Jobs That Pay Well Without College Degree

10 Jobs That Pay Well Without College Degree

Were you told you need to go to a 4 years university in order to land a high paying career?

While there are lots of good reasons to go to college, you don’t need a bachelor’s degree to have access to jobs that pay well. In fact, rising tuitions costs has meant that college isn't an option for a lot of people unless they have generous parents, are willing to take on massive student loans, or have a coveted scholarship.

If you’re looking for a high paying job that doesn't require a college degree, check out these 10 potential career options:

01. Alaskan Crab Fisherman

Alaskan crab fishermen (Photo Credit — gillfoto)

Average salary:$27,000 for approx. 2 months of work.

Top 10% salary: $100,000+

Job description — As far as high paying jobs without college go, Alaskan crab fishing has to be near the top of the list. Once at the top of the list of most dangerous jobs, Alaskan crab fishing has gotten significantly safer in recent years, and more profitable as well. Thanks to new government regulations and quotas, this profession that saw an average of 7.3 fatalities per year in the 1990s experienced only 1 death in the past 6 years.

Alaskan Crab fisherman only work for around 4-8 weeks of the year during the king and snow crab seasons, but this can involve long shifts of 21 hours on average. It can also involve grueling, arduous physical work that includes:

Setting and retrieving crab pots

Sorting the catch and returning small catch into the ocean

Removing dead crabs from the tank

Cleaning and maintaining the deck of the ship

Experience and training: No formal experience required, though crab fisherman usually need to work a few seasons as a deckhand before becoming a fisherman who shares in the crew’s profits.

Additional qualifications: Alaskan crab fisherman need to be extremely physically fit to manipulate the heavy crab pots and perform physical labor for long shifts, often up to 21 hours. Mental toughness is also a must. 

02. Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $108,040

Top 10% salary: $165,660+

Job description — Air traffic controllers direct the movement of air traffic and help planes land and take off safely. They’re responsible for coordinating flight schedules, issuing take-off and landing instructions to pilots, authorizing flight path changes, offering weather updates, and co-ordinating with airport staff in cases of emergency. While the pay is significant, it can be a demanding, stressful position that requires strong mental acuity.

Experience and training: Air traffic controllers must complete an air traffic management degree from an FAA certified school, past the pre-employment test, and complete an FAA training course. Prospective air traffic controllers also need to be under 31 years old, unless they’ve had previous experience in the military.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): -800

03. Elevator Installers and Repairers

 Elevator repairers (Photo Credit — Billso PHOTO)

Average salary: $70,910

Top 10% salary: $101,390+

Job description — Elevator installers and repairers install, repair and maintain elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and even chairlifts. Installers generally follow standard procedures to install elevator and escalators, while repairers focus more on troubleshooting and preventative maintenance such as greasing and oiling parts, replacing old and worn parts, and running diagnostics on computerized systems.

Experience and training: Elevator installers and repairers need a high school diploma or a GED. The majority of their training is through a 4 year apprenticeship program, where apprentices must perform at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job training as well as 144 hours of technical instruction. In order to qualify for an apprenticeship, potential apprentices usually need to pass basic aptitude tests in math, reading, and mechanical skills.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): 2,300

04. Power Plant Operators Distributors and Dispatchers

 Power plant operators (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $65,360

Top 10% salary: $88,330+

Job description — Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers work in power plant facilities to ensure that they’re generating electricity and distributing it to the grid. Some of their duties include:

• Starting or stopping generators, turbines, and other equipment
• Controlling power-generating euipmqnet
• Monitor power flow by reading gauges and charts
• Regulating power flow
• Checking equipment and indicators and looking for signs of operating problems
• Experience and training: Power plant operators, dispatchers, and distributors need at least a High school diploma or GED. They also need to undergo long-term, rigorous on-the-job training and technical instruction. The training process can take several years before the worker is fully qualified. Once qualified, operators still need to take regular training courses to keep up to date on technical systems and procedures. They also need to pass the appropriate licensing exam, which depends on the type of power reactor they’re working on.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020):-1,100

05. Locomotive Engineer

Locomotive engineer (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $52,940

Top 10% salary: $79,340

Job description — Locomotive engineers drive trains. These might be electric, diesel-electric, gas-trubine-electric, or steam locomotives. They interpret train orders from headquarters, follow railroad regulations, and ensure that their train runs smoothly, safely, and on-time.

Experience and training: High school diploma or GED is required, though this depends on the rail company. Locomotive engineers generally need to start by working as a train conductor for a number of years. Locomotive engineers usually receive around 2-3 months of on-the-job training before they’re permitted to operate a train on their own. Railroad companies also provided additional training that allows engineers to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date. Depending on the type of train, locomotive engineers may also need to apply for additional licensing. All locomotive engineers must be certified by the Federal Railroad Administration (FAA).

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): 500

06. Real Estate Broker

 Real estate broker (Photo Credit — Jerad Hill Photographer)

Average salary: $54,910

Top 10% salary: $95,220+

Job description — Real estate brokers help clients sell, buy, and rent real estate. They manage every aspect of the sale, including marketing, determining market prices, advising clients on mortgages, prices, market conditions, handling negotiations, filing the right paperwork, and much more. In addition, they’re also licensed to manage their own brokerage firms, allowing them to hire sales agents to work for them.

Experience and training: Real estate brokers need a high school diploma or GED. They must also pass the licensing course/exam in their jurisdiction. To obtain the brokers license, most jurisdictions also require that potential brokers work for at least 1-3 years as real estate sales agents before applying for licensing.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): 52,500

07. Home Aides Supervisor

 Home health aide (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $63,400

Job description — Home aide supervisors manage home health aides and ensure that they’re delivering a high level of care for their patients. They’re also responsible for hiring and training new health aides and managing patient care.

Experience and training: No high school diploma necessary. Home aide supervisors usually start off working as home health aides themselves.

Additional qualifications: Home aide supervisors need to be good with people, compassionate, patient, and cheerful.

08. Casino Gaming Manager

 Casino (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $67,400

Job description — Casino gaming managers are responsible for co-ordinating the action on the gaming floor. This can include managing security operations, managing dealers, setting policies, resolving customer complaints, and ensuring that operations are running smoothly and profitably.

Experience and training: There are no formal education requirements, but some employers might want casino managers to have at least a 2 year associates degree. Specific requirements will depend on each casino operator and local state rules. All casino workers need to be licensed from a state regulatory board. Most managers start working as entry-level casino gaming workers, and need to be familiar with the ins-and-outs of casino operations before being promoted.

Additional qualifications: Communication skills are paramount. Casino managers need to have an outgoing personality and must have the patience to remain calm even when dealing with irate or demanding customers.

09. Ship Captain

 Ship captain (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $64,180

Top 10% salary: $99,690+

Job description — Ship captains command water vessels. This can range from small fishing boats, to tugboats or ferry boats, to private yachts, and even large cruise ships or military vessels. Ship captains must navigate their ship and manage crew members to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the ship.

Experience and training: Ship captains almost always start off as deck hands or officers before being promoted to captain. Deck hands often have at least a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation, where they learn about seamanship, navigation, and maritime business. Ship captains also undergo an apprenticeship under another ship captain, and must also obtain Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and Transportation Worker Identification Certification (TWIC) from the United States Coast Guard.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): 16,700

10. In-Flight Service Manager

Flight attendant (Photo Credit — Wikipedia)

Average salary: $72,200

Job description — The in-flight service manager is the flight attendant in charge of the cabin. They’re responsible for managing flight attendants and ensuring that customers receive a comfortable experience while in the air. They’re also responsible for ensuring that the cabin is safe for take off and landing.

Experience and training: High school diploma or GED is required. On the job training is provided by the airline. In-flight service managers are promoted from flight attendant.

Job prospects (New positions expected in 2010-2020): -200

25 Most Cruel Prisons In The World

While some prisons are actually quite nice with televisions, work out rooms, ping pong tables, and hearty servings of food, there are numerous prisons (primarily in underdeveloped nations) that are very rightfully called “hell on Earth”. Of course, there are those of you who will say, the prisoners should have thought twice before committing a crime. Fair enough, but remember…most of the worst prisons in the world are not in democratic, fair trial countries. If you scroll down to number 1 we can guarantee you that a disproportionate number of people in that place are there for simply trying to put food on the table. Get ready because these are the 25 most brutal prisons in the world.

25. Stanley Prison, Hong Kong

One of the six maximum security facilities in Hong Kong built in 1937, it was a popular place of execution before the Hong Kong government lifted capital punishment in 1990. Between 1946 and 1966, about 122 criminals were executed in the gallows of the prison. It also became part of the Stanley Internment Camp during the Japanese occupation, as a place of torture and execution where 600 prisoners were killed. Refugees from China who tried to cross the border were also imprisoned there making its population grow to 3,000, well over its limits. 

24. Attica Correctional Facility, New York 

Attica Correctional Facility, New York — Constructed in 1930, this maximum security/supermax has held a number of the most dangerous criminals in the world. However, it became infamous due to the Attica Prison riot on September 9, 1971 as the prisoners demanded better living conditions and political rights. An estimated 2,200 inmates rebelled and seized the prison taking its 33 staff as hostage. The four-day negotiations led to the deaths of 39 people including 10 guards and civilian employees.

23. Montelupich Prison, Poland 

Montelupich Prison, Cracow, Germany — One of the worst Nazi prisons in Poland, it was used by the Gestapo all throughout World War II to house political prisoners, victims of the Gestapo street raids, deserters, and British and Soviet spies. From 1940 to 1944, an estimated 50,000 prisoners had passed through the prison walls where ’medieval torture’ was employed as the principal interrogation method. After WW II, it became a Soviet prison where Polish soldiers from the Home Army were murdered and tortured by the NKVD.

22. Camp 1391, Northern Israel 

Camp 1391, Northern Israel — Camp 1391 is an Israel Defense Forces prison camp for “high-risk” prisoners in northern Israel, run by Unit 504 and less than an hour’s drive from Tel Aviv. The existence of the prison was unknown to the public before 2003, and most information about it remains classified, though Israel’s supreme court ordered the release of some information about the jail.

21.Vladimir Central Prison, Russia 

Vladimir Central Prison, Russia — Built in 1783, it became infamous for housing political prisoners during the Soviet Union era. Nowadays the overcrowded and disease-infested prison is known for the sadistic abuse that the inmates receive from the guards. Prisoners are forced out of their cells, ordered to put their hands on the wall and given beatings so severe that they have to be dragged back to their cells, while others result in deaths. As if this isn’t enough, they are also ordered to beat each other.

20. Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Nairobi, Kenya 

Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Nairobi, Kenya — Situated on a 1,200 acre lot, this prison has gained notoriety due to the unspeakable squalor that the prisoners are subjected to. The prison, which holds a number of political prisoners, has earned a reputation for instances of sodomy, beating of inmates to death, and epidemics where malnutrition, cholera, and ulcers were normal occurrences.

19. Butyrka Prison, Moscow, Russia 

Butyrka Prison, Moscow, Russia — The largest central transit prison of Moscow is known for its brutality. It held 20,000 inmates during the Great Purge and thousands of them were executed after investigations. Its administration also resorted to violence every time the inmates tried to protest against anything. Besides the problem of overcrowding, as there could be up to 100 inmates in cells intended only for 10 people, it is extremely hot in the summer and also has problems with epidemics such as AIDS and tuberculosis.

18. Nairobi Prison, Kenya 

Nairobi Prison, Kenya — Built in 1911 for 800 prisoners, which boomed to 3,000 in 2003, this prison is one of the most congested in the world. This congestion not only resulted in overcrowding, but also in problems with hygiene, sanitation, and general living conditions where it would be a struggle to be physically and mentally healthy. The prison cells reek of sweat, human waste, and filth with the stench of garbage hanging in the air.

17. Black Beach Prison, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea 

Black Beach Prison, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea — Notorious for human rights offenses, this prison has become synonymous with guard brutality, malnutrition, overcrowding, and rat infestations. It has been common for prisoners to die from chronic disease, if not complete disappearance from the prison. Inmates are in constant fear of torture and prolonged beatings, which cause a number of deaths.

16. Petak Island Prison, White Lake Russia 

Petak Island Prison, White Lake Russia — This is the Russian version of Alcatraz, as it was isolated by the White Lake and was built to hold the most dangerous prisoners. Though they never have to fear violence from the guards or their inmates, the restricted life of living in cages and in isolation with no lavatories nor washing facilities surrounded by freezing cold water and snow leaves the prisoners to deteriorate and become psychologically devastated.

15. San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru 

San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru — The toughest prison in South America, it was built to housed 2,500 inmates but now has 7,000 prisoners within its dilapidated walls. Lurigancho has a very lax environment where inmates can sell anything – from gadgets, DVDs, and everything marketable including drugs. Cockfighting is a common sight as well as visiting prostitutes known as ‘nurses.’ Prisoners are not segregated and are left to their own devices, wandering around the facility, committing murder and other acts of violence.

14. Rikers Island Prison, New York 

Rikers Island Prison, New York — One of America’s most notorious prisons, it was characterized by beatings, stabbings, and brutal treatment not only from the guards but also from inmates who were deployed as ‘enforcers’ by the guards. A hotbed for violence and aggression, it gained media attention in 2007 when an 18-year-old prisoner was beaten senseless with a billy club by other teenage inmates as the guards looked on. It is also known for its cruel treatment of mentally ill prisoners, who often turn to suicide.

13. San Quentin Prison, California 

San Quentin Prison, California — The oldest prison in the state, it opened in July 1852 where both male and female inmates were incarcerated. Nowadays, it is the largest death row for male inmates in the United States. During the 1930s, corruption was rampant in this prison where inter-racial riots became a normal occurrence and were encouraged by the guards.

12. Gldani Prison, Tbilisi, Georgia 

Gldani Prison, Tbilisi, Georgia — With its zero-tolerance approach, Georgia may have the lowest crime rates in Europe, but it comes at the cost of tuberculosis epidemics, savage treatment of inmates, and violent sexual assaults in prison, specifically in Gldani.

11. La Sante, Paris 

La Sante, Paris — Ironically, La Sante, which means ‘health,’ is not a good place for prisoners’ mental and physical well-being as they were forced to live in deplorable conditions in overcrowded concrete cells with rats and lice. A virtual hellhole, this understaffed torture chamber of violence can make any person lose his sanity with the harsh daily realities of life. Out of sheer desperation, 122 prisoners committed suicide in 2002 and 73 more by 2003 as many swallowed drain cleaners to end their misery.

10. Alcatraz, San Francisco, California 

Alcatraz, San Francisco, California — ‘The Rock’ or ‘Devil’s Island’ is a prison hell that was built in the 1920s and was designed in such a way that escape was improbable. As the inmates lost contact with the outside world, they were subjected to abusive and arrogant guards who imposed complete silence as prisoners were not only disallowed to converse with each other, but to show their emotions as well.

09. Gitarama Central Prison, Rwanda 

Gitarama Central Prison, Rwanda — Described as hell on earth, all prisoners were doomed to eat, sleep, live, rot, and die squeezed together with four men per square yard in the roofless brick box called the Gitarama Prison. Designed to house 400 people, the population boomed to 7,000 in the mid-1990s in the wake of the Rwandan genocide, and prisoners were left for dead there. Amidst dysentery and despair, prisoners stand cramped together under all weather conditions, choking on the smoke of cooking fires, and suffering from gangrene. They even resorted to eating each other’s flesh out of sheer desperation.

08. Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey 

Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey — The world’s most sadistic and forbidding penal institution has been referred to as having the greatest number of human rights violations per prisoner. Known for a great number of instances of physical and mental torture, it also gained notoriety for its unlivable conditions, sexual abuse of inmates, and for incarcerating even children for life. To escape their situations, inmates attempted hunger strikes, committed suicide, and even set themselves on fire.

07. ADX Florence Supermax Prison, Colorado 

ADX Florence Supermax Prison, Colorado — This maximum security prison was built in response to the attacks committed against the guards and staff of other prisons in America. Since prisoners are isolated from the staff and they cannot go anywhere, inmates suffer from psychological torture, leading some to commit suicide.

06. El Rodeo, Guatire, Venezuela 

El Rodeo, Guatire, Venezuela —During the presidency of Hugo Chavez, crime rates soared and overcrowded the Venezuelan prisons with 50,000 prisoners,  two-thirds of which were still awaiting sentencing. On June 12, 2011, a visitor day at El Rodeo erupted into a bloodbath between rival gangs and resulted in a siege that lasted for an entire month.

05. La Sabaneta, Venezuela 

La Sabaneta, Venezuela — In one of the most brutal penal facilities in South America, violence is a daily occurrence. Besides being at the mercy of diseases, insufficient food and care, little to no medical services, and underpaid staff, inmates were also left to their own devices as they fashion weapons to kill one another.

04. Bang Kwang Prison, Thailand 

Bang Kwang Prison, Thailand — The ‘Bangkok Hilton’ housed the ‘napinya chained’ inmates, many of whom went crazy due to the stress of the first month in detention. The most violent prison in all of Thailand houses many foreign prisoners and handles death row inmates. It is known for being overcrowded, understaffed, and having deplorable living conditions.

03. Tadmor Military Prison, Syria 

Tadmor Military Prison, Syria — Dubbed by Amnesty International as the most oppressive prison in the world with every aspect of it designed to dehumanize its populace, it became more infamous in June 1980 when President Hafez al-Assad ordered the killings of all prisoners as retaliation for the attempted assassination on his life by the Muslim Brotherhood. The clean-up massacre that lasted for 2 weeks killed some 800 to 2,400 inmates.

02. Carandiru Prison, Brazil 

Carandiru Prison, Brazil — The site of the Carandiru Tragedy in 1992, where riots triggered the mass execution of inmates by the guards, became notorious for having an insanely high body count of 1,300 deaths in the course of its 46 years in history. It was closed down in 2002 due to the campaigns of Amnesty International amidst reports of gross human rights violations that the Brazilian government could not answer for.

01. Camp 22, North Korea 

Camp 22, North Korea — The notorious Hoeryong Concentration Camp, which has gained international attention in 2012 after its warden defected to China, was an isolated prison for political prisoners and has been in operation since 1965. A large compound that holds 50,000 prisoners, it was claimed that three generations of dissident families have been imprisoned there to completely remove the ‘roots.’ In addition, the death camp has subjected inmates to extreme torture and human experimentation where they become lab rats for biological weapons like anthrax, bomb testing, and other brutalities.

Via — Link

Maps That Will Help You Understand the World

 Maps That Will Help You Understand the World

Where Google Street View is Available

Maps That Will Help You Understand the World,  

Area Codes in Which Ludacris Claims to Have Hoes - Song Reference

Countries That Do Not Use the Metric System

Earth’s Population by Latitude and Longitude

Flag Map of the World

Frequency of Lightning Strikes Throughout the World

If the World’s Population Lived in One City

Map of Alcohol Consumption Around the World

Map of Alcoholic Drink Popularity by Country

Map of Contiguous United States - Overlaid on the Moon

Map of Countries with the Most Violations of Bribery

Map of Europe Showing Literal - Chinese Translations for Country Names

Map of Rivers in the Contiguous United States

Map of Time Zones in Antarctica

Map of ‘Pangea’ with Current International Borders

McDonald’s Across the World

Paid Maternal Leave Around the World

Reversed Map with Southern Hemisphere at Top of Map (because position of North is arbitrary)

The Most Common Surnames in Europe by Country

The Only 22 Countries in the World Britain Has Not Invaded (not shown - Sao Tome and Principe)

The World Divided Into 7 Regions, Each with a Population of 1 Billion

The World’s Busiest Air Routes in 2012

The 7000 Rivers that Feed into the Mississippi River

US Map of the Highest Paid Public Employees by State

Visualizing Global Population Density

Where 2% of Australia’s Population Lives

World Map of Earthquakes Since 1898

World Map of Vegetation on Earth

Worldwide Annual Coffee Consumption Per Capita

Worldwide Driving Orientation by Country