Editor’s note: This is part of a series spotlighting promising career paths that are filled with opportunity — yet don’t require a four-year college degree.
Is your high school student eager to earn a salary? Does an AA degree, technical training, certificate, apprenticeship, or on-the-job training fit your family budget better than four years of college tuition?
If the answer is yes, there’s no need to panic about your child’s financial future. Dozens of high-paying jobs are available for high school graduates without a four-year college degree — and there’s an increasing need for all of the positions on this list.
Check out our 40 top career choices below and present them to your daughter or son. All pay about $50,000 per year or more and have projected future job growth.
Check out The ultimate guide to college and career readiness. College and career readiness is a fundamental part of every child’s K-12 education. Our guide provides practical insights to help you support your child’s path through high school and toward a successful college experience and a rewarding career.
The list is followed by 9 low-paying “disappearing” occupations it might be wise for your teen to avoid. Data was obtained from the .
One of the highest-paid jobs you can get without a four-year college degree is directing planes on and off runways. Median pay in 2024 was a high altitude $144,580 with 3 percent growth rate. Training is on-the-job, long-term. Applicants must pass a physical test and gain security clearance. Perks? You can retire at age 50 with full benefits. Drawbacks? It is stressful.
Providing radiation treatment to cancer patients pays, on average, $101,990 per year, with projected job growth at 3 percent between 2021 and 2031. For this career, an AA degree is a must. In most states, a license and/or certification is also required.
Salaries to assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators and escalators are a top-floor average of $106,580, with job openings climbing up 6 percent between 2021 and 2031. To enter this field, apprenticeship and a license are typically required.
Smile! The bright news is that job growth is projected to be 9 percent from 2021 to 2031 in this teeth cleaning, oral health occupation that pays a salivating $94,260 per year on average. For this career, an AA degree and a license are required. Read our profile of a dental hygienist to learn more.
Operating imaging equipment that depicts, for example, an embryo in the womb, offers an illuminating $82,570 average salary, with a lively 11 percent job growth projected between 2021 and 2031. An AA degree and a certificate are required to embark on this career path.
An AA degree in nursing leads to an average annual salary of $93,600, with 6 percent job growth projected between 2021 and 2031. This enormous field employs workers in hospitals, schools, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, prisons, and military bases.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners produce detailed images of the body’s interior. Operators earn, on average, $78,980 per year, with job growth between 2021 and 2031 projected at 6 percent. To become an MRI tech, candidates need an AA degree, certification, and additional training.
Can your teen create fabulous websites? This programming and graphic design skill garners an average of $95,380 per year. What’s more, projected job growth between 2021 and 2031 is an eye-popping 8 percent. Entry-level jobs typically require an AA degree, though self-employment is a viable option in this field. Read our profile of a web developer to learn more.
Fixing cables on the top of telephone and utility poles pays a lofty $92,560 per year on average. What’s more, job growth is projected to be a shocking 8 percent between 2021 and 2031. Prep for this career path involves long-term, on-the-job training and technical training.
Is your teen a charmer who can get you to buy anything? People currently employed as wholesale and manufacturing sales reps earn an average salary of $74,100 per year, but with projected job growth of only 1 percent between 2021 and 2031. A high school diploma is typically sufficient for entry-level positions.
Helping patients regain the skills they need for work and daily living is the goal of this vocation that pays an average of $66,050 per year and anticipates an astonishing 21 percent job growth from 2021 to 2031. An AA degree and a license are required to start.
Does your teen want to help people with undeveloped lungs, asthma, emphysema, and patients suffering from shock, heart attacks, or drowning? The average annual salary is $80,450 per year, with a 13 percent job growth projected between 2021 and 2031. An AA degree is typically required for entry-level respiratory therapists.
Operating x-ray machines pays, on average, $78,980 per year — and the field is projected to expand at a rate of 6 percent between 2021 and 2031. This position requires an AA degree and a license or certification. Read our profile of a radiology technologist to learn more.
PTAs help patients recover from injuries and illness by regaining movement and managing pain. An AA degree and certification are required for this job, which averages $60,050 per year and is projected to grow by an astonishing 19 percent between 2021 and 2031.
Real estate brokers and sales agents earn, on average, $58,960 per year — though both may earn substantially more depending on their commissions. Typically, these professions require a high school diploma, real estate courses, and passing licensing exams. Projected growth is slow at just 2 percent.
Salaries average $50,510 per year and job growth is projected to be 3 percent between 2021 and 2031 for these technicians who help scientists and engineers locate and extract minerals, oil, and natural gas. Applicants often need just an AA degree in applied science or a science-related technology, plus on-the-job training.
Embalmers, morticians, undertakers, and funeral directors earn about $59,420 annually. Entering these roles, which are projected to grow 4 percent between 2021 and 2031, typically requires an AA degree.
Scuba divers build, inspect, and repair submerged structures, conduct experiments, rig explosives, and photograph sea creatures. The average salary is $75,570 with expected growth at a buoyant 11.3 percent. Commercial divers must train at a school accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators.
Say what? Selecting and fitting the ideal hearing aid for customers pays an average of $60,050 per year. Expected growth in this field is a phenomenal 19 percent between 2021 and 2031. Yes, you heard that right! Entrance is possible with an AA degree in Hearing Instrument Science.
Installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical power in houses, factories, and business is the day-to-day work in this $62,350-per-year (on average) occupation, with 11 percent job growth projected between 2021 and 2031. Both technical schools and apprenticeships count as preparation for a career in this handy, growing trade.
Wind techs, who install and repair wind turbines, enjoy a breezy $62,580 annual salary (on average), with job growth that blows away all competition: 60 percent growth is projected between 2021 and 2031, making this one of the USA’s fastest growing professions. Technical school and on-the-job training are both required. Warning: This career is unsuitable for people with fear of heights.
Does your teen solve all your IT problems? Providing help professionally pays, on average, $61,550 annually, with 6 percent job growth projected between 2021 and 2031. Positions are open to applicants with an AA degree or relevant post-secondary classes.
Installing and repairing pipes that carry liquids and gasses pays an average annual salary of $62,970, with growth between 2021 and 2031 projected at 6 percent. Training for this field may be done on-the-job, via an apprenticeship, or at a technical school.
Analyzing body fluids and cell tissue in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and laboratories generally requires an AA degree or a certificate. Projected job growth between 2021 and 2031 is 5 percent, with a robust median salary of $61,890 per year.
Insurance sales is a huge field that’s projected to secure a safe 6 percent job growth between 2021 and 2031 and an average salary of $60,370 per year. A high school diploma and a license is usually sufficient to enter this field.
Assistants to civil engineers spend their time planning and designing highways, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. On average, they collect $64,200 per year in this occupation, with growth a stagnant 2 percent between 2021 and 2031. For this field, an AA degree in civil engineering technology is preferred.
Conducting pollution surveys and cleaning up the environment is the task of these workers who earn, on average, $55,890 annually, with projected job growth 2 percent between 2021 and 2031. Entering this career path requires an AA degree in environmental engineering technology or a related field.
The average salary is $63,510 annually in this occupation that keeps factories running by fixing industrial machines involved in conveying, production, and packaging. Projected job growth is a brisk 15 percent between 2021 and 2031. Getting started in this career requires a year or more of training either on the job or through a technical school.
Measuring hazards to safeguard workers, property, the public, and the environment, pays an average of $78,900 per year. Projected job growth is 14 percent between 2021 and 2031. What it takes to enter the profession can vary, from on-the-job training to a certificate or an AA degree.
The critical, potentially stressful job of maintaining patient care equipment pays, on average, $62,630 per year. Projected job growth between 2021 and 2031 is a whopping 18 percent. To embark on this career path, employers prefer candidates with AA degrees in biomedical technology or engineering.
HVAC technicians help control the air quality and temperature in buildings for a median annual wage of $59,810. Job growth between 2021 and 2031 is projected to be a breezy 9 percent. Employers look for high school graduates with postsecondary or apprenticeship training.
People in this career maintain and repair diesel engines in buses and trucks and earn, on average, $60,640 per year. Job growth is projected to be 3 percent between 2021 and 2031. Employers prefer applicants who’ve completed a diesel engine repair training program.
Pay averages $62,480 per year for hospital technicians who prepare operation rooms, arrange equipment, and assist physicians during surgeries. Projected job growth is 6 percent between 2021 and 2031, and an AA degree is required.
Workers in this occupation investigate sources of pollution and contamination impacting public health. The average annual wage is $49,490, and projected job growth between 2021 and 2031 is 7 percent. To embark on this career, an AA degree is typically required.
Is your teen a wizard in wood shop? On average, carpenters earn $59,310 annually, with projected job growth between 2021 and 2031 calculated at 4 percent. No classroom education is required, as construction is typically learned on the job.
Is your teen skilled at calibrating your audio-visual system to produce the best picture and sound? Their aptitude could lead to a career in setting up equipment for television, cinema, radio, concerts, and recordings. Pay averages $56,600 per year, with job growth projected to be a rather muted 3 percent between 2021 and 2031. The prerequisite for this type of employment is typically postsecondary classes or an AA degree.
Hanging and taping wallboard in buildings pays an average of $58,800 per year, and job growth is projected to be 3 percent between 2021 and 2031. No license, credential, or education is required — just on-the-job training.
Does your teen want to drive a long-haul big rig? Transporting cargo in massive vehicles pays, on average, $57,440 annually. Job growth is projected to be a cruising 5 percent between 2021 and 2031. To hit the road on this career path, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and attendance at a professional truck-driving school are required.
PV installers place solar panels on roofs. On average, the salary is $51,860; projected job growth is a blazing 48 percent between 2021 and 2031. Training in this field is gained via technical school, community college, apprenticeship, or on the job.
Job opportunities in this field are projected to increase by 3 percent between 2021 and 2031. Pay averages $48,450 per year and only a high school diploma is needed to start.
9 low-paying and disappearing jobs
Foreign competition and new technology is crippling this factory profession that employs more than 1 million people. High school graduates with a few months of training can earn an average of $46,800 per year, but a projected decline of 6 percent between 2021 and 2031 is anticipated.
Only one month of training is required for entry-level tellers, but the pay averages a mediocre $39,340 per year. What’s more, this field is projected to decline by 15 percent between 2021 and 2031.
Farm and ranch labor has long been an option for rural high school graduates, but these job positions are projected to decrease by 2 percent between 2021 and 2031 and the pay averages just $35,980 per year.
Lumberjacks need only a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training to land this dangerous work, which pays a healthy average of $49,540 annually. But employment opportunities are crashing like timber and projected “growth” is negative 4 percent between 2021 and 2031.
Blooms are beautiful, and selling them requires only a high school diploma, but this occupation is wilting. Pay averages about $36,120 per year, and the job outlook is poor, with a 10 percent decline expected between 2021 and 2031.
About 300,000 workers evaluate insurance claims, earning an average of $76,790 per year. Only a high school diploma is required for most entry-level positions, but job growth between 2021 and 2031 is a negative 5 percent.
Pay is a hot $73,340 per year on average for workers who assemble and repair closed vats, boilers, and other large containers of liquids and gasses, but the field is expected to decline by 1 percent between 2021 and 2031 in this dangerous, physically demanding occupation. Many enter the field via apprenticeship programs, after attaining welding skills.
Treating and transporting water and wastewater pays an average salary of $58,260 — but the job is evaporating with a 6 percent decline in opportunities expected between 2021 and 2031. Employees need a high school diploma, professional license, and on-the-job training.
The future of this profession lacks sparkle, with an average annual salary of $49,140, and a 4 percent decline in opportunities expected between 2021 and 2031.
This is part of a series highlighting post-high school pathways to success for teens whose plans don’t include four-year college. These are careers with great growth potential that don’t require a four-year degree. Read our career spotlights on dental hygienist, web developer, photography director, and radiology technologist.