Not everyone has the time or the money to complete a college degree. If you don’t have a lot of time to get trained for a job, there are certain jobs that pay more per hour than others. Just because these are the highest paid jobs in terms of hourly wages doesn’t mean that you will make a lot of money though, since with some of these careers it is hard to find steady, year-round full-time employment.
The highest paid jobs that don’t require a college degree usually pay between $20 and $25 per hour. Some examples of jobs that fit within this category include power plant operator, telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, postal service workers, police officers, line repairers and installers, rail transportation workers, and brick masons and stone masons. Some training is required for most of these jobs, but the training periods range from just a few weeks to about a year.
If you are willing to make a bit less, the next highest paid jobs range from $14 to $20 per hour, with the same sort of training periods as those mentioned above. These include auto mechanics, welders, carpenters, firefighters, electricians, plumbers and pipe fitters, food service managers, carpet and tile setters, truck drivers, real estate agents, drywall installers, and executive secretaries and administrative assistants.
As you may have noticed, many of these highest paid jobs that don’t require a college degree involve a lot of manual labor. However, there are some options, such as postal service workers, food service managers, real estate agents, and executive secretaries and administrative assistants, that allow you to have less labor intensive jobs.
The list above should give you an idea of the best jobs for people that don’t have a college degree. If you don’t think any of the above careers are right for you, you might consider getting at least a two year degree since there are a lot more options with just this small amount of additional education. You can usually find programs that will allow you to work while you study and there is a good deal of financial aid available to help people finance their education.