Best-Paying Jobs You Can Get With A High School Degree

24/7 Wall St:

Going to college used to be a nearly sure way of getting a steady job. But as many recent graduates will attest, this is no longer the case. However, there are hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs that don’t require a degree. 24/7 Wall St. has identified the ten highest-paying jobs that only require a high school education.

Read the whole story: 24/7 Wall St

Comments

[dgtrust]

12:40 PM on 09/05/2011

I was totally surprised by the fact that HP’s right hand has no clue what HP’s left hand is up to.

HP simalteneously published two articles regarding airline pilot’s job.

In article ‘Best-Paying Jobs You Can Get With A High School Degree‘ posted in Business section, HP rates commercial airline pilot as job #1 in earnings, benefits and demand with “median income of more than $100,000” (somehow forgetting to mention that you need hundreds of training hours and certifications amounting to close to $80K).

Same time HP posted another article ‘San Francisco Pilots Sometimes Earn Less Than Window Washers’ in Travel section. This article compares hourly wages as follows: Alaska & Horizon Airlines pilot - 29.00; Delta Connection / United Express pilot - 22.00; US Airways Express pilot - 20.50 – that’s amounts to $3,526/month or 42,312/year at 40 hrs work week.

On another hand, SFO airport windows washer - 26.75 – that’s amounts to $4,601/month or 55,212/year at 40 hrs work week; Golden Gate Bridge toll collector - 23.81.

[Gestas]

11:24 AM on 08/16/2011

Want to be a Pilot...Get ready to work 100 hrs a week and close your eyes to any kind of protection.

[Sunny California]

05:21 PM on 08/15/2011

Ha! Funny Article. I bet if you were to apply to anyone of these jobs without a college degree, your resume wouldn't even be looked at.

[Adam Story]

03:22 PM on 08/15/2011

Most of the jobs on that list were jobs that did not require a degree 15-20 years ago, but do now. I'm the only Construction Manager for our company that has a degree, but all of the other managers had 5 years in trade school and 10-15 years experience.

[Preshie]

03:05 PM on 08/15/2011

Ridiculous article. To be a professional pilot, you need a 4-year degree. If they got that much wrong, I can imagine there are plenty of other errors, as well.

[FreeSpeech4All]

03:45 PM on 08/15/2011

They erred on how much pilots make as well--about 20K to start, not over 100K as they claim. They also neglect to mention the thousands of hours of training necessary to become a pilot, as though that doesn't count as education. Dumb article all around.

[Preshie]

04:49 PM on 08/18/2011

Agree. A little investigation would have helped. The crux of the article was about jobs without a degree... so it is egregiously wrong.

[Carroll27]

01:52 PM on 08/15/2011

I have a law degree and I make less than many of these.

[Bronxdude]

01:25 PM on 08/15/2011

Republican member of Congress?

[hungrypilot]

01:56 PM on 08/15/2011

Zing

[Adam Story]

03:04 PM on 08/15/2011

Or the Governor of Wisconsin.

[losingitbigtime]

01:18 PM on 08/15/2011

This article is way way off about airline pilots. First, the cost for non-military training equals or exceeds that of a four year education. If you get training through the military, you are usually an officer which means four year degree. According to the DOL, the average major airline salary in the US is $70,000. The ones that pull six figures have decades of experience and those coming up through the ranks today will never make that much.

The article mentions that the route for non-college grads is the regional airlines, but does not mention that they make an average of $33,000. I'm not a pilot or employed in aviation, but I have respect for the level of dedication of those that do that thankless job.

[jmorgan1981]

01:18 PM on 08/15/2011

Funny, reading the article almost every position says that many are Starting to require a Bachelors degree, or that a Bachelors degree is preferred. Having worked on highering committees, if a Bachelors is request or preferred, if you don't have one, you get filtered out immediately, especially when you are vetting large number of prospects.

Article is doing people a dis-service by saying you don't need a Degree.

[The Albany Kid]

12:24 PM on 08/15/2011

I apologize if someone has already said it, but shouldn't that be high school *diploma*, and not high school *degree*?

[FreeSpeech4All]

03:46 PM on 08/15/2011

HuffPo writers don't get paid. You get what you pay for.

[Lili Krsna Krsna]

12:04 PM on 08/15/2011

All you need is determination and passion to succeed no matter what.

[SPalin]

01:13 PM on 08/15/2011

How naive of you.

[Lili Krsna Krsna]

03:41 AM on 08/16/2011

thank you, SPalin, my late great grandfather, was an illiterate migrant worker in africa, he became one of wealthiest men in the country. Oh, I must mention he was a very God conscious man.................i think the reason for his success. Thank you.

[Muno]

12:01 PM on 08/15/2011

What disturbs me is a subliminal anti-college, anti-intellectual approach to issues of education in the general American public and forums such as Huffington Post. Perhaps we are in trouble because as a society we have become extremely suspicious of intellectuals and do not see their need at all. We would rather spend money on watching some guy throwing a ball than a university professor impart knowledge on young minds. .Granted they can be sometimes part of the problem, however, when Lady Gaga tops public intellectuals in popularity that is worrying. Judge Judy' earns hundred times more than Supreme Court Justices and sports people earn more than scientists that is worrying.

[jmorgan1981]

01:22 PM on 08/15/2011

Big money in entertainment, not so much for everything else. It is the brainiacs that design bridges, design infrastructure... and of course they don't all need degrees, but they do need a high level of training in the field. Much like Electricians, Plumbers, etc, you learn through direct experience as Apprentice, Journey Men, etc, but at each level, you do have to test to prove your knowledge and get certified.

[Muno]

01:31 PM on 08/15/2011

I thought to be an architect and design bridges, etc takes a lot of training?

[Mister Grumpy]

11:08 AM on 08/15/2011

How many people do you know with a Masters degree that snakes toilets for a living?..........

[hungrypilot]

01:58 PM on 08/15/2011

I know people with Doctorates who wait tables.

[Whatever1234]

10:25 AM on 08/15/2011

Degrees are worth it I you plan on being a CEO or doctor or something like that. I know people that have bachelors and masters degrees and they don't even work in a field that they studied for, they work jobs that you can get with a hs diploma. Then there are some that go to college and can't find a job when they get out so they go to trade school instead. For something like being a registered nurse for example, you don't need a degree.

[twanger]

10:44 AM on 08/15/2011

Degrees are also worth it if you want to understand more about the world you live in. Most colleges and universities require students to take a core set of general courses that provide exposure to a range of topics like physical and life sciences, social sciences, political science, history, math, literature and the arts, geography, etc.

When a college education becomes increasingly unaffordable, it impoverishes our society, and makes it easier for the upper class to manipulate the populace.

[KarmaIsAbeatch]

11:22 AM on 08/15/2011

I don't have a degree but I speak 3 languages fluently and have been to 70 countries and lived and worked in 5 of them. (not military either).

Traveling and working abroad is an education in itself. PRICELESS

[Grandma Koolfinger]

12:11 PM on 08/15/2011

You can understand the world you live in simply by being aware and living it. You can also expose yourself, for free, to the subjects you mention. Unless you are going to use college as a means to get a job, it's pretty much a waste of time and money, except for the sex, beer, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

[silverstreet]

11:38 AM on 08/15/2011

You need at least an associates degree to be a nurse -- and the best nursing jobs go to nurses with bachelor degrees and master's degrees.

[Bubba10]

10:19 AM on 08/15/2011

Apparently, our Presidency is one of these jobs. Rick Perry (also known as "D Student") wants to control your future. Teachers give Ds when you should fail, but they don't want you back next year.

[Grandma Koolfinger]

12:09 PM on 08/15/2011

Einstein failed 12th grade physics, Einstein.

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

12:45 PM on 08/15/2011

That is a myth.