lol!
Posted on 10/22/2011 8:37:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Want to be the envy of all your worthless liberal arts degree-having friends? Become a mechanic." The economy may have yet to recover from its implosion a few years ago, but you still have bills to pay, rent checks to write and a healthy drinking habit to support, which means you need money. "I'm not qualified for anything, I don't have my degree," you might say to yourself. That's loser talk. Whoever said that you need to write the letters B.A. after your name was full of BS.
The obvious answer to your problem is "entrepreneur," but we've decided to leave that off the list since we haven't seen too many postings for "entrepreneur" on Craigslist or CareerBuilder lately. In other words, you can’t apply to be an entrepreneur, you just have to do it.
Here are the nine best jobs that you can apply for and build a career around without earning a four-year degree. Plus, you might just get a parade in your honor with one of these. Try and guess which one.
1- Firefighter
Starting salary: $32,165 - $53,608
Being a firefighter is pretty much the embodiment of a hero. You're out there saving lives and property. You're the savior to everyone who didn't pay attention to the level of oil required to fry a turkey. You save California every three or four years from burning off the face of the earth. All the while, you're keeping in top physical shape.
With a high-school diploma, a little relevant experience and the ability to perform strength-draining exertions under intense pressure, you've got a future in firefighting.
2- Police officer
Starting salary: Varies by location
If being in close to firefighter condition when you start out is something you enjoy, but that penchant for sweet, fried pastries is a vice you just cannot control, starting out as a police officer might be more your speed.
Now, for most jurisdictions, you're probably going to need an associate's degree in criminal law or 12-18 months’ worth of experience in the law enforcement business to be a proper officer, but there may be entry-level positions available.
3- Mechanic
Starting salary: $30,584 - $40,564
Want to be the envy of all your worthless liberal arts degree-having friends? Become a mechanic. Being able to fix cars around these people is like having a license to print money. Plus, it's a damned respectable and professional career choice.
Starting as a mechanic usually involves being an apprentice. You know, how useful education used to be passed along before everyone decided you should have letters after your name?
4- Appliance repairman
Starting salary: $37,345 - $56,285 (Varies widely)
Everyone has appliances that break around the house. It seems like every two months the clothes dryer decides that "blowing hot air" is no longer a part of its job description. Used to be that you'd just throw that under-performing piece of garbage out, but not in this economic maelstrom.
Working in the world of appliance repair is a lot like working in automotive repair. There are no specific education prerequisites, as most of the skill is acquired on the job. An extremely skilled repairman who isn't strictly on salary might bring in close to $50,000.
5- Plumber / Electrician
Starting salary: $35,575 - $48,833
Again, we're talking about learning a trade, so no matter how badly you screwed up in school, it doesn't matter. Granted, you can't be a moron and learn complex, potentially dangerous skills (in the case of working with live electricity) but it’s virtually guaranteed that you'll be in high demand. Not surprisingly, guys aren’t exactly lining up to work with high voltage or in sewers, so you should be able to find a niche in either, both of which are respectable trades.
Union benefits and becoming licensed are a few of the perks you have to look forward to.
6- Salesman
Starting salary: Who knows?
The salesman is truly the American job. Earn what you're worth, not a cent more. You don't need a formal education to be a salesman -- you need a brass personality and thick skin. Infrequent pay checks, constant rejection and an almost immediate repulsion from anyone you let know you're in sales are just a few of the givens of the profession.
That being said, earning potential is usually unlimited and setting your own hours can be a perk. Success or failure, this one is all on you.
7- Web designer
Starting salary: $43,591 - $57,167
Half computer hacker, half unappreciated artist, the web design field is an interesting blend of left and right brain skills that doesn't really translate into a relevant degree. If you have these seemingly opposite skills, you're in demand. With commerce, networking and research all being done on the web in large scales, the design of a website is absolutely crucial to success.
8- Occupational therapy assistant
Starting salary: $30,000 - $38,000
If you genuinely enjoy helping people (and not just saying that you do), then this might be a job to consider. Learning this position can be done either on the job, via a correspondence program or at a junior college. Rehabilitation can be a rewarding experience in and of itself.
9- Truck driver
Starting salary: $42,000 - $52,000
The lure of the open road can be the biggest perk of all. Not only that, but truck drivers are responsible for just about everything that happens in the economy. Sure, you can buy it online, but how are they going to get it to you? The truck isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Most truck drivers have at least their high-school degree and many more beyond that go to truck driving school to learn to drive 18-wheel behemoths.
Here at AskMen.com, we're not saying that a college degree isn't worth getting. After all, a college degree nets around $20,000 a year more than you'd otherwise receive. If you can get it -- great. But if you don't have a college degree, there are plenty of respectable careers that don't require it, careers that are in demand and really make society tick along. Not too many English majors can say that.
Registered Nurse: All it takes is an associate’s degree, the endurance of a marathon runner, and a cast-iron stomach.
Ladder logic, a wide variety of 4~20ma controls, touchscreen programming, wiring, conduit, and nothing more than 480 Volts.
$45,000 after a few years experience and $68,000 as now with 20 years experience. You do need to do collateral duty to perform other types of maintenance to keep factories running though. You never get bored. You will still need to be good at welding, basic machine work like mills and lathes, control voltage troubleshooting, and operating voltage troubleshooting.
However, if you look at some of our most famous Internet gurus who have brought technology to where it is today-the social networks, start-ups etc..they were college drop outs.
Probably never heard of the "Wicked" Whoopie pie, a Maine woman started making and selling them from her own kitchen to sell to stores to help their income now she is famous and her husband went to work for her.
You just need an idea, drive and ambition.. just because you are not in college; does not mean you are any less intelligent than a student therein.
And 9 Presidents did not go to college or studied at far less influential colleges than those elite colleges [family tree of donations] that have some Wall Street protesters demanding the rich pay off their student loans.
Be a YouTube star..! No barriers to entry at all. Just be funny or pretty and bring in tons of hits:
This top earner was a substitute teacher —now as the creator of EpicMealTime he makes millions:
http://www.youtube.com/epicmealtime#p/u/0/7Xc5wIpUenQ
It’s not brain food, but I hate it WAY LESS than network TV (I gave up the idiotTube over 10 years ago).
When I worked construction the guys making the really big bucks,,,,motor control guys...have no idea what they do ..I was gone by then...
Depends on the major and the choices you've made. As a career counselor & recruiter since 1983, I can tell you that the difference in incomes between two individuals in the same occupation would amaze you. And you couldn't buffalo me about how much you were making: I was at the state unemployment office and had your earnings information (at least your legal ones) at my fingertips. The highest income I ever saw was a high school graduate who started an insurance company (not an agency, an actual company) and sold it to a French firm.
The flip side, most of these are heavily unionized...
3- Mechanic
Starting salary: $30,584 - $40,564
Want to be the envy of all your worthless liberal arts degree-having friends? Become a mechanic. Being able to fix cars around these people is like having a license to print money. Plus, it’s a damned respectable and professional career choice.
Starting as a mechanic usually involves being an apprentice. You know, how useful education used to be passed along before everyone decided you should have letters after your name?
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Malarky. You can get a job as an oil changer maybe, but this guy must be talking about when people would shade tree repair basic Fords and Chevy’s from 1972.
There is so much electrical and emission crap that goes into cars now, and you need to be certified in some states to even work on emission parts. Not to mention know how to run the codes on the computer hooked up to the system.
While it might need an academic degree, you will be making minimum wage changing tires and oil unless you go get a technical degree. And even this, in this economy (we own an auto repair shop and business SUCKS), people are riding on “check engine” lights as long as they can. People just can’t afford to fix it unless it interfers with their emission test. And even then they will pay the mechanic to clear the code and pass the test.
Oh, I love electronic gadgets too. I think I could have enjoyed doing what you do. The closest I come to doing what you do is working on computer hardware. I have built/rebuilt hundreds of computers. I do more work with software though.
Where? Last time I checked the ads there, they were starting welders out at $8 an hour.
Of course if you get an engineering degree the sky is the limit..male or female. Then you are easily in the 6 figure category and/or a spin off into sales for the leading telecom or their equipment makers. Those that remained in the category of “employed” are being hired away by competitors for even more money. I have seen it. Start-ups are always after those same people as well.
He did say there was overtime. 8 hours regular, 16 in overtime. Seven days a week...
I work in food plants. The regulatory rules require them to wash the crap out of everything almost every day with caustic foam and high pressure washing. It ruins almost everything as a result of the moisture and temperature. Wiring rots, connectors turn green, PLC’s get soaked, RTD’s turn black, and so on. Guaranteed employment.
Now as a millwright or journeyman welder, that's all they do. They make $65 to $80 per hour, but are sporadic on work. They are unemployed quite a bit.
You need to have many skills in many areas. The unions hate that.
My Dad was quite a mechanic back in the day. He used to work on dragsters/racing cars. He doesn’t do much work now because as he says, “It’s all computerized and requires diagnostic machines.” I hope that your business climate improves.
What field in Engineering? My son is going to college next year. He wants to major Biomedical Engineering and then join the Marines. I suppose he wants to blow people up and put them back together again. LOL.
Thanks! My husband is a welder and we are looking in other areas to go if needed. Our shop is really struggling, but my son is an ASE certified mechanic, my husband can the basics, but it was a place to try to make it until something else comes along. We always planned to hand the shop over to my son and his wife if we needed to move anyway.
I’ve scoured the papers from all over and while I’m sure there are jobs, we just can’t afford to travel to an interview for a $10 an hour job. You know?
Sounds like a good job.
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