TOP 5 CAREERS YOU CAN MAKE OVER 50Ks/YEAR WITHOUT A COLLEGE DEGREE.

Hello friends, welcome back to my blog. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. As always, we are going to tackle some of the toughest finance question out there today. Not so long ago, a friend asked me: “Hey Quan, I am trying to make more money but don’t want to go back to school. What do you think I should do?” Let’s call him Jack. He is 32 y.o, graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising and has been working in the clothing retail setting in the Boston area for about TWELVE years. Jack isn’t happy. He wants to advance himself to a actual career where it can both be challenging and rewarding. It is common to see people who want to challenge themselves in another location or position after spending a long amount of time in one place. As the matter of fact, it is recommended to change job every three to four years. Going back to school is not an option for a lot of people because not everyone has the financial stability and  the support system they need. Let’s explore 5 career options that possibly spark Jack’s interest, that doesn’t require a college degree. 

Related: FINANCIAL ADVICES FOR PEOPLE IN THEIRS 20s FROM A 32 y.o

1) Transportation, storage and distribution managers

• Average hourly wage: $48.43
• Average annual wage: $100,740
• Work experience: I looked at the first three job application on Indeed and what they require are: 
  • Warehouse Management: 3 years (Required)
  • Or: Transportation Management: 3 years (Required)
  • Or: Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships and to communicate policies and procedures to employees, strong Comprehensive knowledge of warehouse operation functions and inventory practices organizing, planning, and multi-tasking skills required, comprehensive working knowledge of all Microsoft Office Products including MS Word, MS Outlook and advanced proficiency in Excel, ability to operate forklift
• Education required:
  • Bachelor’s degree (preferred.) from a four-year college or university and at least 5-10 year of applicable experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Or: Associate degree required. Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
  • Or: High school diploma or equivalent, Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Employment growth projection (2016-2026): +6.7%

2) Physical Therapist Assistant

• Average hourly wage: $27.77
• Average annual wage: $57,750
• Work Experience: All states require physical therapist assistants to hold current state licenses, meet continuing education requirements, and pass a national exam; employers may prefer candidates with previous experience as physical therapist aides
  • Relevant: 1 year (Preferred)
  • Or: A lot of jobs are in Nursing Home so any experiences from that is a plus.
• Education required: Associate degree from an accredited physical therapy program required.
• Growth Outlook (2018 – 2028): 54,200 new positions (22% job growth)

3) Respiratory Therapist

• Average hourly wage: $30.05
• Average annual wage: $62,500
• Work Experience:
  • Two years of HME/DME required
  • Respiratory Therapist: 1 year (Preferred)
  • Or: Two year hospital based respiratory care experience preferred.
  • Or: One year home care experience preferred
• Education Requirements: 
  • Associate Degree in Respiratory Therapy required; Bachelors degree preferred
  • Current Respiratory Therapist license in good standing in the State of employment
  • Current BLS
  • ACLS to be obtained within 6 months of hire
• Growth Outlook (2018 – 2028): 27,900 new positions (21% job growth)

4) Dental Hygienist

• Average hourly wage: $30.30
• Average annual wage: $75,500
• Work Experience:
  • At Least Dental Hygienist: 1 year (Preferred)
• Education Requirements:
  •  Associate degree from an accredited program (usually three years) required
  • Some only need High school or equivalent (Preferred) but Dental Hygienist License is stilled preferred.
• Growth Outlook (2018 – 2028): 23,700 new positions (11% job growth)

5) Web Developer

• Average hourly wage: $30.34
• Average annual wage: $75,580
• Work Experience:
  • The first company I looked at require a lot: 
    • 3-5+ years of enterprise class software development.
    • Mid to high level experience using CA PLEX development tool is required.
    • 3-5+ years of experience in Visual Studio using ASP.NET, C#, and .NET Framework.
    • 2-3+ years of experience in SQL Server 2005 and/or above with a strong understanding of the following: Normalization, Stored Procedures, Functions, Views, Security
    • Experience with XAML application language.
    • Experience with MVC methodology.
    • Solid understanding of XML, HTML, SOAP, and REST.
    • Solid understanding of Windows Server OS platforms.
  • Second company only need: Web development: 1 year (Preferred)
• Education Requirements:
  • No formal education credentials required for self-employed developers; most employers prefer candidates with associate degrees, and some specialized positions require bachelor’s degrees
  • Or: CA Plex: 3 years (Preferred)
  • Or: Bachelor’s (Preferred)
• Growth Outlook (2018 – 2028): 20,900 new positions (13% job growth)

Most of these data you can find at The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most of these job requires a license to practice, therefore it needs a little bit of schooling. I hope you guys find this helpful. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.