10 jobs offering big pay without a college degree
No bachelor’s? No problem. We’ve got the lowdown on which jobs take home the biggest paychecks with just a high school degree.
Think you need a college degree to net a solid paycheck? Think again. You can snag a number of high-paying jobs—without a degree under your belt. And we’ve got the data to back it up.
Monster consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ research on occupational outlook (which includes the median pay for thousands of careers), and identified the ten high-paying jobs requiring only a high school diploma. With student debt adding up to about $1.3 trillion nationally—yes, trillion—it’s surprising how little attention is paid to the fact that you can still earn a substantial wage without shackling yourself to a crippling college loan.
In fact, all of the jobs we’ve collected here take home over $55,000, which above the national average wage index of around $52,145.08. That said, salaries will depend on your level of experience, your specialty, and where in the country you're employed. For example, a boilermaker salary in Lewes, Delaware, is 11% higher than the national median and a criminal investigator salary in Modesto, California, is 12% higher than the national median.
Curious if one of them is right for you? Take a look at the full list of high-paying jobs without a degree:
10. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
Median salary: $60,440
Job outlook, 2018–28: 3%
9. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives
Median salary: $61,660
Job outlook, 2018–28: 2%
8. Boilermakers
Median salary: $62,150
Job outlook, 2018–28: 6%
Median salary: $63,380
Job outlook, 2018–28: 5%
6. Electric power line installers and repairers
Median salary: $65,880
Job outlook, 2018–28: 4%
5. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
Median salary: $65,670
Job outlook, 2018–28: -4%
4. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers
Median salary: $67,950
Job outlook, 2018–28: -1%
3. Power plant operators, distributors and dispatchers
Median salary: $83,020
Job outlook, 2018–28: -6%
2. Elevator installers and repairers
Median salary: $79,780
Job outlook, 2018–28: 10%
1. Airline and commercial pilots
Median salary: $115,670
Job outlook, 2018–28: 6%
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