Do you know how to make 100k a year without a college degree? This is a question that I received on my email from one of my readers.
She was contemplating on whether to go on with college education or take a different route in the quest to make ends meet.
Is a 100k a year good?
This is something that comes to my mind, but as I always say, there are questions that do not have a clear cut answer. Mostly it boils down to one’s personality and lifestyle.
Studying a 4-year college degree at a good institution now costs five times more than it did two decades ago.
Considering that many students use student loans to pay for their studies, this is a shocking revelation.
Currently, the federal student debt accumulated from outstanding loans is more than $1.6 trillion.
Upon completion of your graduation, there is no guarantee that you will get a job.
Many students take up courses and end up not finding work in line with what they studied. The job market is not able to handle the many graduates from colleges.
This has resulted in many of these students graduating but are unable to clear their debt, and when they default, the taxpayer has foot this bill.
There are analysts who argue that the large student debt default rate could lead to a financial crisis.
Most people have this misconception that 100k a year jobs are only available for those with college degrees.
Getting a job that pays you around $100, 000 every year does not require you to have an MBA.
In many cases, actually, this does not necessarily even need a bachelor’s or college degree.
Aside from the four and more years of college studying and many students in loan debt, there are many occupations that pay and reward their staff for skills gained out of class.
The secret lies in knowing where to find such job opportunities and how to get ready for them.
Also Read: Top 15 Highest Paying Retail Jobs
The kind of questions you ought to be asking yourself is, what jobs make a 100k a year? From here, you will be able to review the necessary requirements.
There are a lot of careers that don’t need a four-year college degree, and that can still earn you a good income. In these jobs, you will find the top 10 percent earn more than $100,000 a year.
One is able to succeed in these careers with a high-school diploma or GED plus training on the specific job though some might need you to have prior technical and vocational education.
Below is how to make 100k a year without a college degree. Several occupations have been outlined.
How to Make 100k a Year Without a College Degree
The list entails 100k a year jobs.
1. Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
90th Percentile: $127,370
Median Salary: $94,350
The level of education required for nuclear power reactor operators is vocational and on-the-job training
This is a job that is considered potentially dangerous, but it’s compensated accordingly. You’ll most likely require vocational training and later on-the-job training after passing an aptitude test to get to the required level.
2. Licensed Massage Therapist
90th Percentile: $141,000
Median Salary: $67,600
Licensed massage therapists work in spas, hotels, rehabilitation, or physical therapy centers, and others conduct their business by freely traveling to their clients.
There are more than 80 massage types that they can specialize in. They include deep-tissue massage, Swedish, reflexology, hot stone, acupressure, sports massage, among others.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates employment in this field will grow faster than average as more people discover the advantages of massage in releasing stress, easing aches and pains, and promoting wellness, particularly as our population gets older.
This is an amazing career for those who require a flexible schedule.
Therapists are mainly self-employed and plan their own hours.
Most jurisdictions need formal training for therapists, about 500 hours after an Associate’s Degree, before issuing a massage license.
3. Detectives and Criminal Investigators
90th Percentile: $138,860
Median Salary: $83,320
Education required is mostly a high school diploma and police academy training.
You need to have some education and experience for you to be a highly-paid detective.
You mostly begin as a patrol officer. You can, however, get into the police academy without having a bachelor’s degree or even an associate’s degree, and so you grow in the career to become a criminal investigator without a college degree.
Do you see ways of how to make a 100k a year without a college degree?
Let us proceed…..
4. Dental Hygienist
90th Percentile: $101,820
Median Salary : $74,820
The education required is an Associate degree from an accredited program (usually three years are required).
People who visit the dentist often are quite familiar with dental hygienists’ tasks. They include:
- Preparing patients for dental X-rays and operating the X-ray equipment
- Making use of specialized medical tools to clean teeth, which needs good hand-eye coordination
- Communicating with dentists as needed
- Educating and sensitizing patients about oral hygiene
With their median salary nearing $75,000, dental hygienists live an okay life.
The underlying issue is that a three-year associate degree is a key requirement to practice.
5. Air Traffic Controller
90th Percentile: $179,000
Median Salary: $87,300
This is one of the best paying jobs, and it requires only a GED to start.
Air traffic controllers are mandated to keep the skies safe for travel.
Normally, they operate in control towers at airports, ensuring that planes take off and land safe distances from each other.
This job requires utmost concentration always and can, therefore, be stressful.
There are regular breaks, however, to ensure the staffs remain energetic and alert at all times.
Since airports operate 24 hours a day, night and weekend shifts are needed.
To become a traffic controller, one must have experience, preferably in the military, or be a US citizen who is below 31 years of age.
The person needs to pass a course taught by the FAA. Those with experience are exempt from the age and FAA course requirements.
This career gives a classical example of how to make 100k a year without the need of a college degree.
6. Funeral Services Manager
90th percentile: $151,680
Median Salary: $93,090
The education requirements for funeral services manager is an Associate’s degree.
Many look down upon this career, but it is a good career. It is a very good way to earn a good living because many people shy away from the career. This field is in high demand as well.
If you have compassion and a great desire to help take care of people, but do not want to go into professions like nursing, then this is a good career for you.
7. Web Developer
90th Percentile: $124,480
Median Salary: $69,430
When it comes to education, there is no formal certification required for the self-employed developers.
Variable on-the-job training requirements, certifications in specific programming languages, and other specialties may help hiring and advancement prospects.
Being a web developer shows a good example of how to make a 100k a year online since based on your employer you can work from anywhere.
Many people are not aware that those aspiring to be Web developers do not require a four-year degree course.
Actually, about one in six Web developers who work for themselves need no formal education at all, though discerning clients prefer to work with a degree- or certificate-toting developers, and even pay a premium for them.
This is a good field where self-taught individuals can achieve success simply by creating a presence and pitching for clients.
If your dream is to work as a Web developer with a private or public employer; however, you’ll perhaps need an associate degree in computer science or graphic design.
You’ll also be required to present and demonstrate your development skills through rigorous pre-hire testing.
Web developer roles vary widely.
Front-end developers, for instance, work on the public websites used by people every day and are responsible for these websites’ general appearance, features, function, and maintenance.
Back-end developers, on the other hand, are in charge of websites’ technical architecture and are also good at troubleshooting and main updates.
You can see that this career provides you with a good example of how to make a 100k a year from home.
In conclusion, the list provided above is just meant to give you an idea of what jobs make a 100k a year that do not require a college degree.
There are a lot of jobs out there that pay quite handsomely, even without having a college degree.
In case you do not have a college degree, that does not mean it is the end for you when it comes to earning a good living.
You just need to have the relevant information and know where to look for the 100k a year jobs.
Is a 100k a year good for you? Definitely, it is not many people that are making such amounts. If you try and search the average income for Americans, you will understand what I am trying to put across.
I am happy that now you know how to make 100k a year without a college degree.