Getting an education is important for your self-development, but college isn’t something that everyone can attend for various reasons, in which case you might be interested in reading up about these 15 best careers if you don’t go to college.
There are so many reasons why young people end up skipping college, including financial issues, family problems or a lack of interest in going any further once you get your first diploma. Whatever the reason why you didn’t go to college or didn’t finish it to get your degree, it’s irrelevant because, in the end, we all need a job to get by in today’s world.
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Some jobs are obviously going to pay better than others, and the differences are quite large between having no education at all and having at least finished high school. You may also be interested in taking a look at the 16 best careers if you have no education.
For our list today we took our data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, taking into consideration jobs that require no education, jobs that require having a high school diploma or equivalent, as well as some college, but no degree.
Without further ado, here are the 15 best careers if you don’t go to college.
15. Gas plant operators
Median pay in 2015 – $66,010
There are quite a few jobs that fit into this category that you can choose from, such as a gas controller, gas plant technician, and gas plant dispatcher, to name a few. Basically, what you’d have to do if you were to work in this area is be in charge of the operation and production of the gas plant. You’d work out of a control room and monitor a wide range of factors, such as the temperature, flow rate, and pressure, making sure everything is safe.
14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Median pay in 2015 – $66,450
This category involves working as an electric power-line examiner, electric utility line worker or underground conduit installer, to name a few. They all have something in common – the fact that you’d have to install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. The job may also sometimes involve erecting poles or heavy duty transmission towers.
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13. Gaming managers
Median pay in 2015 – $68,380
The “gaming managers” category includes quite a few managing positions, including in bingo rooms, casinos, slot rooms and more. What do people in these positions do? Well, they plan, direct and coordinate gaming operations taking place in casinos, and they may even be the ones to write down the house rules, or the ones to amend them, should the need arise.
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12. Media and communication equipment workers
Median pay in 2015 – $70,590
Working in the media doesn’t mean you just have to sit down and write or show up in front of a camera. No, the list of people working in this industry is so much larger and expands to those that operate the dimmer board, the satellite communications or the spotlights, to name a few. This is such a large category that the Bureau of Labor Statistics didn’t even bother including them all on the list, but in general, if you’re working in the media with communication equipment, then it falls here.
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11. Postmasters and mail superintendents
Median pay in 2015 – $70,640
The title says it all, but people working in this field can be postal supervisors or postmasters. They spend their workdays planning, directing or coordinating the services of a US post office, be it operational issues, management or administrative problems. They can also coordinate activities of postal workers.
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10. Transportation inspectors
Median pay in 2015 – $70,820
When you work under the 53-6051 code, you can be an inspector for aircraft, landing gear, locomotives, motor vehicle emissions, railroad cars, school buses and more. Working as a transportation inspector, you have to inspect the equipment or goods to make sure they’re safe to transport cargo or people. It’s an important job that carries loads of responsibility.
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9. Power plant operators
Median pay in 2015 – $71,940
As a power plant operator that’s up next in our list of best careers if you don’t go to college, you can be employed as a hydroelectric plant operator, power plant control room operator, turbine room attendant and more. Your job is to control, operate and make sure it’s all working perfectly with the machinery that generates electric power.
Those working these jobs earned $71,940 on average throughout 2015, although for some the annual wage reached as high as $97,410, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
8. First line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
Median pay in 2015 – $72,300
There are quite a few jobs that fit under the “first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers” category. The list of jobs includes being supervisors for blood donor recruiters, insurance sales workers, stock brokers, telemarketers, telesales and more. In this line of work you directly supervise and coordinate activities of a wide range of people. You can even go as far as to work on the budgeting, accounting and more. The average annual wage was of $72,300, but the most someone was paid in this position was more than double – $149,290.
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7. Commercial pilots
Median pay in 2015 – $76,150
There are so many jobs that fit under this category number 7 in our list of best careers if you don’t go to college, varying from the air tour pilot, over aerial crop duster, and charter pilot, to Emergency medical service helicopter pilot. You’d need to have some training in the field and a Commercial Pilot certificate, but you only need to have your high school diploma. On the other hand, you’d get to fly aircraft all day, so that wins any day. The average pay for this job in 2015 was $76,150, with quite a few people earning close to $148,000.
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6. Detectives and criminal investigators
Median pay in 2015 – $77,210
And there you go, the dream job of every mystery novel reader. This category that ranks 6th in our list of best careers if you don’t go to college includes quite a few positions, such as a criminal investigator, deputy marshal, an FBI investigator, narcotics or homicide detective and so on, and of course, a police detective. You’d need to know the law and to be quite good at your job, but it can be done quite easily with a little bit of passion.
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5. Power distributors and dispatchers
Median pay in 2015 – $80,840
This category includes jobs such as steam and power panel operator, steam plant control room operator and more. The responsibility list includes coordinating, regulating and distributing electricity or steam. You can start with a blank slate, but you have to learn on the job quite a bit.
4. Elevator installers and repairers
Median pay in 2015 – $80,870
If you’ve been passionate about elevators since you were young, then this might be the career path for you. The list of jobs that rank 4th in our list of best careers if you don’t go to college includes being an elevator constructor, installer, mechanic, service technician and more, although the list does expand to escalators too. You only need to have a high school diploma to work in the field and the rest you’ll learn on the go as you work.
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3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
Median pay in 2015 – $82,090
If you want to get a job in this category, you’d have to work as a commanding officer in the homicide squad, or as a detective lieutenant or supervisor, as well as a traffic lieutenant or sergeant. In this line of work, you would directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of the police force. And now, let’s see the top two entries in our list of best careers if you don’t go to college.
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2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
Median pay in 2015 – $86,630
This is a pretty wide category, including jobs such as airport manager, logistics manager, traffic safety administrator and warehouse manager to name a few. The job involves planning, directing and coordinating transportation, storage or distribution activities according to the law and regulation. The annual pay in 2015 for people working in this job was $86,630 on average, but there are much higher wages out there.
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1. Nuclear power reactor operators
Median pay in 2015 – $88,560
Finally, we’re at the top of the list where the category that earns the most is “nuclear power reactor operators”. The job list includes nuclear control room operator, nuclear reactor operator, nuclear station operator and reactor operator, which are, obviously, positions that involve loads of responsibility. You’d have to control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls and more.
The average pay for this job category was $88,560 in 2015, but better-paying jobs are available as well. That being said, these are the 15 best careers if you don’t go to college.
