If you’re in the job market, you may already have a strong sense of what you’d like to do next. If you want to stay in your current line of work, then it’s fairly straightforward what kinds of job postings to look for, potential employers and trends in the market. But what if you don’t know what you want do? And what if you don’t have a college degree? Although more and more opportunities require a university education in the United States, there are great jobs that don’t require a college degree.
Here are some jobs that don’t require a college degree that you should consider:
High flying. While not for those of the faint of heart, or unwilling to put in a lot of training time, some commercial pilots do not require a job degree. Many major airlines do require a bachelor’s degree, but you can fly anything from charter flights to crop dusters, without a college degree.
You’ll need to get a private pilot license first, and then a commercial license. Expect to train anywhere from 50 to 70 hours for the private license, and another 250 for the commercial license.
Landing pads. An interesting option for those who don’t like desk jobs is a real estate agent. Each state will have slightly different rules for how to go about getting a license, but once you have it you could choose to focus on residential properties or commercial properties.
Unless you live in a city with extensive public transportation, you’ll need a car. And, this is definitely a job for someone who is a people person, and persistent.
Make a claim. One of the jobs that don’t require a college degree that you may have already come into contact with as a consumer is a claims adjuster. If you’ve ever had to file a claim with your insurance for example, to get your roof repaired after a storm, then you know what a claims adjuster do.
It’s another job that could give you the opportunity to get out of the office if you’re responsible for visiting customers filing claims. You might need a thick skin, though – everyone you meet will be looking for money to help them get things fixed.
Pipe up. One of the most well known jobs that don’t require a college degree is plumbing. Many plumbers work for themselves, so if you like the idea of being your own boss, this could be a great option.
You can control your own hours, but you might need to also be amenable to an exploding toilet emergency call at two in the morning. Obviously, you’ll need to be ok with manual work, and tolerant of unpleasant conditions from time to time.
There are more jobs that don’t require a college degree than you might think.
These are just a handful of the jobs available to those who don’t have a university education. Construction workers, computer support technicians, medical assistants and dozens of other jobs also are out there. So if you’re looking for a new career, don’t think that a high school diploma isn’t enough. Actually, less than half of America — about 40% — have a college degree. There’s something out there for you.
