The Highest Paid Construction Jobs that Don't Require a Degree

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Rob Wells

Construction leads for highest paid

Between 2020 and 2030, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that about 60 percent of new jobs in the economy will be in occupations that don’t typically require an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree. (Source)

According to the Career Builder page on the BLS website, the highest paid sectors include construction and installation, maintenance and repair, transportation, and other.

One of the most common highly-paid job in the United States that doesn't require a degree is the first-line supervisors of construction trades. With over 626,000 workers of which 81% don't have a degree the median compensation is just over $66,000 per year.

However, the country's highest-paid job without a college degree is the nuclear power reactor operators, who earn a median of $100,530.

According to the one study, nearly half of the top-earning 25 non-degree jobs in the country are in the construction industry, including construction managers ($95k, only 58% have a degree), first-line supervisors ($66k, 81%), construction and building inspectors ($60k, 55%), crane and tower operators ($56k, 90%). The list goes on and on.

Lower cost + higher pay FTW!

A study from Georgetown University found that often a two-year degree or certification program will often yield higher pay than a four-year degree. Certificate holders in engineering can earn between $70,000 and $150,000, which certificate holders in construction range from $40,000 to $50,000. Compared to certificate holders in other fields, such as computer science, business management, accounting, healthcare, and education, construction surpasses them all.

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