25 highest paying jobs without a degree – WTOP

A traditional four-year college degree is not the only route to a high-paying career.

You dont need a four-year degree to score these jobs.

A traditional four-year college degree is not the only route to a high-paying career. Among the U.S. News list of the 100 Best Jobs, these 25 offered the highest pay without requiring a degree. An important note: Most of these jobs do require some form of postsecondary training, be it on-the-job experience, coursework at a technical college or other credentialing and licensure. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Solar Photovoltaic Installer

Median Salary: $42,680Expected Job Growth by 2028: 63.6%

These clean-energy experts build, install and repair solar panels on buildings. Many installers take courses at community colleges, technical schools or as part of an apprenticeship program, although a high school diploma is typically the only educational requirement to get started in this career. Some companies will offer on-the-job training.

Its a job that is mostly conducted outside. If youre working inside, you may be in an attic or crawl space, connecting panels to the electric grid. You also will have to do some traveling, locally and regionally, since youll always go to the customer, rather than them coming to you.

Learn more about solar photovoltaic installers.

Auto Mechanic

Median Salary: $40,710Expected Job Growth by 2028: -1%

Auto mechanics, also called service technicians, inspect and fix cars and light trucks, focusing on engines, transmissions and braking and steering systems.

There may not be a lot of growth, currently, in the auto mechanic industry the -1% really means little to no change, according to the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics but its still a profession that requires qualified, skilled people to work on cars. If working on engines is in your wheelhouse, you should be able to get a job.

You dont need a college degree, but most automotive service technicians and mechanics complete a program at a postsecondary institution, according to the BLS. Industry certification is often required after you get a job.

Learn more about auto mechanics.

Insulation Contractor

Median Salary: $41,910Expected Job Growth by 2028: 5.3%

Insulation contractors keep us dry during thunderstorms, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In other words, their work protects us from the elements whether were at home or in an office building.

The work tends to be physically challenging, requiring bending in tight spaces, and its not for the claustrophobic. But its also a job that requires you to use your brain. These workers read blueprints, measure materials and install and replace insulation. They may need hazardous material training.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most insulators, especially those who specialize in floor, ceiling and wall insulation, learn their trades on the job. Many mechanical insulators finish an apprentice program after they earn a high school diploma or an equivalency degree.

Learn more about insulation contractors.

Massage Therapist

Median Salary: $41,420Expected Job Growth by 2028: 22%

Using their bodies and various methods of touch, massage therapists relieve client pain and help people relax.

Why is this an in-demand career? Because were all getting older, and many health care providers are recognizing the benefits of massage. That said, you may not work in, say, a hospital or at a physicians office. Many massage therapists work at hotels, franchised health care clinics and fitness centers. Some are self-employed and visit clients homes or offices to give massages.

Its a job that often requires a postsecondary education program of 500 or more hours of study and experience, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although what youre required to do for training is going to hinge upon your state or local jurisdictions requirements.

Learn more about massage therapists.

Cement Mason and Concrete Finisher

Median Salary: $44,810Expected Job Growth by 2028: 11%

Its easy to take a cement mason or concrete finishers work for granted. We see what they produce everywhere when we drive on roads or walk in the city. These workers use power tools to finish the surfaces of poured concrete used for sidewalks, roads, curbs and floors.

Most people in this profession have a high school diploma or an equivalent degree and learn through an apprenticeship program or through on-the-job training.

Its a physically demanding job since youll often be lifting heavy materials. You may be bending or kneeling a lot. But if you like exercise, you may love this job. Its also a career often spent outdoors.

Learn more about cement masons and concrete finishers.

Bus Driver

Median Salary: $34,450Expected Job Growth by 2028: 5%

Transit and intercity bus drivers carry passengers where they need to go, sometimes collecting tickets and helping with luggage. School bus drivers take children to and from school.

Being a bus driver isnt an easy job, but its an extremely important one. City administrators arent interested in putting just anybody behind the wheel, and so if you do your job well, youll likely have a lot of job security.

Youll probably be required to have a high school diploma, or something equivalent to that, and youll need to have a commercial drivers license, which you may be able to earn through on-the-job training. Youll also need to have a good driving record as well as meet the physical, hearing and vision requirements for the job. You may have to pass a background check as well; as noted, they dont let just anybody get behind the wheel.

Learn more about bus drivers.

Glazier

Median Salary: $43,550Expected Job Growth by 2028: 11%

These workers read blueprints, remove old panes and cut and install glass for doors, windows, mirrors and display cases. If it involves glass in a building, a glazier is probably involved.

Its a physically taxing job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You may be climbing up ladders or on scaffolding, which means its a potentially dangerous job.

Youll probably be able to get this job with your high school diploma, though you can learn the trade through an apprenticeship, on-the-job training or a vocational program. Theres more to this job than you might think; you may need to know something about math and design and be able to work with construction equipment. As you might expect, the most demanding and best-paying jobs are often on high-rise buildings.

Learn more about glaziers.

Licensed Practical Nurse and Licensed Vocational Nurse

Median Salary: $46,240Expected Job Growth by 2028: 10.7%

In schools, nursing homes, clinics and hospitals, these nurses offer basic medical care.

Licensed practice nurses and licensed vocation nurses are basically the same jobs. In California and Texas, these positions are called LVNs; everywhere else, its an LPN.

If youre an LPN or LVN, youll be doing crucial, life-saving tasks such as checking vital signs, performing enemas, installing catheters, dressing wounds, delivering medicine, massaging muscles, assisting patients in maintaining their hygiene, helping with feeding (for infants to the elderly), starting IVs, monitoring medical equipment and so much more. Youre also helping adults and children, often when theyre at their most vulnerable. Its a very important job.

Learn more about licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.

Carpenter

Median Salary: $46,590Expected Job Growth by 2028: 8%

Carpenters read directions and use tools to build, fix and install wooden frameworks. You typically dont need any more than a high school diploma to be a carpenter, but it will help if you know basic math to calculate floor space and wall heights, and more complex trigonometric formulas to make right angle cuts. They also use muscle and endurance to do their jobs well.

Carpenters are everywhere new and older homes and buildings are. They mostly construct and repair building frameworks and structures such as stairways and door frames.

Learn more about carpenters.

Real Estate Agent

Median Salary: $50,300Expected Job Growth by 2028: 7%

When homebuyers or renters are looking to buy, sell or rent a home, these professionals are available to help with the process. Training requirements vary by state, but all require licensure.

Technically, you can get by with no more than a high school diploma for this job but plenty of college graduates become real estate agents, and its a field where you use just about every skill you can imagine. Many real estate agents run their own businesses. You have to be a people person. You need to have a deep knowledge of the real estate market and the communities in your area. You have to know the ins and outs of buying, selling and renting properties. Theres a lot to this career.

You will need to get a real estate license, though specific requirements vary by state. Youll probably need to be at least 18 years old and complete real estate courses and pass a licensing exam.

Learn more about real estate agents.

Surgical Technologist

Median Salary: $47,300Expected Job Growth by 2028: 8.7%

Surgical technologists help doctors during stressful procedures in the operating room. They organize tools and disinfect incision sites.

It may sound simple, but these are people who are basically the surgeons right hand during operations. You might be suturing wounds, suctioning incisions and, of course, handing any tool to the doctor that he or she asks for.

Generally, to do this, youll need a postsecondary nondegree award or an associate degree. The BLS points out that getting certified might help your job prospects and that a small number of states regulate surgical technologists. As you would imagine, youll likely work in a hospital, if you take on this career, and youll spend a lot of time on your feet. And while the surgeon may get all of the glory, you will be helping to save lives.

Learn more about surgical technologists.

Equipment Operator

Median Salary: $46,990Expected Job Growth by 2028: 10%

On construction sites, equipment operators drive and control heavy machines such as bulldozers, trench excavators and pile drivers. If as a kid you were the one in the sandbox with a toy bulldozer, well, this job may be for you. Its a career in which you often do get dirty, working in all sorts of conditions, such as construction sites and in all kinds of weather.

You may also work a lot at night, if youre involved in building roads.

Youll likely need a high school diploma or equivalent education, and you may be able to learn how to operate equipment by taking vocational courses or through on-the-job training.

Learn more about equipment operators.

Sheet Metal Worker

Median Salary: $48,460Expected Job Growth by 2028: 8%

Sheet metal workers work with thin layers of metal to create and install ducts used in heating and cooling.

Its what some might call a good honest days work. Meaning, youll work hard, lifting heavy sheets of metal with a lot of physical activity involved. But by the end of the day, youll have made some indispensable products, such as having made and assembled heating or cooling equipment. Or you might make vent hoods for a stove or countertops for a commercial kitchen. You might make signs or automobile parts. If its made of metal, you may help make it.

You often learn this type of trade on the job or at technical school.

Learn more about sheet metal workers.

Choreographer

Median Salary: $47,800Expected Job Growth by 2028: -1%

Choreographers select movements and music to design new dances for performers.

The market for this career isnt expected to grow much throughout much of the 2020s, unfortunately, but according to the BLS, a -1% growth is little to no change. So at least the career field isnt shrinking, or shrinking much.

The good news is that if you get a job as a choreographer, youre probably going to be very happy.

After all, youre helping to put on a show, possibly a musical, presumably working hard, but doing something you love. But choreographers are needed elsewhere, too. Interest in dance and choreography is diversifying across other platforms such as television, theme parks and casinos. You might also land a job at a dance school.

As for schooling, choreographers may not have a college degree (although plenty do), but they do tend to have years of formal training and usually have a lot of experience as a dancer.

Learn more about choreographers.

Insurance Sales Agent

Median Salary: $50,600Expected Job Growth by 2026: 10%

These professionals are insurance know-it-alls who sell a range of policies, including auto, health, home and life insurance, as well as various commercial products. Youll want to be a person who enjoys being immersed in details; insurance often isnt an easy topic for a layman to understand.

Many insurance sales agents have a college degree, but you may not need one. Before becoming an insurance sales agent, youll have to get a license to sell insurance.

If you become an insurance sales agent, youll likely work in an office and spend time shuttling around to visit clients. You may have some irregular hours, if you need to meet clients in the evenings.

Learn more about insurance agents.

Brickmason and Blockmason

Median Salary: $50,950Expected Job Growth by 2028: 9.7%

These workers use bricks and other materials to construct or repair walls and various structures. Brickmasons and blockmasons may gain skills through on-the-job training, technical college programs and apprenticeships.

As with so many jobs, its harder than it may appear. Masons must be able to follow detailed building instructions, break or cut brick and stone to the proper sizes, mix and apply mortar and grout, assemble and finish the required structures.

Brickmasons do predominantly residential work, and blockmasons tend to do more commercial work.

If you work as a blockmason, doing commercial jobs, those tend to be longer projects as much as two years, possibly. Residential work is much shorter.

Learn more about brickmasons and blockmasons.

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25 highest paying jobs without a degree - WTOP