The Best Jobs That Don't Require A Bachelor's Degree
Jenna Goudreau, Forbes Staff
A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute
found that while low-skill jobs are
on the decline, by 2020 employers around the globe will need an estimated 45
million more mid-level workers who have a high school education and vocational
training. Meanwhile, a highly cited study by the Harvard Graduate School
of Education last year concluded that in the U.S.
“we place far too much
emphasis on a single pathway to success: attending and graduating from a
four-year college.” According to the report, 30% of the 47 million new jobs
expected to be created in the U.S. by 2018 will only require an associate’s
degree or a certificate.
With college costs rising—the average
student debt burden now at $23,300 and 10% of students owing more than
$54,000—it may be time to consider the alternatives. According to Dale
Stephens, an educational futurist and author of upcoming book Hacking Your Education, “More and more people are asking themselves, Is
going to college the most effective way to spend $100,000 and four years of my
life? Instead of choosing between law school and med school, they are making a
third choice and walking out.”
As it turns out, you don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree to
achieve good pay and job security. In the fourth edition of 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree due out
this fall, researcher Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., pinpointed jobs that require an
associate’s degree or less and offer high earnings, thousands of annual job
openings and strong projected growth, using the latest data available from the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Those that ranked in the top 20 were
concentrated in health care, construction and skilled labor, and sales.
At the top
of the list, the No. 1 best job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s is registered
nursing. The field is expected to grow at a faster-than-average rate of 26% and
features over 120,000 annual openings. Registered nurses earn a median of
$65,950 working in hospitals, doctor’s offices, home healthcare services and
nursing care facilities. While workers may choose to pursue a bachelor’s of
nursing, only an associate’s degree and passing a national licensing exam is
required.
The BLS predicts health-care services will experience some of the
fastest growth through 2020, and many of these jobs offer good pay and require
only an associate’s degree. Dental hygienists (No. 2) earn a median of $69,280;
radiologic technologists and technicians (No. 4) earn $55,120; diagnostic
medical sonographers (No. 8) earn $65,210; respiratory therapists (No. 9) earn
$55,250; and physical therapist assistants (No. 13) earn $51,040.
“A four-year degree is more expensive now than ever before, so
these careers avoid the full expense and allow you to start earning sooner,”
says Shatkin. He further advises that those who opt for a two-year degree
program find one that a four-year college will recognize and transfer those
credits, providing the option to more easily move into a four-year program down
the line.
Many of the jobs on the list, particularly in construction and
skilled labor, call for only a high school degree or its equivalent and
on-the-job or vocational training. At No. 3, supervisors of construction and
extraction workers earn a median of $59,150 and are expected to grow by
23.5%. Similarly, electricians (No. 5), plumbers, pipefitters and
steamfitters (No. 6), and brickmasons and blockmasons (No. 14) earn over
$45,000 a year and typically learn through a formal apprenticeship.
“By choosing a career that you can learn through on-the-job
training, you can earn while you learn,” says Shatkin. “Apprenticeships are
especially valuable because at the end of your training period you have a
credential that you can take anywhere, just like a college degree.”
Sales positions also generally require no more than a high school
diploma, depending on how technical the product is. Wholesale and manufacturing
sales representatives (No. 11), excluding technical and scientific products,
earn a median of $53,540 and have over 55,000 annual openings. Insurance sales
agents (No. 12) are also in demand and growing at a rapid pace of 21.9%. These
sales reps often plug into a company’s year-long formal training program and
shadow more experienced workers. Because it’s a commission-based field,
earnings potential is high and increases with experience.
Shatkin’s full list of the 300 best jobs that don’t require a
four-year degree also includes several office administrative roles and service
jobs, like massage therapists, lodging managers and landscapers. As we move
into a more knowledge-based and service economy, these occupations are
increasingly in demand.
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