5 high-pay, in-demand careers that don’t need a college degree

Looking for good job, but not ready to spend four years getting a college degree? There are plenty of careers that offer great job prospects, good pay, and a chance for advancement—and that you can train for in two years or less. Here are five of those options to explore.

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

If you like working with equipment and troubleshooting errors, this might be the career for you. Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Wind turbine service technicians perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions. You can get qualified for these positions with a high school degree and a two-year certificate. And while there aren’t a lot of jobs in this field currently –only about 11,000 nationwide—openings are expected to grow by 45 percent over the next decade, and the median annual salary in 2022 was more than $57,000.

Massage Therapists

If you like working with people and are interested in how the human body works, massage therapy is a great career to consider. Massage therapists perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans. Job openings are expected to increase in the coming years, and most people begin in the field with a high-school degree and a two-year certificate. The median annual salary in 2022 was about $50,000.

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers

Also known as CAD CAM Programmers (Computer-Aided Design Computer-Aided Manufacturing Programmer), these IT professionals develop programs to control the machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment. The occupation is expected to grow much faster than average in the coming years, and the annual median salary in 2022 was $61,000. Most people who enter this field have a high school diploma and a two-year certificate and/or up to a year of on-the-job training.

Medical Assistants

With more than 100,000 new medical assistant jobs expected to be created over he next decade, this field is a good bet for finding employment. Medical assistants perform administrative and some clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician. The jobs usually require a high-school diploma and a two-year certificate and the medial annal salary in 2022 was $38,200—and with the work experience and training you gain from being a medical assistant, you can often move to higher-paying healthcare jobs.

Medical Records Specialists

Another healthcare career expected to have many job openings, this job might be for you if you prefer to work at a computer rather than directly with clients. Medical records specialist compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. The average median salary in 2022 was $47,200 and most people starting in the field have a high-school diploma and a two-year certificate

Want to explore more careers?

Check out CareerOneStop’s Career Reports such as Fastest-Growing Careers or Highest-Paying Careers.

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