10 High-Paying Careers You Don’t Need A Bachelor’s Degree To Get

Making money is a full time job these days, but that doesn’t mean you need to go to college for four years in order to do that job. While it certainly pays to at least get a Bachelor’s degree when you want to get a good paying and solid job, there are a couple of professions that simply require you be able to do the job and those requirements don’t include needing to have a particular piece of paper. If you’ve ever wanted to get a really good paying job and you wanted to do it without first going to school and taking classes that have nothing to do with the job then you need to check out this list. Check out our list of 10 high-paying careers you don’t need a bachelor’s degree to get and let us know if you’ve rethought your career choice.

First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting & Prevention Workers

This position is one that oversees the scene when there is a fire, either in the city or in the forest. They make sure the firefighters are being safe and make sure wildlife has gotten out of the way. While the average pay is about $70,000 there are some parts of the country where people can make as much as $163,000 per year. You only need an associates degree before getting the on the job training.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

This is a highly specialized position but it only needs an associates degree in order to get the job. This person tends to make about $72,100 a year and is usually the person who makes sure barium, which is used to highlight different parts of the body during certain tests, is mixed right.

Elevator Installer

Those who install and repair elevators don’t need a college education. In order to do this job you just need to want to make $78,000 and serve an apprenticeship.

Nuclear Power Reactors Operator

If you’ve ever wondered how in the world Homer Simpson could get his job, realize you don’t actually need a college degree to get it. This job helps to regulate the energy output and input of a nuclear reactor and can have some pretty serious consequences if not done right. This is why it pays an average of more than $82,000 per year.

Air Traffic Controller

Long hours and high stress mean you can earn more than $120,000 a year and you don’t need a college degree. The most education you need for this job is an associates degree and then a lot of training.

First-Line Supervisor of Police & Detectives

While that’s a fancy title, people generally know these positions as captains, lieutenants, and sergeants. You don’t need a Bachelor’s degree, but you will need plenty of on the job training and experience. The jobs pay an average of $79,500.

Private Detective

You don’t even technically need a high school diploma to be a private detective. You just need to have an ability to do the job and in some places, pass a kind of test. If you are indeed good at your job, you can average about $79,870.

Commercial Pilot

While you don’t need to get a bachelor’s degree to become a commercial pilot and earn an average of $75,000 a year, you will need a great deal of flight school and on the job training.

Dental Hygienist

While the dentist needs a medical degree, a dental hygeiniest just needs an associates degree, since they are basically the dental version of a nurse. They can perform some of your dental work, but not all. They generally make an average of $65,000 a year.

Transportation Inspector

A Transportation Inspector makes an average of $69,700 per year and only needs a high school diploma to get the job. There is a great deal of training that goes into the position, since your job is to make sure buses, taxis and airplanes are all up to code.