15 high-paying jobs — no degree necessary

Play all audios:

Just because you don’t have a college degree doesn’t mean you can’t earn a higher-than-average salary. While many current job openings request that applicants have a college education,
there are some professions where skills and life experience alone can get you in the door. That’s good news for older adults, because people age 50 and older are less likely to have
bachelor’s degrees than younger adults. Resume Genius, a company that specializes in preparing people for job searches, analyzed U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to identify
promising jobs based on three criteria. First, the profession typically does not require a college degree. Next, the national average salary for the position had to exceed the national
average income, which was $59,384 per year in 2023 according to the most recent BLS data. And, third, the profession had to have projected job growth or stability through 2033. AARP
additionally sorted through the Resume Genius list to remove careers that, although they do not require a degree, still require extensive training or experience, such as commercial airline
pilot and information security analyst. The following 15 jobs, listed in order from highest to lowest annual salary, are high-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree. Clicking on the
“Find jobs” link will take to you to a list of current postings in that field on the AARP Job Board (not every profession will have one of these links). 1. FIRST-LINE SUPERVISOR OF POLICE
AND DETECTIVES Average wage: $48.92 per hour ($101,750 per year) Median age: 47.6 Find police jobs Not only is this the highest paying job on the list, but it’s also the profession that has
one of the oldest median ages, too. That’s probably no surprise. Law enforcement is a career in which experience is important to do the job well, especially in a supervisor role. Once you
become a police officer, it can take approximately four to seven years to become a supervisor. 2. TRANSPORTATION, STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Average wage: $47.69 per hour ($99,200 per
year) Median age: 45.6 years Find distribution jobs Distribution managers are the unsung heroes that help large businesses get their products from the factory floor into your home. They
keep track of how many products a company has that are ready to ship, which warehouse they are stored in, and how and when they will be shipping to stores, among other duties. To fill this
role, you’ll need to be detail-oriented and comfortable with software that keeps track of supplies and invoices. 3. RADIATION THERAPIST Average wage: $47.26 per hour ($98,300 per year)
Median age: (Not available) Find radiation therapist jobs When patients need various types of radiation treatment for cancer and other illnesses, radiation therapists — working hand-in-hand
with doctors — are the ones who administer the doses. While many of these workers do have at least an associate’s degree in a health care field, you can qualify for some positions if you
have completed a certificate program. 4. WEB DEVELOPER Average wage: $44.59 per hour ($92,750 per year) Median age: 40.1 years Find web developer jobs Web development is a field where the
necessary skills change frequently, which can make it an appealing option for a career switch. If you can quickly get up to speed on the most current technologies, you won’t necessarily need
years of work experience in the profession — or a computer science degree. You can try free courses in web development from sites such as Coursera, Khan Academy or Codecademy, which has
more than a million users who are age 55 and older. This profession also frequently offers remote work and flexible hours.