15 Surprising Jobs That Offer A High Salary Without A Degree

In This Article

Skip to section

DETAILED LIST OF THE 15 SURPRISING JOBS THAT OFFER A HIGH SALARY WITHOUT A DEGREE
Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs

Beginning the long journey towards a career requires consideration for the cost to potential earnings. Working towards a job in your desired field requires years of dedication, hard work, and probably school loans. With the hefty toll of education that accompanies top positions, many people wonder which high-paying careers they could land without a degree.

If you’ve been looking for job options that pay over six figures, but don’t want to spend years and dollars going to college, look no further. Below are the top 15 occupations that earn a high salary with little to no traditional schooling.

DETAILED LIST OF THE 15 SURPRISING JOBS THAT OFFER A HIGH SALARY WITHOUT A DEGREE

Postal service clerk
Average Annual Salary: $39,000
Estimated job growth: -21%
Education requirements: High school diploma or GED

The job of a postal service clerk involves the tasks that take place in the post office itself, as opposed to out on the streets as a mail carrier. They work within normal 9-5 hours to attend to customer questions, sell postal-related products like stamps, and processing outgoing mail sent directly through the post office.

A big positive about a career as a postal service clerk is that a degree isn’t necessary for the position, and it’s still financially lucrative. Plus, there are post offices scattered across the country. This means that once you’ve acquired the administrative skills to get hired as a postal service clerk, the position supplies job availability anywhere you go.

Find Postal service clerk jobs near me
Wind turbine technician
Average Annual Salary: $41,456
Estimated job growth: 56%
Education requirements: A high school diploma and technical school

It’s no secret that the world’s current modes of deriving energy are harming the environment, which has lead to an increase in wind turbine technology. The rise in wind-based energy solutions has created a lot of job growth in the field, including availability for careers as wind turbine technicians.

Wind turbine technicians are responsible for the installation and maintenance of wind turbine towers. While the position requires a deep knowledge of wind turbines to identify and remedy any potential issues, it does not require any formal education beyond a high school diploma.

Experienced wind turbine technicians can make a median salary over the national average, and it’s an industry that’s only expected to grow more over the next ten years.

Find Wind turbine technician jobs near me
Retail Sales Manager
Average Annual Salary: $51,000
Estimated job growth: 6%
Education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

The smooth operations of every retail location are largely left to the devices of prepared and organized retail managers. These individuals are well-versed in the company’s code of ethics, policies, and procedures, and make it their business to uphold these standards.

Being a manager means acting as a shining example of the ideal employee, which isn’t a job that should be taken lightly. The pressure that comes with being a retail manager is accompanied by a decent salary with a large margin for growth. Additionally, it’s a position that can be landed without the need for a college degree.

Find Retail Sales Manager jobs near me
Copy writer
Average Yearly Salary: $50,000
Estimated job growth: 8%
Education requirements: Varies by the employer, but usually a high school diploma or GED

There are many facets of the advertising industry, and one of them that’s potentially accessible to high school graduates is working as a copywriter. Companies often have particular goals that they want their advertisements to accomplish, but they’re not sure of how to turn that into a marketable strategy.

Copywriters meet with these clients to get to the root of their message and turn out visual and word-based advertising options called copy.

A bulk of a copywriter’s job involves research and accuracy because they need to be producing content that’s up to par. Besides a high starting salary and few strict schooling requirements, copywriters are also often awarded the benefit of working remotely or in a contract position. It’s an ideal job for someone who wants location independence.

Find Copy writer jobs near me
Power plant operator
Average Annual Salary: $47,000
Estimated job growth: -6%
Education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

The energy that keeps cities and individual homes running with electricity is supplied by power plants, which are in turn controlled by power plant operators.

Power plant operators keep an eye out for any signs of issues and implement solutions when problems do arise. Maintaining the proper functioning of large equipment that’s used for power generation utilizes specific knowledge, but it doesn’t require the pursuit of a four-year degree.

Despite the fuel that a power plant operator’s job revolves around, it’s a position that awards an impressive paycheck, especially after a few years of experience in the industry. While being a power plant operator provides a high salary with little schooling, the industry is expected to experience a growth decline of 16% in the coming years.

Find Power plant operator jobs near me
Radiation therapist
Average Annual Salary: $81,000
Estimated job growth: 9%
Education requirements: Associate’s degree in radiation therapy

It’s a position that demands an aptitude with medical procedures, standing for long periods, and interacting with people in a vulnerable position.

Receiving radiation treatment for cancer is a process that’s emotionally and psychically taxing on patients. Knowing they can rely on well-trained radiation therapists to properly operate equipment, explain all the procedures that they’ll endure in detail, and provide general support throughout treatment relieves a great deal of the stress associated.

While many jobs in the medical field require upwards of a decade in education, this isn’t the case with becoming a radiation therapist. You’ll usually only need to complete a two-year program that focuses on radiation therapy. After completion and licensing, radiation therapists can expect to earn at least $55,000 annually.

Find Radiation therapist jobs near me
Computer programmer
Average Annual Salary: $66,000
Estimated job growth: -7%
Education requirements: Associate’s degree at minimum, but many get a Bachelor’s degree

The past year has ushered in an age of computer dependency like never before. The software programs and systems have also become more crucial with so many careers being taken online.

The creation of software is done by computer programmers through careful algorithm analysis and consistent modification. Computer programmers can bring in up to six figures for these services.

Many computer programmers do hold a bachelor’s degree under their belt. However, having the practical knowledge and skills associated with programming is more important to getting hired than going to college.

A candidate who can show evidence of their abilities in the field has a better chance of getting hired for a computer programming position than someone with a degree but no portfolio or hands-on experience.

Find Computer programmer jobs near me
Makeup artist
Average Annual Salary: $80,297
Estimated job growth: 11%
Education requirements: High school diploma and cosmetology certification

Doing makeup for clients is a creative art form that can build a well-paid career. It’s an industry that allows its artists to take their skills in many different directions.

Some makeup artists work for salons to create requested looks on clients in a specified amount of time. Others work for theatre, film, or television productions to liven up characters using basic facial makeup and more advanced techniques, like prosthetics and FX.

The path to becoming a successful makeup artist involves boosting your expertise by earning a cosmetology certification. This process takes less than two years on average, depending on the program. After becoming licensed, makeup artists are given free rein to opportunities in the cosmetology industry, which can earn a salary of over $100,000.

Find Makeup artist jobs near me
Criminal investigator
Average Annual Salary: $53,000
Estimated job growth: 5%
Education requirements: High school diploma, but higher education is a bonus

Average citizens live their daily lives blissfully unaware of the long list of crimes taking place around them because criminal investigators are working on the case.

When a crime occurs without all the pieces laid out for police officers, a detective or criminal investigator steps in to solve the mystery. This involves tasks like evidence collection and analysis, surveillance operations, conducting interviews, and making arrests.

Being a criminal investigator is a well-respected career with a high earning potential, which is enticing enough in itself. In addition to this, there aren’t many education requirements for the job. While possessing a higher degree could better your chances of landing a position, criminal investigators are only required to have a high school diploma.

Find Criminal investigator jobs near me
Website developer
Average Annual Salary: $55,000
Estimated job growth: 13%
Education requirements: Associate’s degree in website design or a related field

There’s an enormous amount of backend work that goes into creating a unique website experience for users. Establishing this web presence for clients is the job of a website developer. Developers use coding languages, like HTML and JavaScript, to strategize applications and monitor traffic for websites.

The field of website development employs participants of scattered education levels. Many website developers hold a bachelor’s degree in a study that’s related to computer science, but this is not a requirement to be hired for this type of role.

As long as you have at least an associate’s degree, having a stunning portfolio of professional work gets you a lot further than extra years of education.

Find Website developer jobs near me
Real estate agent
Average Annual Salary: $99,000
Estimated job growth: 7%
Education requirements: High school diploma and real estate licensing

A real estate agent acts as a guiding force in the process of finding, buying, or selling properties. Individuals who are successful in the field understand the property market and rely heavily on their interpersonal skills to woo potential buyers.

There are around two million active real estate agents working in the United States, and there’s a good reason why it’s such an attractive option. Being a real estate agent is an exciting field that allows you to regularly work with new people, tour beautiful properties, and earn a potential paycheck over $100,000 per year.

For all these benefits, real estate agents only need to earn their high school diploma and go through proper licensing before starting work.

Find Real estate agent jobs near me
Construction manager
Average Annual Salary: $81,000
Estimated job growth: 10%
Education requirements: A bachelor’s degree is recommended, but no formal education is required

The construction of buildings, roads, and other projects is the direct result of a collaborative effort. The person in charge of all this coordination is a construction manager.

The job involves organizing cost estimates, overseeing project progress, and coordinating with other building professionals in this production. They’re the general supervisor of all other construction staff who is working on the project.

The path to becoming a construction manager usually involves having a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field, but it is not an absolute requirement.
Hands-on experience in construction can eventually lead towards a career as a construction manager, even without a degree.

Find Construction manager jobs near me
Underwater welder
Average Yearly Salary: $33,102
Estimated job growth: 3%
Education requirements: High school diploma or GED and certification in diving and welding

Being an underwater welder comes with a lot of dangerous working conditions that encourage a high earning potential with minimal Education requirements: As the name suggests, most of an underwater welder’s time is spent in vast bodies of water with heavy equipment to perform welding tasks, like fitting and rigging.

While the profession only requires a high school diploma or GED, underwater welders must have specialized training for the intense nature of the job. This includes being certified as a commercial diver and having welding skills at a minimum level of AWS D3.6.

For candidates willing to reach this level of expertise, they can expect to make a potential six-figure salary.
Air traffic controller
Average Annual Salary: $64,000
Estimated job growth: 1%
Education requirements: Associates degree and on-the-job training

Air traffic controllers are responsible for ensuring the safety of the flights under their domain, while also taking into consideration airport efficiency to decrease the chance of delays. They monitor all movement in and out of the airport from a control tower and also follow the hourly weather trends to keep the pilots up-to-date.

Being the all-mighty controller of airport space and nearby flying zones can put a lot of pressure on air traffic controllers, but luckily they’re compensated well for the extra stress. Air traffic controllers earn a median salary of $90,000 a year.

Additionally, becoming an air traffic controller involves much less schooling than you might think. An associate’s degree and proper certifications should earn you a spot in an entry-level air traffic controller position.

Find Air traffic controller jobs near me
Commercial pilot
Average Annual Salary: $71,000
Estimated job growth: 6%
Education requirements: High school diploma and licensing

Another high-paying position at the airport that doesn’t require a traditional four-year degree is being a commercial pilot. These professionals work for flight occasions that aren’t handled by airlines, such as charter flights and aerial tours.

They’re responsible for safely operating these types of aircraft from point A to point B, which can include scheduling maintenance, keeping passengers informed, and being prepared for any changes in the environment.

After earning a high school diploma and a commercial pilot’s license from the Federal Aviation Administration, they are cleared to get hired for their first entry-level commercial piloting job earning an average of $81,000 a year. That number jumps closer to $200,000 when a commercial pilot has a few years of experience.

Find Commercial pilot jobs near me

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Recent Job Searches

Explore All Jobs