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Subscribe to RSSFormer presidential candidate Rick Santorum got a lot of heat earlier this year for suggesting not everyone needs a college degree, but he may have been on to something.
There are lots of jobs out there that don’t require a four-year degree and pay pretty well. And at a time when so many college graduates are drowning in student loan debt and many not finding the jobs of their dreams, bypassing higher education isn’t the dumbest financial option.
You can make over $40,000 a year if you become a dental hygienist or web developer, and the job growth for both occupations is robust, according to a study released this week by jobs website CareerCast.
“Even with a college degree, finding a good job in today’s economy is hard and can be very time consuming,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. “Although those with degrees often earn more money, you can still earn a very good living without one.”
Indeed, a degree from a university will likely end up making you about twice as much starting out and in the long haul of your career. But the high cost of college may just be too much for some, not to mention the fact that many people never end up finishing a four-year degree.
About 70 percent of high school graduates do head off to college, but only four in 10 end up with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by 25, according to a report titled “Pathways to Prosperity” by Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The study found only one in three adults actually end up graduating.
“Given these dismal attainment numbers, a narrowly defined ‘college for all’ goal -- one that does not include a much stronger focus on career-oriented programs that lead to occupational credentials -- seems doomed to fail,” the Harvard researchers maintained.
The CareerCast report includes such occupations that individuals can go into with some training but that do not require a college diploma. The list also includes data on expected income and employment growth for these jobs over the next decade.
Here's a list of the top 20:
1. DENTAL HYGIENIST
Average Starting Salary: $45,000
Income Growth: 109 percent
Employment Growth: 37.7 percent
2. ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER
Average Starting Salary: $40,000
Income Growth: 255 percent
Employment Growth: 25 percent
3. WEB DEVELOPER
Average Starting Salary: $43,000
Income Growth: 179 percent
Employment Growth: 21.7 percent
4. MEDICAL SECRETARY
Average Starting Salary: $21,000
Income Growth: 114 percent
Employment Growth: 41.3 percent
5. PARALEGAL ASSISTANT
Average Starting Salary: $29,000
Income Growth: 159 percent
Employment Growth: 18.3 percent
6. STENOGRAPHER/COURT REPORTER
Average Starting Salary: $26,000
Income Growth: 250 percent
Employment Growth: 14.1 percent
7. HEATING/REFRIGERATION MECHANIC
Average Starting Salary: $26,000
Income Growth: 158 percent
Employment Growth: 33.7 percent
8. SURVEYOR
Average Starting Salary: $31,000
Income Growth: 190 percent
Employment Growth: 25.4 percent
9. EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Average Starting Salary: $29,000
Income Growth: 131 percent
Employment Growth: 12.6 percent
10. INSURANCE AGENT
Average Starting Salary: $26,000
Income Growth: 342 percent
Employment Growth: 21.9 percent
11. INDUSTRIAL MACHINE REPAIRER
Average Starting Salary: $30,000
Income Growth: 127 percent
Employment Growth: 21.6 percent
12. COSMETOLOGIST
Average Starting Salary: $16,000
Income Growth: 163 percent
Employment Growth: 15.7 percent
13. HAIR STYLIST
Average Starting Salary: $16,000
Income Growth: 163 percent
Employment Growth: 15.7 percent
14. TAX EXAMINER/COLLECTOR
Average Starting Salary: $30,000
Income Growth: 207 percent
Employment Growth: 7.3 percent
15. SALES REPRESENTATIVE (WHOLESALE)
Average Starting Salary: $27,000
Income Growth: 304 percent
Employment Growth: 15.6 percent
16. CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY OPERATOR
Average Starting Salary: $26,000
Income Growth: 173 percent
Employment Growth: 23.5 percent
17. ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN
Average Starting Salary: $34,000
Income Growth: 138 percent
Employment Growth: 1.9 percent
18. ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTER
Average Starting Salary: $30,000
Income Growth: 140 percent
Employment Growth: 3.2 percent
19. TEACHER’S AIDE
Average Starting Salary: $17,000
Income Growth: 112 percent
Employment Growth: 14.8 percent
20. SEWAGE PLANT OPERATOR
Average Starting Salary: $25,000
Income Growth: 156 percent
Employment Growth: 11.6 percent.
CareerCast’s Lee advised that individuals do some research before deciding whether to pursue any of these jobs. “If you want to earn a lot of money without a college degree,” he said, “take a look at the amount of training you’ll need, then focus on a job that can still provide a satisfying, comfortable career.”
What’s your take? Do you think you need a college degree in order to have a well-paying, fulfilling career?
Leave a Comment:
alot of those "good jobs" are below or slightly above the federal poverty level for a family of 3-4 ... such a stupid article...
That is not bad for starting pay with no higher education.
Mire: True.. but most families have 2 wage-earners, these days.
The articles not nearly as stupid as you are MireV03 ... These jobs/starting salaries are clearly averaged based on an individual ... So how is the poverty level for a 4 person family even relevant? Your absolute right to think that 30000 is measly for a family of 4, but for a single person, with only 1/4 the expenses of a 4 person family, 30000 isn't bad, especially at 20 or 21 ... I have no degree and I'm proud of it, still making more money than almost anyone that I know at my age, selling insurance. And "Oh Look", Insurance Agent just happens to be #10. It probably should be #1, considering it has more upside potential than any of the other jobs on the list, but theres also a high failure rate so its understandable. Good article Eve, I got your back!
First of all, plan to do something you like to do. Money isn't everything and you may do a job poorly if you are not happy with it. College, as I experienced it, provides an education the is focused on each professor's specialty. It is up to you to put it all together into useful information. I learn concepts and flesh them out with knowledge. College was the reverse, all information, a lot of repetition, and no overarching concepts. The master/apprentice system is a far better way to learn. Relating what is being learned to the real world makes a lot more sense to me.
For these jobs you still need some sort of training or education. You can't go straight from high school graduation to being a dental hygenist, unless your high school had a career training program. So, you'll still need to shell out some cash for that training and you may need to take out loans for that training depending on your financial situation, especially if you choose a career college because they can be just as expensive as a private 4 year university. And these salaries are okay if you are young and single with no family depending on you but it gets harder when you start adding responsibilities. I'd advise young people to really think about what they want/need out of life and make a plan (which may or may not involve college) to get there.
I agree with many other - you STILL need training for these positions - in many cases at least a 2 year associate degree. This story is SO misleading. There are FEW jobs that pay for those without college degrees - Rick Santorum was so wrong. The mills are closed, Rick, if you haven't noticed.
There are now ONE MILLION trade jobs going begging because they dont have qualified workers....because for the last 60 years....American society has given "college" an elitist halo.
I have an MBA degree and am now working as a Wastewater Operator which has no college requirements (was laid-off from my MBA job). This is the best job I have ever had and had I known about these jobs at the time I would never had to go to college......and could have saved $15K to boot. The world needs more people in the trades......trust me its a great life !!...My job cant be outsourced, cant be automated, has no competition and is not dependent on sales......what more could I ask for.
Ummm.... With a B.A., 3.8, College Honors, and so much internships, volunteering, computer skills, I was offered a few jobs, the highest paid being $13.00 an hour (which is nothing and barely enough to get by in the area where I live). I'm not sure WHO these people are that will be hired, or, more correctly, WHO THESE EMPLOYERS ARE who are willing to hire someone only with an HS degree when they have hundreds, if not thousands, of options to choose from (the majority of which have school and/or experience under their belt).
I'm not advertising the debt and headaches that come with a higher education but I am in disbelief that someone could score these nice jobs with a basic diploma... But, on the other hand, it's truly inspiring if that is the case.
OC chick - If interested, check out Water and Wastewater Operator positions and their salaries available at the County, State and City level. For example check out East Bay MUD. To get into the field, the only requirement , besides an HS diploma, is to take a self-sudy course and pass one exam....then is to appy as an OIT. These jobs dont often have many applicants due to the nature of the job (wastewater) or dont know about them.
i grew up in the Bronx. many friends did not attend college and took the tests for the sanitation dept, police dept, fire dept. others worked for their parents and then took over their parent's small businesses . others became bar tenders from being waiters in wedding halls or worked at construction and became apprentices. they all make a great living. many of my girlfriends started out with the skills they learned in high school and became painters, bus drivers, and train conductors!
we have to accept who young people are. they are not all meant for college or cannot afford it. ....they are intelligent but may not be the college type or they prefer to work with their hands. they should be encouraged...and not looked down upon. half my friends who went to college don't even work at jobs for what their major was in!...
we need people to do jobs that are important....someone to fix the refrigerator or the furnace in the middle of the night...we still need someone to fix our shoes at the shoemaker. we still need people to run our large grocery stores....all that are noble trades and can pay well.
i was a high school teacher and never said to a senior...sorry, if you don't go to college you are not going to be successful. listen to them! help them and they will find their place in this world~ ;)
Obviously there's no "right fit" for everyone, but at least this article said it up front - that a college degree "...will likely end up making you about twice as much starting out and in the long haul of your career."
I worked 14 years without the degree, and now have worked another 16 with the degree. Guess what? I make more money now, and I can actually support my family without having to hold two other jobs!
WI Republican Gov. Scott Walker only has a High School degree & is paid $137,000 by taxpayers to keep his State 50th in Job Creation. Recall Walker!