You can find a high paying job without earning a college degree. Apple founder Steve Jobs didn’t have one. Neither does Microsoft founder Bill Gates, or entertainment mogul David Geffen. None of these self-made billionaires needed a college degree. While you may not achieve their status, you can prepare for a great job in less than four years.
More and more, it’s accepted that a college degree isn’t required to earn good money and have a successful career. Eight out of ten of the fastest-growing occupations don’t require a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you’re switching to a new career, wouldn’t you rather spend a shorter time at vocational training or getting an associate degree than going into debt for a four-year diploma?
Here are the 25 top-paying jobs and their average salaries, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed.com.
Place your cursor over each image to see top paying job title, salary and ranking!
Remember that location will heavily influence the salary earned for any job. Metropolitan areas are likely to pay more than smaller towns.
“The thing to keep in mind is that there are something like 50 million jobs out there that don’t require a bachelor’s degree and pay upwards of $40,000 a year,” says Harlow Unger, author of But What If I Don’t Want to Go to College? A Guide to Success Through Alternative Education. Unger reminds readers that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly two-thirds of all projected job openings require only on-the-job training.
Even though this information is tantalizing, it’s not wise to just leap into one of these jobs. Find out which one you will enjoy most and which you have the aptitudes for. I recommend using the COPS3 System from www.TestEts to find out which one of these jobs will make you most happy. This test is inexpensive, yet a thorough assessment of career decision factors.
So you’re getting ready for a new year and are looking for a new job! You probably have some ideas already. On many people’s wish list when they think about getting a new job is a high salary. Another is low requirements like jobs that contain on-the-job-training with no degree. A third might be a secure job – one that will not become obsolete anytime soon, or one that is becoming more and more in demand.
That’s why in this blog we will be talking about the fastest growing jobs with the lowest education requirements. If you’re changing careers, entering into a fast growing job is a smart choice. The following are the top 10 fastest growing jobs which require little education or training at the entry level.
All of these jobs require only a high school diploma at the entry level. The median average income of these jobs is below $30,000 with the exceptions of #5, #8, and #10, which are all apprenticed construction trades. Apprenticed trade jobs require on the job training plus some classroom education. If you want more information on any of these careers, just look them up on the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
#10: Brick Masons
By 2020: approximately 36,000 jobs to be added for total of 125,000 jobs
Percentage Change: about 41% job growth
Median Wage: $47,000 annually
#9: Medical Secretaries
By 2020: about 210,000 jobs for total of roughly 720,000 jobs
Percentage Change: about 41% job growth rate
Median Wage: $30,500 annually
#8: Glaziers
By 2020: almost 18,000 jobs to be added for a total of about 60,000
Percentage Change: approximately 42% job growth
Median Wage: about 37,000 annually
# 7: Physical Therapy Aides
By 2020: about 20,000 jobs to be added for a total of just over 67,000 jobs
Percentage Change: about 43% job growth
Median Wage: almost $24,000 annually
#6: Plumbing and Pipefitting Helpers
By 2020: just over 26,000 jobs to be added for a total of roughly 84,500 jobs
Percentage Change: more than 45% job growth
Median Wage: almost $27,000 annually
#5: Iron Workers
By 2020: just over 9,000 jobs to be added for a total of about 28,000 jobs
Percentage Change: almost 49% job growth
Median Wage: approximately $38,500 annually
#4: Carpenter Helpers
By 2020: 26,000 jobs to be added for a total of over 72,000 jobs
Percentage Change: approximately 56% job growth
Median Wage: almost $26,000 annually
#3: Masonry Helpers
By 2020: almost 18,000 jobs to be added for total of about 47,000 jobs
Percentage Change: about a 60% job growth rate
Median Wage: almost $28,000 annually
#2: Home Health Aides
By 2020: just over 700,000 jobs added for a total of about 1.7 million jobs
Percentage Change: almost 70% job growth
Median Wage: about $21,000 annually
#1: Personal Care Aides
By 2020: about 610,000 jobs added for total of 1.5 millions jobs
Percentage Change: almost 71% job growth
Median Wage: just under $20,000 annually
Don’t have a degree? Don’t worry
If you’re not sure where to start or which of these careers might fit you, take this Career Preferences Test. It can help you find a suitable career based on your personality and likes. There are many other tests you can take to find out if one of these careers is right for you. Get in touch with The Career Profiler to find out more options.
If you’re looking for a new career or job, it’s easiest to find them in “growth industries.” An industry is a classification of work based on the company’s primary business activity. For example, an accounting company might have a consulting or litigation support practice, but their primary activity and source of revenue is from accounting practices. Therefore, “accounting practices” are their industry or sector.
A growth industry is an industry that meets a certain percentage of growth criteria. This is based on percent of growth from one year to the next. In this list, the industries with the highest growth projections until 2020 are listed. This blog presents a summary of industry-level employment percentile forecasts provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its most recent document.
The information presented here has been interpreted not by a journalist or newspaper editor, but by a career expert. Those seeking new careers in 2017 can use these employment forecast statistics as a guide in their new career exploration and decision-making. There’s also a Part 2 of this blog with more information on factors impacting new career choices.
Based on Employment by Major Industry Sectors, overall job growth rate projections to 2020 is expected to be a modest 1.3% growth creating some 20,468,000 jobs as industries recover from the impacts of the past recession. This ranking is based on the percentage of job growth; keep in mind that the percentage of growth is different than the number of new jobs. Some industries with greater percentage growth have less new jobs than industries with less percentage growth. You can expect to find the most jobs for your new career in the following sectors:
It is best to seek a new career in an industry where there is both projected employment growth and a large number of new jobs over the next several years. These are only the top 5 industry sectors. You can use this information as only a part of the equation when seeking a new career. More information can be found here regarding 2020 employment projections.
Even more information, probably more vital than the subject of this blog, can be found by taking career tests. You can click here to find career tests that identify your best new career. For more blogs, you can read these:
TheNew Year is a time for new beginnings, and anew career is one of those very important new beginnings. Every New Year, people like yourself seek a new job. It’s a great time to take advantage of trying new things, changing something you don’t like, and getting into a career that will make you happy and successful.
Looking for a New Career in the New Year
There are a host of reasons why someone looks for a new job. Are you fearful of the eventual demise of your company or career field? Maybe you need more benefits for a growing family, or more flexibility to manage other responsibilities. Send us a tweet to let us know why you are looking.
Whatever your reason may be, there are important factors to consider when seeking a different career. In this New Year, New Career series, we’ll unpack these factors as well as explore two sources of information: career tests and career lists.
These blogs will help you get a jump start on your new year! You can apply these principles any time you’re looking for a new job. If you want help on your new job search, get in touch with The Career Profiler today!
By Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM. Learn more at TheCareerProfiler.com
If you’re looking for a new career in the new year, you should start with some research. For example, the first thing people usually hope for in a new career is that they will be hired. Going into a fast-growing field, therefore, should be on a checklist. But not all of the fastest growing jobs are also high paying. If you want to maximize the likelihood of being hired in a well-paid job, this is the top 10
Experience firework growth in your new career!
list for you!
This list is a combination of the fastest growing jobs which are also the highest paid jobs from the Employment Projections Program at the US Department of Labor. All of these jobs have median (average) incomes above $50,000. All of these occupations require a Bachelor’s Degree or more with the exception of the 7th and 10th, which require an associate’s degree and technical school training respectively. They are listed in order from highest to lowest paying.
How do I find the Right Career for 2018?
You don’t have to repeat your old mistakes in your new career. Here’s a list of just a few things you can do right now to start the path to the perfect new career for you:
Ability Tests draw your attention to your innate aptitudes that determine your happiness and success in a career
Values Tests help clarify what you want out of a job so you can find the job that meets your desires
Finally, for FREE career coaching, fill out the form at the bottom of the page and ask about coaching services
Highest Paying, Fastest Growing Jobs
#1. Veterinarians
Duties: Primarily care for pets, livestock and zoo animals by treating their medical and health issues.
By 2020, approximately 22,000 jobs will be added to the field for total of 83,000 jobs.
Percentage Change: 36% growth
Median Wage: $82,000
#2 Biomedical Engineers
Duties: Design innovative solutions to biomedical problems for the purpose of improving patient health or care.
Numbers by 2020: just under 10,000 jobs added for total of approximately 25,000
Percentage Change: 62% growth
Median Wage: just under $82,000
#3 Medical Scientists
Duties: conduct clinical trials or other research methods for the purpose of finding solutions that improve human health.
Numbers by 2020: approximately 36,000 jobs added for total of 137,000 jobs
Percentage Change: about 36% growth
Median Wage: almost $77,000
#4 Physical Therapists
Duties: help rehab or chronic patients improve the movement of their limbs and muscles or facilitate the management of their pain
Numbers by 2020: just over 77,000 jobs added for total of 200,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 40% growth
Median Wage: just over $76,000
#5 Dental Hygienists
Duties: provide preventative dental care including cleaning teeth, and information on good oral health to patients.
Numbers by 2020: over 68,000 jobs added for a total of more than 250,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 38% growth
Median Wage: $68,000
#6 Audiologists
Duties: diagnose and treat the hearing and balance problems of patients
Numbers by 2020: almost 5,000 jobs added for a total of about 13,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 37% growth
Median Wage: $67,000
#7 Sonographers
Duties: use special sound wave imaging equipment to diagnose medical conditions in patients
Numbers by 2020: just over 23,000 jobs added for a total of 77,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 45% growth
Median Wage: $65,000
#8 Marketing Researchers
Duties: analyze demographic and market conditions in special areas to determine the potential sales of product or service
Numbers by 2020: almost 117,000 jobs to be added for a total of about 400,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 41% growth
Median Wage: $61,000
#9 Cost Estimators
Duties: estimate required time, money, resources, and labor based on their data analyses for manufacturing products or construction projects or even particular services.
Numbers by 2020: about 67,000 jobs added for total of 253,000 jobs
Percentage Change: just more than 35% growth
Median Wage: almost $58,000
#10 Occupational Therapy Assistants
Duties: assist occupational therapists in improving the skills of patients with disabilities or physical limitations due to injury or illness needed for daily life and working at a job
Numbers by 2020: just over 12,000 jobs added for a total of 41,000 jobs
Percentage Change: 43% growth
Median Wage: $51,000
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