Thread: 10 high-paying jobs that don't require a degree

Originally Posted by doughboyshredder

Self employed does not equal a job.

But, yes you are right. I can't think of anything else I could do with my lack of schooling to make anywhere close to what I do. But, I work a hell of a lot more than 40 hours a week. (at least when there's work)

Yeah I guess I wasn't really paying attention. Construction foreman would fit in there then. Senior foreman make 40-60K, but like others have said...that ain't high pay, it's just isn't poverty.

High pay sure doesn't mean what it used to, that's for damn sure.

80K is the threshold for a somewhat high paying job. IMO.

Even then, its really all relative. I know people that make 30k a year but have a much higher expendable income than other people that make 90k a year. IMO a lot of people concentrate too much on income and not enough on keeping expenses low.

Originally Posted by doughboyshredder

Licensed Automatic Gate technician.

in a similar field - home security installation. economic downturn = more poor people = more crime = more people feeling unsecure = $$$ for security sales

i have a friend who has been killing it for the last 10 years and the economic downturn actually improved it for him. although with the recent massive layoffs at NASA this is sure to change.

2. Landscape Architect: $65, 910

Although in 49 states a landscape architect is required to have a license, you don't need to go to a four-year college to become one. Another lucrative option in this field involves freelance architecture. Either way, you get to drop mad knowledge about horticulture and exercise your artistic muscles while you get messy in the garden and make some good, hard cash.


BS. I'm a LICENSED Landscape Architect with 8 years of experience who has been unemployed for 22 months now. If you aren't licensed, it's illegal to call yourself a Landscape Architect. Just like Architect, you have to pass a set of exams, have a degree and years of professional experience. If you don't have a degree (5 years not 4) you have to have even more professional experience before you can even sit for the exams.

In this economy, good luck getting a job if you don't have a master's and all sorts of other certifications, experience and super powers. Oh, and after 8 years, and being employed by an international multi-disciplinary firm in Manhattan, I was making much less than 65K.

And for the record I was only in the NYC office for 5.5 months before getting laid of and did NOT miss a ski season. Spent the next six months studying the landscape of Alta.

UPS Delivery driver is one of the more well known ones. Around 70k/yr and very good benefits. Expect some fierce competition just to get your foot in the door for the entry level part time graveyard shift package handler job and work toward seniority to move into a full time or driver position. Seniority time in big cities is outrageous. I had an interview with them last week at the SLC hub and found out it was 3-4 years to go full time and 5-7 years to become a driver. No thanks!

Originally Posted by MrDirt

UPS Delivery driver is one of the more well known ones. Around 70k/yr and very good benefits. Expect some fierce competition just to get your foot in the door for the entry level part time graveyard shift package handler job and work toward seniority to move into a full time or driver position. Seniority time in big cities is outrageous. I had an interview with them last week at the SLC hub and found out it was 3-4 years to go full time and 5-7 years to become a driver. No thanks!

Father in law retired from this job...dont know when he started driving but it started with a regular daily route and he then started driving the big rigs for them...night shift in NYC area. Great pay, GREAT bennies, Pension, etc....

good job if you can get it.

Originally Posted by MrDirt

UPS Delivery driver is one of the more well known ones. Around 70k/yr and very good benefits. Expect some fierce competition just to get your foot in the door for the entry level part time graveyard shift package handler job and work toward seniority to move into a full time or driver position. Seniority time in big cities is outrageous. I had an interview with them last week at the SLC hub and found out it was 3-4 years to go full time and 5-7 years to become a driver. No thanks!

I was wondering how well those UPS drivers do. A week ago the UPS guy was dropping off some Dukes I had ordered and referred to me by my high school nick name. I didn't recognize him at first but he was an acquittance from my home town and was now working for UPS in South Boston... not sure if he has a consistent route or what though. He is around my age (26) and has a 4 year degree from decent school... but south boston is a fairly unionized/good ol' boy area so he probably has a ways to go before he gets a good consistent route.

I also recall a kid who briefly lived in my home town after moving from Montana had parents who both worked for UPS. They lived in a basically brand new massive house... I think they were in desk job positions, but started at the bottom and worked their way up.

One of my ultra-rich customers worked their way up from part time warehouse guy at ups when he was in his teens to one of their international VP's. From poverty in NY city to seriously loaded. Only took about 30 years of very hard work.

UPS is definitely one of the best companies to work for, but you have to be very committed to them to make it. Their average employee retention is 16 years! I only wanted the job as a means to and end to pay my way through flight school, but for the time it would take to get a driver job in SLC it isn't worth it to me. A few things I learned for those interested in the unionized package handler and driver jobs:

- Seniority is based only on time spent with the company and has nothing to do with your quality of work
- Seniority does not transfer from one hub to another. If you spend a few years at one center and want to move somewhere else, you have to work your way up from the bottom.
- You can move from unionized jobs to the non-unionized professional jobs fairly quickly, but you can never move back.
- For the package handler job, they wanted a 1yr contract. If you quit before 1yr without some extreme circumstances, you would be blacklisted by UPS and any company they are affiliated with.

For comparison's sake, here's the 10 most dangerous jobs, according to CNN:


http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/...obs/index.html

An old highschool buddy who dropped pout of uni after the 1st yr to be a lumber broker is now a millionare and retired at 50, it doesnt require a degree just the ability to talk on the phone and make the deal

my older kid is in a GOOD trade winding electric motors ,he is just finishing up his last 2 month session of school,the company paid for the school but didnt pay him during school , at this point he makes as much as his younger brother who just finished a 5 yr degree in mech engineering

he will be at 36$ an hr and all the OT he can handle by age 25

I am betting tradesman sons lifetime earning will be higher than the professional son who did the 5yrs of uni for free but didn't make any money during those yrs

but he is pretty beat when he comes home and doesnt want to do much

Originally Posted by raymonster

2. Landscape Architect: $65, 910

Although in 49 states a landscape architect is required to have a license, you don't need to go to a four-year college to become one. Another lucrative option in this field involves freelance architecture. Either way, you get to drop mad knowledge about horticulture and exercise your artistic muscles while you get messy in the garden and make some good, hard cash.


BS. I'm a LICENSED Landscape Architect with 8 years of experience who has been unemployed for 22 months now. If you aren't licensed, it's illegal to call yourself a Landscape Architect. Just like Architect, you have to pass a set of exams, have a degree and years of professional experience. If you don't have a degree (5 years not 4) you have to have even more professional experience before you can even sit for the exams.

In this economy, good luck getting a job if you don't have a master's and all sorts of other certifications, experience and super powers. Oh, and after 8 years, and being employed by an international multi-disciplinary firm in Manhattan, I was making much less than 65K.

And for the record I was only in the NYC office for 5.5 months before getting laid of and did NOT miss a ski season. Spent the next six months studying the landscape of Alta.

I was waiting for someone to chime in on this.

Landscape Architects have a 'Practice' and 'Title Act' in most states. That means you can't call yourself an LA by law until you've passed the LARE. In CO, it's a 4 or 5 year degree from an accredited university plus three years working under a licensed LA before you can sit for the exam, which has been said to have a lower passing rate than the BAR FWIW.

And it requires knowledge of a lot more than plants.

Originally Posted by doughboyshredder

Even then, its really all relative. I know people that make 30k a year but have a much higher expendable income than other people that make 90k a year. IMO a lot of people concentrate too much on income and not enough on keeping expenses low.

Agreed. Relative income is a much more useful figure to understand than absolute income. I know lots of guys making $150k a year living paycheck to paycheck.

Originally Posted by JoeStrummer

Agreed. Relative income is a much more useful figure to understand than absolute income. I know lots of guys making $150k a year living paycheck to paycheck.

Agreed. At 100K a year, that was my story. I also met a lumber broker and was floored when he told me what he made.

Agreed ,its not how much you made its how much you didnt spend

yes they CAN make huge coin with zero education ,the lumber broker business is 2 phones and a rolodex

1. Nuclear Power Reactor Operator: $79,100



2. Landscape Architect: $65, 910



3. Director of Security: $62,400



4. Air Traffic Controller : $60,200



5. Elevator Mechanic: $61, 500



6. Private Detective or Investigator: $50,600



7. Freelance Photographer: $47,800



8. Fishing Supervisor: $43,720



9. Personal Trainer: $37,500




10. Bus Driver: $35, 990

Originally Posted by commonlaw

...

Not bad at all. Only substitution I'd go with:

8. Fishing Supervisor: $43,720

Originally Posted by Stikki

Not bad at all. Only substitution I'd go with:

8. Fishing Supervisor: $43,720

I tend to agree but when I found a picture of the Reading Rainbow guy with his shades on in an admiral's uniform barking orders at an alien, I just couldn't turn it down.

Originally Posted by MrDirt

UPS is definitely one of the best companies to work for, but you have to be very committed to them to make it. Their average employee retention is 16 years! I only wanted the job as a means to and end to pay my way through flight school, but for the time it would take to get a driver job in SLC it isn't worth it to me. A few things I learned for those interested in the unionized package handler and driver jobs:

- Seniority is based only on time spent with the company and has nothing to do with your quality of work
- Seniority does not transfer from one hub to another. If you spend a few years at one center and want to move somewhere else, you have to work your way up from the bottom.
- You can move from unionized jobs to the non-unionized professional jobs fairly quickly, but you can never move back.
- For the package handler job, they wanted a 1yr contract. If you quit before 1yr without some extreme circumstances, you would be blacklisted by UPS and any company they are affiliated with.

The transfer of seniority isn't quite black and white. If moving to a different locale, package handlers on the inside of the company may have to take a less desirable job if the same job isn't available at the new location. However, as soon as the old, more desirable job is posted and available, the person with the most seniority gets it no matter how long he/she has been in that particular location.

Company employees are allowed to move from management (non-unionized) to unionized if going from part-time to full-time work.

The one year contract thing is local or regional and not nationwide.

Package drivers can make over $70k per year, but that includes overtime and busting serious ass on a daily basis.