The job is hard on your body because you have to lift, bend, and squat.
Wind Turbine Technician
Median salary: $56,260
Needs postsecondary education without a degree and training on the job.
Job growth: 44%
Wind turbines are those big white pinwheels you see on the plains of Kansas and other windy parts of the country. As they become more popular as an alternative source of energy, the need for technicians is going through the roof. Technicians put up and take care of wind turbines. For this job, you have to be willing to spend a lot of time outside, and people who are afraid of heights shouldn’t apply.
Plumber
Median salary: $56,330
Needed: a high school diploma and/or an apprenticeship
Job growth: 4%
In homes, factories, and businesses, plumbers set up and fix piping systems. Because plumbers often get calls about emergencies (a broken toilet is the worst! ), they sometimes have to work nights and weekends.
A person who makes hearing aids
Median salary: $59,500
High school diploma is required.
Job growth: 16%
Audiologists and hearing aid specialists work together to fit, fix, and take care of hearing aids for patients. They also check and test the hearing aids to make sure they are working well. This job includes both technical work and work with people. The best part is that you get to help people hear, which is just great.
Electrician
Median salary: $59,880
Needed: a high school diploma and/or an apprenticeship
Job growth: 2%
If you like working with wires (sorry, dad joke), you could think about becoming an electrician. You can go to a technical school or get a job as an apprentice to learn on the job. Electricians bring power to buildings, homes, transmission lines, and different kinds of equipment.
Assistant in Occupational Therapy
Median salary: $61,520
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 25%
Helping people learn and practice skills they need to live and work is what occupational therapy is all about. Most occupational therapy happens after someone has been hurt in an accident or for older people who need help doing everyday things around the house. Occupational therapy assistants help patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and therapy offices. They work with therapists and doctors to help patients. It’s a busy, social job that gives you lots of chances to work with other people. Plus, the prospects for job growth look good.
People who work with radiology and MRI
Median salary: $61,980
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 6%
Both x-rays and MRIs are ways for doctors and patients to find out what’s going on inside the body. Techs are the people who do the tests and work with doctors to get the information they need to diagnose and treat patients.
Sales Reps for Wholesale and Manufacturing
Median salary: $62,890
Education requirements vary, and training is done on the job. Job growth: 4%
Sales reps can work with many different products and in many different fields. People with a high school diploma can get many jobs, but if you want to work with something more technical, like medical instruments, you might need a bachelor’s degree.
Assistant to the CEO
Median salary: $63,110
High school diploma is required.
Job growth: -20%
Executive assistants help business or non-profit leaders. They keep track of the executive’s schedule, talk on their behalf, and do a wide range of office tasks to help the organization run smoothly. They work behind the scenes to help the most powerful people in an organization do their jobs.
Officers of the law and detectives
Median salary: $66,020
Needed Education: Varies
Job growth: 3%
Keeping the law is a tough, exciting, and rewarding job. It’s pretty clear: Protect the people you’re responsible for, catch the bad guys, and solve the case. Most jobs don’t require more than a high school diploma, but some prefer to hire people with an associate or bachelor’s degree, so it might be worth it to go back to school.
Aerospace Technician
Median salary: $73,580
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 6%
If you’ve always been interested in planes and like working with your hands, you might want to think about becoming an aerospace technician. You’ll work on airplanes or spaceships to test and calibrate systems and put on and fix different parts.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and Cardiovascular Technologists
Median salary: $75,380
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 10%
Sonographers use medical equipment to make pictures of organs, tissues, and blood vessels that help people understand what’s going on inside their bodies. Cardiovascular techs work with doctors to do complicated heart procedures like putting in stents or pacemakers. They also help test patients to find out if they have heart problems.
These jobs are growing faster than average, which means that if you go this route, you should have a lot of job opportunities.
Dental Hygienist
Median salary: $77,810
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 9%
Even though not everyone likes to have their teeth cleaned, dental hygienists can make a difference in their patients’ lives by taking care of their oral health. They check up on patients, take x-rays, clean plaque off teeth, and talk to patients about how to stay clean and eat well. Most programs take three years to finish, and in order to work, you have to pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam.
Web Developer
Median salary: $78,300
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 23%
Web developers design and build websites by using a unique mix of technical and creative skills. This is a job that is in high demand and can be found in many different places. Or, if you’re willing to make good connections, you can go out on your own as a freelancer. And it pays well!
Worker in a nuclear plant
Median salary: $84,190
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: -19%
Nuclear techs work in nuclear power plants, where they monitor and run nuclear reactors with the help of computers and other tools. Scientists and engineers help them a lot. This job pays well, but keep in mind that it’s going away, which means you won’t have a job in the future.
Installer and Repairer of Lifts
Median salary: $97,860
High school diploma is required.
Job growth: -17%
This is a random job that most people don’t think much about. It turns out that people who install and fix elevators can make a good living by working with their hands. It’s not surprising that they often have to work in tight spaces with lots of heavy equipment. They often have to be on call for repairs 24 hours a day. But if you’re scared of heights, this probably isn’t the job for you!
Controller of air traffic
Median salary: $129,750
Needed: an associate’s degree
Job growth: 1%
Air traffic controllers direct planes from the ground, which is an exciting and dangerous job. They live in those towers at airports that have a lot of windows. In order to keep up with travel plans, air traffic controllers often work at night and on the weekends. It’s a hard job with a good payoff: making sure people can take off, fly, and land safely.
