10 Highest Paying Jobs With No College Degree Required

Hi! This is not «Get rich quickly» hack. This article contains real information about 10 real jobs with high salaries, which don’t require College degree. 

The reason for this post is very simple – many people today go to college, spend 4 years studying, graduating with a student debt around 100 thousand dollars and then earn 35-37 thousand dollars yearly at their jobs, whereas there are many jobs available which do not require college degree and pay way more money. There are some professions where you can start working quickly, you do not waste your time, you do not have any debt, and you can earn more then 50 thousand dollars even on the start. So it’s probably worth considering.

If the average salary for high school graduates is around 35 thousand, and you will be making over 50 thousand, it means with any of these jobs you have about 15 thousand dollars difference per year, which also can increase after a couple of years as you are gaining the experience in your field. You can save this difference and use it to build you passive income, which after 10 years might be quite decent, might be even equal to your normal income from the job. You can retire at your thirties and do whatever you want.

Some of these jobs still need some basic education and skills, but even 1 or 2 years of preparation and learning is quicker then 4 years in college with debt on your back.

If any of your friends is planning to go to college, please share this article with them, they might really benefit from it.

Let’s get to the topic. Here is the list of jobs:

1. Plumber

Plumber – this job doesn’t require a college degree, you will probably start with 45-50 thousand dollars per year, but after a couple of years you can make even over 100 thousand dollars yearly. Imagine if you save the difference for the next 10 years. Lets assume that after 3 years you should be able to earn 100 thousand dollars yearly as many other people do. Roughly, even if you only save 10 thousand dollars each year for the first 3 years, and after 3 years you start saving 65 thousand each year – you should be able to save 485 thousand dollars or more. This is absolutely real, but of course it’s all up to you – how quick you learn and develop your skills, how much will you be able to save. If you make a 10 years plan and commit yourself to fulfill it – this is totally possible.

2. Pipeline welding

Pipeline welding – in this field you can earn tons of money. It will require some training and certifications, but after a few years you can earn even 20 thousand per month. Yes, this job involves health consideration, but again, if you save as much as you can and build your passive income, you won’t need to work as a welder all your life.

What I want you to ask here – if you could leave a comment down below, mention you current job position and how much money you or your friends make in a certain profession. I’d be really interested to understand what is the real salaries situation comparing to the official statistics.

3. Hvac

Hvac (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) – doesn’t require college degree, it might take a year or two before you start earning 50 thousand yearly, but after a few years you can make over 100 thousand dollars in this industry.

With any job on today’s list you need to consider how you will set yourself apart from the other workers in the industry. It’s really important to understand that the better skills you have, the more value you bring – the more money you can make.

Sometimes people treat their job as a train – they think that they only need to get on the train, then they can sit and relax, because the train itself will get them to the destination. It doesn’t work like that with making money 🙂 you need to be working on your success. But if you are willing to work hard – there are many opportunities to make more money.

4. Railroad worker

Railroad worker – the railroad industry is very large and there are many jobs available. There are passenger trains which transport people, and also freight trains which transport billions of tons of goods from ports to different destinations around the country. Railroad workers are always in demand, because someone needs to keep this industry running, drive trains, operate signals and switches in the rail yard, coordinate the activities of the trains etc.

For some job positions you might need a certification, but degree is not necessary and railroad workers make 57-59 thousand dollars per year on average.

5. Police or Fire department workers.

Police or Fire department workers. Public Safety is often overlooked, but it can be a great job for many people. If you choose this career path you can earn over 50 thousand on the entry level and it is possible to make even a six figures after some time with no degree whatsoever. Plus there is a great pension and benefits.

6. Postal worker

Postal worker – Postal workers make on average around 57 thousand per year. And we can also include other delivery services like UPS or Fedex where people make over 50 thousand per year, sometimes even much more, depending on the location and some other factors. Sometimes you might hear that these jobs will soon be automated and replaced by drones and robots, but honestly, imagine the amount of deliveries in one city everyday – how many drones you would need to deliver all that staff?? Plus – how do you receive a delivery from a drone – should you keep the window open or should you prepare a special space on your balcony where the drone can land? Or, imagine, you are expecting the delivery, you hear the knocking on your door: «Who’s there?» «It’s me, drone with your package» 🙂 I personally don’t think it is coming very soon, people will still be in demand for quite a long time. At least you can use the next 10 years to make extra money and build you passive income. And after 10 years – let the drones do the job. 

7. Coders and programmers

Coders and programmers – this may sound like a very difficult to learn, but in reality if you commit yourself to study it for the next year, like every day, after one year you will be able to earn over 50 thousand dollars per year on the entry level. And this is a huge industry which will grow and develop in the future. You can work remotely from any corner of the world and, if you will be really good at what you are doing, you can make even over 200 thousand dollars per year with no degree whatsoever. I am not saying that coding is super easy, but it’s achievable and highly paid.

8. Real Estate agents

Real Estate agents – this industry has tones of money and will always exist. People will always be buying, selling and renting private houses and apartments as well as offices, warehouses and commercial buildings. This industry gives you many opportunities to grow and make money. You can make over 50 thousand dollars with some basic experience and some people make hundreds of thousands of dollars in this industry. When you start making over 50 K – just don’t forget to save some money and build your passive income. 

9. Insurance Sales agents

Insurance Sales agents – a great industry for high school graduates where people can make quite decent money. The agents with some experience can make over 100 thousand dollars quite easily. If you work for an agent and do some basic customer service you can make between 30 and 60 thousand. No degree is necessary in this field.

10. Call Center Manager

Call Center Manager – this job is kind of a leadership position, where you manage a team of 10 or 15 people and it often requires some basic experience in Call Center. But again, it doesn’t require college degree and you can make 55-60 thousand dollars per year without any student debts. And if you manage your finances with wisdom you can also build some passive income within the next decade.

I hope this information was helpful. Of course this is not the full list of jobs and industries where you can make over 50 thousand dollars per year with no college degree, but at least it could give you the general idea, you can make your own research and find the profession that would suit you the most.

I just want to mention that I am not against the college education, but there are also some other options available, which you can consider.

Thanks for reading, let me know if this was helpful, and see you soon!

You may also like...