High-Salary Jobs - No Degree, No Problem!

Are you debating on whether to take that student loan and go to college? You are rightly worried about the financial pressure that is going to result in for quite a few years, and looking at the current employment situation, it is natural to have second thoughts about college.
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Are you debating whether to take that student loan and go to college? You are rightly worried about the financial pressure that is going to result in for quite a few years, and looking at the current employment situation, it is natural to have second thoughts about college. Luckily there are a lot of lucrative jobs up for grabs for high school graduates too! If you are looking for other options, here is a list of highly paid jobs that won't require you to have a college degree to write your very own success story!

Small Business Owner

Not everybody works well under a boss. If you are one of those who aim to start a small business of their own, then the statistics show that the median annual wage brought in by a small business owner is nearly $51,470! You can finally follow your dreams that will lead you to success - open that cafe or that jewelry shop you always wanted to! You can easily start any small business that stems from your own creativity, and who needs a college degree for that! Many success quotes from such business owners show that they have greater job satisfaction than regular 9-to-5-ers. On the other hand you can also think about entering the wholesaling business, which showed some impressive numbers - a total of $454.4 billion - in the 2014 US Census Bureau Statistics.

Home Care Aide

This is another job for those who want to follow their passion on their road to success. If you are by nature helpful, kind and sympathetic, and want to get involved in helping people directly, consider becoming a home care aide. You don't need a degree to truly help people in need, like the old, the sick, the differently labeled, etc. Mostly such aides help out people in their own homes, and the job might include house cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. However, you might need a certificate from the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. The pay is quite decent - median annual salary for a home care aide is around $26,226. Also there is a possibility of 70% projected increase in home care jobs by 2020 with a projected salary of up to $32,283!

Heavy Truck Driver

Every company everywhere needs products physically transferred from place to place. There will never be a shortage of jobs for drivers, especially truck drivers. And all you need to know is to drive; nobody needs to see your four-year college degree behind the wheel! You have to have a decent driving record and a commercial driving license and you are pretty much set. With a median annual income of $38,412, driving trucks is one of the easiest roads leading to your success. Availability of these jobs is expected to increase by 21% by 2020, with a projected salary of $47,243 in 2020! Apart from driving the heavy trucks, you have to keep the transfer of goods properly documented, ensure safe transportation of the cargo, etc.

Carpenters

If you are not afraid of hard work and are a wizard with some wooden planks and a hammer, becoming a carpenter could be your success story. You can be smart and use the skills you already have to rake in as much as $44,778 a year, rather than waste 4 years in college and incur a huge debt because of your student loan! This job also has a 20% projected increase in availability and the projected 2020 salary is expected to be $55,072. Not only will you do what you are good at, thus ensuring better job satisfaction and better output, nobody will mind paying good money for well-made and durable woodwork. You may have to enroll in some technical school and get some experience first, and you do have to be a hard worker to become a success at this job.

Sales Representative

Can you talk people into doing anything you want - can you even sell ice to an Eskimo? Then why bother with the whole conventional college education - you won't be taught street smarts and people skills by a professor. Be smart and sell the talent you were born with - any company will grab a silver-tongued sales rep! This job provides a median annual salary of $75,666, which is expected to rise up to $93,059 by the year 2020! The numbers are pretty impressive you have to agree, plus the job availability is expected to increase by 16% in the next five years. Your job will be dependent on the number of sales you provide, making it a high-risk job - but if you are the adventurous kind with a penchant for a fast adrenaline-fueled life, this might be the key to your success story!

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