No Degree? Here are some nice paying jobs that don't require a degree. (employee, credit)

[OneDayAttaTime]

A 2003 Readers Digest story showed these jobs and the median annual earnings (nationally) from the US. Dept of Labor. Granted it probably is not the same as in your area but it still gives you an idea of some decent paying jobs....and you could always move to an area that paid more.



Updated from the US Dept of Labor website May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates them. (It does the lastest info is from 2007.)


Air Traffic Controller $107,780
Nuclear power reactor operator $71,220
Dental hygienist* $64,910
Elevator installer/repairer $66,330
Real estate broker $79,800 (Remember this was 2007)
Commercial pilot (non airline) Info was removed
Electrical power line installer/repairer $51,690
Locomotive engineer $63,180
Telecom equipment installer/repairer* $51,760
Funeral Director* $57,660
Aircraft mechanic* $49,670
Brick mason $45,800
Police officer $50,670
Electrician $48,100
Flight attendant info not available
Court reporter* $48,380
Real estate appraiser* $52,290

*requires asociates degree or vocational diploma

[OneDayAttaTime]

Find out what job is a good fit for you: http://fastforwardtcc.com/career_finder.asp


Then see what it pays: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm

[PurpleLove08]

True you don't have to have a degree but you do have to have something more than a high school diploma for a lot of these. There has to be some kind of training.
Brick mason...this may not be as lucrative considering the housing crunch and the same goes for mortgage broker.
Elevator repairer might be better than an installer since some of the commercial real estate market has slowed down. It all depends on where you work. I wouldn't want to be one in Las Vegas but I know there is a fair amount of commercial real estate being built in central AR.

cbs2.com - Video Library

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by LiveTodayLez08

Elevator repairer might be better than an installer since some of the commercial real estate market has slowed down.

Same contractors and union, same guys. One job you might build and on the next job maintain and fix.

[JonathanLB]

Also police officer usually DOES require more than a high school diploma now days. Most departments require an Associates Degree or at least two years of college, in any case.

Depending on the city you should make a lot more than $50,000 annually, too. Portland Police after 5 years you are looking at $5,800/month, not including overtime. LAPD you are looking at more than that even. Including overtime in most major West Coast cities you are looking at $65,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on overtime. It's a pretty sweet job actually, I have no clue why more people don't pursue police work. "OMG I might get shot at!!!" So you'd rather work for $10/hr at the mall? Wow, ok, whatever.

[JMadison]

OK, let me attack a few of these, because all my life I've been aiming for higher pay. I have yet to find any "easy" way to make an upper fifth income. If it were easy, why would anyone be a janitor, waitress, etc. People get trapped. It's a simple as that.

1) Air Traffic Controller... Does require a degree, and there's age discrimination built in. Can't be older than 30 to get hired! :

"
There are several ways to become an air traffic controller. Many are trained while in the military and after their service is completed, the FAA can hire them. If not a part of the armed forces, civilians can attend one of the 14 colleges recognized by FAA that give degrees in aviation administration with an emphasis in air traffic control.
Minimum Requirements

• 30 years of age or younger (Why?) (http://www.natca.org/natca/faq.msp#2 - broken link)
• United States citizen
• Become an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration
• Pass a rigid medical examination including but not limited to vision, hearing, substance abuse/dependency along with a background check (Need More Info?) (http://www.natca.org/natca/faq.msp#8 - broken link)

Currently the FAA is hiring candidates who have graduated from one of the 14 schools* across the US:



2) Nuclear Reactor Operator - Chicken and Egg problem. You have to get someone to let you get experience to get there:


Reactor Operator

A reactor operator is an individual who has met the licensing requirements of 10 CFR 55 and NUREG-1021 for being a reactor operator. These requirements include:

• A high school diploma
• At least 3 years of power plant experience with at least 1 year of experience at the nuclear power plant where the individual is licensed (not including time spent as a control room operator).
• At least 6 months of experience performing plant operational duties at the nuclear power plant where the individual is licensed
• At least 3 months of experience as a control room operator at the nuclear power plant where the individual is licensed
• Completion of the nuclear power plant's reactor operator training program
• Supervised manipulation of the controls of the nuclear reactor for certain operations affecting reactor power level
• A successful medical examination meeting NRC requirements
• Passing the NRC Generic Fundamentals Examination
• Passing the nuclear power plant's reactor operator test
• Passing the nuclear power plant's Operating Test (approved by the NRC) which covers knowledge of the nuclear power plant components, knowledge of casualty response, and responses to simulated causalities and plant evolutions in an approved simulator.

A reactor operator is licensed to manipulate the controls of a nuclear reactor which may alter reactivity and change the power level. Typically, this means that a reactor operator is qualified to remotely operate control rods and other remote actions required to control the reactor as desired (within regulatory requirements).


3) Commercial Pilot (aka ATP) - Requires you meet the training and flight time breakouts set by the FAA. For example 1500 hours logged flight time (go price the rent on that), with requisite amounts of IFR, VFR, Twin Engine Turbine time, etc. Not easy, not cheap, not a solution for someone without time, money, or a deal with the military.


As for the rest, the pay sucks on all of them, except maybe the Real Estate Broker. But that's gonna be tough at the moment, and even when it wasn't, most folks aren't comforatable selling. Washout rate is high.

[tigerwoodsyall]

Originally Posted by JonathanLB

Also police officer usually DOES require more than a high school diploma now days. Most departments require an Associates Degree or at least two years of college, in any case.

Depending on the city you should make a lot more than $50,000 annually, too. Portland Police after 5 years you are looking at $5,800/month, not including overtime. LAPD you are looking at more than that even. Including overtime in most major West Coast cities you are looking at $65,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on overtime. It's a pretty sweet job actually, I have no clue why more people don't pursue police work. "OMG I might get shot at!!!" So you'd rather work for $10/hr at the mall? Wow, ok, whatever.

Yes, you beat me to it lol. Sometimes military experience could be substituted for the 60 or however many credits they ar asking for. Of course having more educations (bachelors) dosn't hust with promotions I would guess.

[FarNorthDallas]

I once read the depositions of a bunch of employees of an electrical plant and those folks made some good money - many were 6 figures. None had college. There is an entrance test. They started at a low level. They also had to be available 24/7 as the plant never shut down. The smartest ones kept moving up, moving up - men and women. There was continual training and testing.

I have since heard that refinery plants are the same way. Example:
https://www.exxonmobil-employment.com/

[Union Proud]

Originally Posted by JMadison

As for the rest, the pay sucks on all of them, except maybe the Real Estate Broker. But that's gonna be tough at the moment, and even when it wasn't, most folks aren't comforatable selling. Washout rate is high.

They all look like good pay to me. Any job with a base pay of 50k or more is good. Why do they sucks?

[JonathanLB]

Originally Posted by Mr. Whips

They all look like good pay to me. Any job with a base pay of 50k or more is good. Why do they sucks?

Agreed. You can't really say police pay sucks, I'm sorry, not at all. My dad has a friend who is fairly high up in the SFPD, he makes $110K per year easy, that's just on police work, he's a DJ on the side and makes another $15K per year on that or so. Not bad!!! Plus he gets tons of vacation time to spend with his family, great benefits, etc.

Heck one of the benefits of being a police officer is just that -- being a police officer! Instant respect and credibility, right to carry concealed anywhere pretty much, drive a squad car, and really, you are the law, let's be honest here. I'd love the ability to pull people over for failing to turn signal, I don't care if that's a $28 ticket even, on my first day I'd do that like 10 times and give people the idea that it's not acceptable to be so lazy you don't even turn signal. God there are a lot of bad drivers out, grr...

The point is, I'm in the film industry and here, the pay sucks for the most part, unless you really make it big. My friend who just got a GRADUATE DEGREE in film can't make $2,000/month right now, that's pretty bad. Especially when he has directed four award-winning short films and was the top director in his class and a heck of an editor. He'll be ok, but he's doing the best of most people I know. I can't even make much so far in my business, which has high expenses, so I have to make even more to survive.

At least with police work you get a high hourly wage, that can be a lot higher with overtime, free medical benefits and retirement benefits, and the leniency is pretty amazing too in some ways. Like Portland Police, 13 sick days per year! Also add in 3 personal days, 9 holidays, and two weeks paid vacation just to start (can go up to 5 weeks).