10 Growing Jobs That Pay Well and Don’t Need a 4-Year Degree
Emily Rolen
November 13, 2023
If you’re thinking about starting a new career, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics can help you understand the demand for different occupations, what kind of education or training you’ll need and how much they may pay.
For example, our data show that – as a group – occupations typically requiring a bachelor’s degree or graduate degree are expected to grow faster than the average of 2.8% projected for the total economy from 2022-32. And the median pay for occupations requiring a bachelor’s ($81,570), master’s ($80,180), or doctoral or professional degree ($114,020) is much higher median for all occupations – $46,310 in 2022.
However, plenty of opportunities exist for workers without a bachelor’s degree. In 2022, about 7 out of 10 jobs were in occupations that don’t require a 4-year degree for entry. Here’s a closer look at 10 that don’t need a bachelor’s, are expected to grow considerably faster than average and that pay above the median. For example, wind turbine service technicians are projected to grow faster than any other occupation from 2022-32 (44.9%) and earned above-average wages of $57,320 in 2022.
Three occupations in the list – industrial machinery mechanics, forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists, and hearing aid specialists – do not require any postsecondary education for entry. However, they all require on-the-job training.
Of note: More than half of the occupations featured are related to healthcare, a field that is expected to experience strong demand through the 2022-32 decade. Take diagnostic medical sonographers: this occupation is expected to grow five times faster than the rate for all occupations, and median wages were more than $80,000 in 2022.
