10 Best High Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A College Degree: An Alternative Route For High School Graduates
It wasn’t that long ago, that a college degree actually meant something. If you were a college graduate in the 1970’s, 80’s, 90’s and even early 2000’s, you had more opportunities than most people. You had access to better jobs and higher pay all because of that framed college diploma on your wall.
Nowadays, a college degree doesn’t have that same magical feeling as it did in the Jurassic period when your parents grew up. Sure, it’s still valuable in the job market, but going to college doesn’t guarantee you a job….far from it. If you’re like millions of students you might even be left with thousands and thousands of dollars in student debt.
I have great news for you though, if you’re deciding college might not be right for you, there are a bunch of job options you could pursue that won’t leave you working at McDonald’s for the rest of your life. (No offense to people working at McDonald’s for their whole lives. I’m sure there’s plenty of opportunities at Mickey D’s too).
Before we get into those jobs that don’t require college degrees, you should do some thinking before you skip college. Start by deciding if there’s a college major that’s right for you. If you need help in that department, check out this article “How to Choose A College Major: Three Easy Steps For Students” from your friends at Your Career Strategy, and find out if maybe there is a path for you in college.
Okay, so you read that and still don’t feel great about college huh? Well, you came to the right place. Let’s dive into these jobs that don’t require a college degree.
What Are High Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A College Degree?
Let’s first go over what exactly is meant by “high paying” and “jobs not requiring a college degree”.
High Paying Jobs:
These are jobs paying roughly $80,000 or more according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can find more helpful and up to date information on salaries at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Also, for your notes, we’re including estimates of salaries. In this crazy world of inflation and deflation and re-inflation (okay not sure if those last two are real things but they sounded good) someone reading this post in a month might see a salary for a job that is different. In all honesty, it might be even higher so that’s even better news.
Jobs Not Requiring A College Degree:
Although the list below don’t require a college degree, it doesn’t mean they don’t require any training. Some of these jobs require extensive certifications or alternative education routes, so these aren’t short cut jobs that you can apply for without any education or skills and come out making $100k right off the bat. That’s what scratch offs and lottery tickets are for.
***One more note to say that these jobs are not ranked in any particular order just 10 jobs to think about.
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #1: Commercial Airline Pilot
What The Job Entails: If I have to explain to you what a Commercial Airline Pilot does, you might not be cut out for the job. It’s a job that does require extensive training and a pilot’s license, so this is definitely a career that requires some thought before heading down the career path. If you like to travel and don’t mind being on the road (I should say in the air) for extended periods of time, this could be the way to go.
Median Salary: $93,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #2: Elevator Installer and Repair Person
What The Job Entails: A job that not many people think about. We’ve all ridden elevators 20,000 times and probably never thought about the mechanics behind it. (Unless you’ve gotten stuck on an elevator which doesn’t seem like a fun experience.)
If you’re someone who is interested in computer systems, mechanical things and fixing stuff, this might be right up your alley. Again, plenty of training involved, but the traditional four year college degree isn’t required.
Median Salary: 86,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #3: Power Plant Operator
What The Job Entails: If you’re like me you see the words Power Plant and immediately think of Chernobyl and nuclear meltdown…. okay maybe that’s just me. The good news is this doesn’t necessarily mean a Nuclear Power Plant Operator, keep reading for that one 😊).
A Power Plant Operator maintains the systems and machinery that produce electricity at a power plant. So a pretty important job, and if you’re into machines and industrial technology, this could be something you take a shot at. Could it be a dangerous job? Probably yes, but there’s a lot of dangerous jobs out there so that shouldn’t stop you.
Median Salary: $82,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #4: Transportation, Storage and Distribution Manager
What The Job Entails: If you are someone who likes to be involved in planning and logistics, this might be a role for you. I would especially say it’s not a bad option for parents looking to get back into the workforce because most of your day involves transporting kids, figuring out where to store their toys, food, and clothes, and maybe distributing your toddlers to a family member or babysitter for a few hours to get some peace and quiet.
Anyway, as you probably guessed, this role can range from the transportation, storage and distribution of food, consumer goods, or pharmaceuticals. You’ll have to be able to balance a number of different tasks to handle this role.
Median Salary: $94,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #5: Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
What The Job Entails: See I told you this was coming up on the list. A pretty scary sounding job because if you screw up, it might mean a nuclear meltdown. No pressure. If you’re up for high pressure environments, this is definitely a good place to work. Also something else to note, if you aren’t interested in relocating for work and don’t live anywhere close to a Nuclear Power Plant, you might want to cross this one off of your list. Unfortunately, there aren’t many Nuclear Power Plants In your average town or city, so this could be a tough job to find.
Median Salary: $84,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #6: Detective/Criminal Investigator
What The Job Entails: This one seems pretty self-explanatory, but it is worth noting while a college degree isn’t required in most cases, a background in law enforcement is probably important to actually getting hired as a detective. In a lot of cases, police officers work their way up to becoming a Detective.
So if you’re reading this one and your only experience is playing Grand Theft Auto, you’ll probably want to look into enrolling in a police academy.
Median Salary: $86,000
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #7: Sales Representative
What The Job Entails: Out of all of the jobs on this list, this may be the one with the least amount of experience required and the highest potential for earnings. Now, while there are millions and millions of jobs in Sales, not all of them may be right for you.
A quick story if I may. After I graduated college, I applied for a “Sports Marketing/Sales” role for a “Sports Entertainment” company. It was literally called a “Sports Entertainment” company in the job posting (and no it was not the WWE) which should have made me realize it was shady. Anyway, it wound up being a door to door salesman job for a phone company. This was not what I was looking for at all so I didn’t take it. I mention this to say be careful about the sales roles you apply for.
Many sales people work off 100% commission, which is fine, but if you have a family and never have done sales before, don’t quit your day job to work a full commission job if you don’t think you have the skills to do it. But, if you’re a young high school graduate with nothing to lose, a sales job may be a can’t lose situation.
Median Salary: $63,000 *Note this one has a high ceiling depending on how good you are which is why it made the list.
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #8: Real Estate Broker
What The Job Entails: This is another job on the list that like the Sales Representative, requires very little experience and has high earning potential. Unlike the Sales Representative role though, a Real Estate Broker requires a license, and depending on the type of real estate your in, it could take a long time.
You’ll also have to deal with the ups and downs of the real estate market which can be worse than riding a rollercoaster at Six Flags Great Adventure.
Median Salary: $60,000 *Also a very high ceiling which is why this one made the list too.
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #9: Plumber
What The Job Entails: If you have a weak stomach and don’t like to get into the mud, this probably isn’t a role for you. You’ll need training for sure before you start getting paid though. There’s only so far you can go by watching people unclog things on YouTube. (Although it did work for me when my toilet was clogged and I felt like I just won the Superbowl after actually fixing a toilet).
It’s a job that is always in demand too. Whether the economy is up or down, unless we’re in the apocalypse and people aren’t living in houses, someone will always be calling to fix a clog.
Median Salary: $75 per hour *Since a lot of plumbers work as contractors, an hourly rate is better to give for this one. The more you work, the more you earn here.
High Paying Job That Doesn’t Require A College Degree #10: Air Traffic Controller
What The Job Entails: We’ll end this list where we started, at the airport. This job is essential to ensure planes aren’t constantly crashing into each other. It’s also a highly specialized job that requires a great deal of training. It might look like anyone can do it from the movies, but it takes a certain type of skill to do what these men and women do.
Median Salary: $130,000
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 10 jobs that don’t require a college degree, but do require (for the most part) a great deal of training and years of experience to make the salaries you see. Unfortunately this isn’t a list of 10 quick easy shortcuts to make millions of dollars. I would be a little suspicious of a list like that.
If any of these roles interest you, or spark curiosity about more jobs, a Career Coach is a great person to talk to that can help you sort through your thoughts. Your Career Strategy happens to have a fantastic group of coaches that can help you on your journey from high school to the workforce.
Visit www.yourcareerstrategy.com now to book a free consultation. You literally have nothing to lose. Good luck on whatever path you choose.