Four Six-figure Careers You Can Have Without a College Degree

Video court reporting

College isn’t for everyone. We hold the perception to have a stable career, you must spend four years (or more) in college to get that piece of paper that serves as a golden job ticket. However, according to U.S. Labor Department, only 23% of jobs in the United States require degrees at all. The Washington Post reported a study that said only 27% of college graduates end up working in the field their degree is in. With the cost of education constantly rising, the average college graduate walks away with over $30,000 in school loan debt, only to have trouble finding a job in their field anyway.

Meanwhile, there are several trades that do not require a college degree at all that are growing in demand, offer six-figure salaries and job stability. Here are a few jobs don’t require a degree that will make you more money than your communications major:

  1. Air Traffic Controllers
    An air traffic controller does not have to have a four year degree, but they do take continuing education classes and must regularly pass medical and written exams to get and maintain their certification.

    Although a career that is responsible for the well-being of thousands of air travelers every day may be too stressful for most, it is also a highly paid career. The average annual income for an air traffic controllers is $158,966.

  2. Fitting Models
    Clothing designers who are creating clothing for real people — not size extra zero supermodels — need real people to wear their clothing during fittings and in the showroom for potential fashion buyers. Since a good model provides feedback about the comfort and wearability of the clothing, some fitting models have degrees in the fashion design industry, but it’s not a requirement.

    The average rate of a fitting model is $750 a day. Models who have enough work to be full time make $188,000 a year.

  3. Court Reporters
    If you can type 225 words per minute with 97% accuracy, have excellent attention to detail, and a good command of the English language, you might find a great career in court reporting services. The annual income for court reporters in some areas is over $104,000.
    legal videography. Professionals in legal videography record depositions and create video presentations that help lawyers make their case in court. Legal videographers are usually self-employed, making their average annual salary hard to estimate, but the average hourly rate for legal videography services is $90 to $125 an hour.
  4. Airline Pilots

    Getting a pilot’s license and commercial certificate only requires 1500 hours of student flight time. Dedicated aviation students can accomplish this in a single year.

    While many commercial airlines require their pilots to have a four year degree before going through the aviation program, pilots who work for cargo or private corporations may not have this stipulation. The average annual salary of a pilot is $110,000; although many pilots make far more than that.

Does your line of work require a college degree? Do you know of any other non-degree career options that are high paying? Please provide your input in the comment section below. More information like this.