College isn’t for everyone. There, we said it. While there is nothing wrong with going to school for six to eight years, some people prefer to work with their hands and be out in the field. Good news for these folks: there are plenty of high-paying jobs that don’t require a degree.
Today’s Social Cindy blog shares a few trades that can put you in the same success category as your friends with advanced college degrees.
Entrepreneurship Is One Benefit Of Learning A Trade
Before we get into the different types of jobs you might consider, something to keep in mind is that learning a trade puts you on track to be an entrepreneur. There are plenty of plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians out there working for themselves.
Before you set out on your own though, make sure that you have terms and conditions written out clearly. You could use the tool that creates PDFs that allow you and your clients to e-sign securely, and you can save digital records for reference if there’s ever a problem. When you’re ready to start a business, Social Cindy has you covered with a website that keeps you at the forefront of the search engines and converts clicks to customers.
What Are The Highest-Paying Skilled Labor Jobs?
Although your idea of a well-paying job might be different from someone else’s, a few positions that pay $50,000 or more include:
- Sheet metal worker. With a high school diploma and an apprenticeship, you can work in the construction or manufacturing industries as a sheet metal worker. It’s a physically demanding position, but it’s one with plenty of employment opportunities.
- Plumber. A plumber must also undergo an apprenticeship, and you can expect a salary of around $56,300 each year. The biggest drawback of being a plumber is that you’ll likely have to work nights and weekends since plumbing issues don’t follow a clock.
- Elevator installer. An elevator installer makes upwards of $100,000 per year with little more than a high school diploma. You can’t be claustrophobic or afraid of heights, and you have to be on call 24/7.
- Aircraft mechanic. With job demand expected to rise 6% per year on a salary of $77,700, an aircraft mechanic is a great career choice that also allows you to keep people safe in the air.
- Software developer. If you like to work with your hands but prefer an air-conditioned office, Career Foundry asserts that becoming a software development engineer is a great option. You’ll need certain skills, such as HTML, JavaScript, and HTTP, but climbing this career ladder means that you can easily earn $100,000 per year or more.
The Progression Of A Profession
Just because you’re not going to college doesn’t mean that you won’t require some type of training or certification. While each job listed here (and others) will be different, you can typically expect the following:
- Undergoing a training or certification program/boot camp.
- Completing your apprenticeship.
- Taking an aptitude test.
- Getting licensed.
- Gaining some experience.
Once you have done all of these, you may be ready to start your own company, which is one of the only ways to take control of your financial future.
As a whole, we’ve gotten fixated on the idea that you have to go to school to be successful. This simply isn’t true, and there are many examples of self-taught success stories, including Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Larry Ellison. This doesn’t mean that going to college is bad, just that we should all be more open to engaging in a trade instead of a classroom education. In doing so, you may just open yourself up to a six-figure salary and entrepreneurship opportunities that help you take your financial fate into your own hands.
