300 best jobs without a four year degree

300 Job Descriptions

65+ Best Jobs Lists, Including Jobs with the

Best Pay, Fastest Growth, and Most Openings

Part of JIST’s Best Jobs® Series

Farr

Shatkin

300Best Jobs

Part of JIST’s Best Jobs® Series Four-Year Degree

Without a

Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D.

Two Steps to Your Best Job Options

300

Pinpoint your best career options at various

training levels, from on-the-job training to a

two-year degree.

“Best jobs” lists organized by earnings, growth,

interests, self-employed and part-time workers,

and much more.

Helpful job descriptions packed with the latest

details.

300

®

Third

Edition

Best Jobs

Without a

Four-Year Degree

Third Edition

Careers/Reference

Explore and Compare 300 Best Job Options

Good jobs exist for people without a four-year degree, and this

book helps you identify the best options. It ranks the best jobs

by level of training and education, including on-the-job training

(short-term, moderate-term, and long-term); work experience in

a related job; postsecondary vocational training; associate degree;

apprenticeship; and military training.

Helpful Facts on the Best Jobs Without a

Four-Year Degree

The authors used the most up-to-date facts from government

sources. Besides the best jobs lists, which organize jobs by earn￾ings, growth, interests, personality type, and more, the book in￾cludes information-packed descriptions of 300 occupations that

met the best jobs criteria. Among this book’s many helpful facts:

The job with the best combination of pay, growth, and

number of openings that does not require a four-year

degree is Registered Nurses. It has average annual earnings

of $60,010, is growing at a rate of 23.5 percent, and has

233,499 openings per year.

Among the best jobs requiring an associate degree are Parale￾gals and Legal Assistants (number 3), Radiologic Technicians

(number 4), and Computer Support Specialists (number 8).

The job with the most openings with a high percentage of

self-employed workers that doesn’t require a four-year degree

is Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers.

How This Book Works

Discover your best job options in just two

steps. First, browse the 65+ best jobs lists in

Part I to fi nd the jobs that interest you most.

The lists also help you easily compare jobs.

Then look up their descriptions in Part II for

more details on earnings, growth, training

needed, job tasks, and much more. Simple.

Who Can Benefit from This Book? Are you

looking for your fi rst job or a new job?

Researching and planning your future train￾ing and career options? Interested in explor￾ing better-paying or more-interesting jobs at

your current level of training and experience?

This book is ideal for people making impor￾tant career plans and decisions, as well as for

the educators, counselors, and others advis￾ing them.

About the Authors. Mike Farr has written

more than 20 books on career and job search

topics. Laurence Shatkin has 30 years in

the career information fi eld, presents and

blogs on career-related issues, and is the au￾thor of many career books.

“Timely and needed. A good book to use in career exploration.”

Jim Hartle, Career Counselor, WorkOne East

“Unique approach.... Highly desirable for people with specific needs for income and opportunities.”

American Reference Books Annual

800-648-JIST | www.jist.com $17.95 Higher in Canada

Part of JIST’s Best Jobs® Series

Third

Edition

Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree

300 Best Jobs Without a Four Year Degree Cover.indd 1 1/7/09 9:58:07 AM

Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D.

Also in JIST’s Best Jobs Series

Best Jobs for the 21st Century

200 Best Jobs for College Graduates

250 Best Jobs Th rough Apprenticeships

50 Best Jobs for Your Personality

40 Best Fields for Your Career

225 Best Jobs for Baby Boomers

250 Best-Paying Jobs

10 Best College Majors for Your Personality

150 Best Jobs for Your Skills

175 Best Jobs Not Behind a Desk

150 Best Jobs Th rough Military Training

150 Best Jobs for a Better World

200 Best Jobs for Introverts

150 Best Low-Stress Jobs

150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs

300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree, Third Edition

© 2009 by JIST Publishing

Published by JIST Works, an imprint of JIST Publishing

7321 Shadeland Station, Suite 200

Indianapolis, IN 46256-3923

Phone: 800-648-JIST Fax: 877-454-7839

E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.jist.com

Some Other Books by the Authors

Michael Farr

Th e Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book

Same-Day Resume

Overnight Career Choice

Top 100 Careers Without a Four-Year Degree

100 Fastest-Growing Careers

Laurence Shatkin

Quick Guide to College Majors and Careers

90-Minute College Major Matcher

Your $100,000 Career Plan

New Guide for Occupational Exploration

150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs

Quantity discounts are available for JIST products. Have future editions of JIST books automatically delivered to you on

publication through our convenient standing order program. Please call 800-648-JIST or visit www.jist.com for a free catalog and

more information.

Visit www.jist.com for information on JIST, free job search information, tables of contents and sample pages, and ordering

information on our many products.

Acquisitions Editor: Susan Pines

Development Editor: Stephanie Koutek

Cover and Interior Designer: Aleata Halbig

Cover Image: Claudio Baba, iStock Photography

Interior Layout: Aleata Halbig

Proofreaders: Jovanna San Nicolas-Shirley, Paula Lowell

Indexer: Cheryl Lenser

Printed in the United States of America

13 12 11 10 09 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Farr, Michael.

300 best jobs without a four-year degree / Michael Farr and Laurence

Shatkin. -- 3rd ed.

p. cm. -- (JIST’s best jobs series)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-59357-658-5 (alk. paper)

1. Vocational guidance. 2. Employment forecasting. 3. Job hunting. I. Shatkin, Laurence. II. Title. III. Title: Th ree hundred best

jobs without a four-year degree.

HF5381.F4562 2009

331.702’33--dc22

2008051123

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,

without prior permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Making copies of

any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of United States copyright laws. For permission

requests, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at www.copyright.com or (978) 750-8400.

We have been careful to provide accurate information throughout this book, but it is possible that errors and omissions have been

introduced. Please consider this in making any career plans or other important decisions. Trust your own judgment above all else and

in all things.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered

trademarks of their respective owners.

ISBN 978-1-59357-658-5

This Is a Big Book, But

It Is Very Easy to Use

This book is designed for people who want to move ahead in their careers and have

or are considering getting on-the-job training, vocational training, or a two-year degree.

It helps you explore your career options in a variety of interesting ways. Th e nice thing about this

book is that you don’t have to read it all. Instead, we designed it to allow you to browse and fi nd

information that most interests you.

Th e Table of Contents will give you a good idea of what’s inside and how to use the book, so we

suggest you start there. Th e fi rst part is made up of interesting lists that will help you explore jobs

based on pay, interests, education or training level, personality type, and many other criteria. Th e

second part provides descriptions for the 300 jobs that met our criteria for this book (high pay, fast

growth, and large number of openings). Just fi nd a job that interests you in one of the lists in Part I

and look up its description in Part II. Simple.

How We Selected the Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree

Deciding on the “best” job is a choice that only you can make, but objective criteria can help you

identify jobs that are, for example, better paying than other jobs with similar duties. Here is an

explanation of the process we used to determine which jobs to include in this book.

We identifi ed 484 major jobs that require less education or training than a bachelor’s degree and

sorted them from highest to lowest in terms of earnings, growth rate through 2016, and number

of annual openings. We then assigned a number to their relative position on each list. Th e job

position numbers on the three lists were then summed, and jobs with the best total scores were

put on top, followed by jobs in order of their total scores on down the list. We included the 300

jobs with the best total scores in the book. Th e fi rst list in Part I is called “Th e 300 Best Jobs Th at

Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree,” and it contains the 300 jobs with the best combined scores on

all three measures (earnings, growth rate, and openings). You can fi nd descriptions for all 300 best

jobs in Part II.

We are not suggesting that the 300 jobs with the best overall scores for earnings, growth, and

number of openings are all good ones for you to consider—some will not be. But the 300 jobs that

met our criteria present such a wide range of jobs that you are likely to fi nd one or more that will

interest you. Th e jobs that met our “best jobs” criteria are also more likely than average to have

higher pay, faster projected growth, and a larger number of openings than other jobs at similar

levels of education and training.

d

(continued)

iv 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Some Things You Can Do with This Book

Identify more-interesting or better-paying jobs that don’t require additional training or

education.

Develop long-term plans that may require additional training, education, or experience.

Explore and select a training or educational program that relates to a career objective.

Find reliable earnings information to negotiate pay.

Prepare for interviews and the job search.

Th ese are a few of the many ways you can use this book. We hope you fi nd it as interesting to

browse as we did to put together. We have tried to make it easy to use and as interesting as

occupational information can be.

When you are done with this book, pass it along or tell someone else about it. We wish you well in

your career and in your life.

Credits and Acknowledgments: While the authors created this book, it is based on the work of many others. The occupational

information is based on data obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. These sources provide the most

authoritative occupational information available. The noneconomic job-related information is from the O*NET database, which was

developed by researchers and developers under the direction of the U.S. Department of Labor. They, in turn, were assisted by thousands

of employers who provided details on the nature of work in the many thousands of job samplings used in the database’s development.

We used the most recent version of the O*NET database, release 13. We appreciate and thank the staff of the U.S. Department of Labor

for their efforts and expertise in providing such a rich source of data. The taxonomy of college majors (the Classifi cation of Instructional

Programs) is from the U.S. Department of Education.

(continued)

v

Table of Contents

Summary of Major Sections

Introduction. A short overview to help you

better understand and use the book. Starts

on page 1.

Part I—Th e Best Jobs Lists: Jobs Th at

Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree. Very

useful for exploring career options! Lists are

arranged into easy-to-use groups. Th e fi rst

group of lists presents the 300 jobs that do

not require a four-year degree and that have

the highest rankings based on earnings,

projected growth, and number of openings.

More-specialized lists follow, presenting the

best jobs by age, gender, level of education

or training, personality type, interest area,

and more. Th e column starting at right

presents all the list titles. Starts on page 17.

Part II—Th e Job Descriptions. Provides

complete descriptions of the jobs that met

our criteria for a combination of high pay,

fast growth, and large number of openings.

Each description contains information

on earnings, projected growth, job duties,

skills, related job titles, education and

training required, related knowledge and

courses, and many other details. Starts on

page 131.

Detailed Table of Contents

Part I: The Best Jobs Lists: Jobs That Don’t

Require a Four-Year Degree .......................... 17

Some Details on the Lists ................................... 18

Best Jobs Overall: Lists of Jobs with the Highest

Pay, Fastest Growth, and Most Openings ........ 18

Th e 300 Best Jobs Th at Don’t Require a

Four-Year Degree .......................................... 19

Th e 100 Best-Paying Jobs Th at Don’t Require a

Four-Year Degree ..........................................29

Th e 100 Fastest-Growing Jobs Th at Don’t

Require a Four-Year Degree .......................... 32

Th e 100 Jobs with the Most Openings Th at

Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree ................. 36

Best Jobs Lists by Demographic ......................... 39

Best Jobs with the Highest Percentages of Workers

Age 16–24 ....................................................40

25 Best Jobs Overall with High Percentages of

Workers Age 16–24 ........................................41

25 Best-Paying Jobs with High Percentages of

Workers Age 16–24 .......................................42

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs with High Percentages

of Workers Age 16–24 ................................... 43

25 Jobs with the Most Openings with High

Percentages of Workers Age 16–24 ................. 43

Best Jobs with the Highest Percentages of

Workers Age 55 and Over .............................. 45

25 Best Jobs Overall with High Percentages of

Workers Age 55 and Over ..............................48

25 Best-Paying Jobs with High Percentages of

Workers Age 55 and Over .............................. 49

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs with High Percentages

of Workers Age 55 and Over ..........................50

25 Jobs with the Most Openings with High

Percentages of Workers Age 55 and Over ........50

Best Jobs with the Highest Percentages of

Part-Time Workers ....................................... 52

25 Best Jobs Overall with High Percentages of

Part-Time Workers ....................................... 53

25 Best-Paying Jobs with High Percentages of

Part-Time Workers ....................................... 54

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs with High Percentages

of Part-Time Workers .................................... 54

25 Jobs with the Most Openings with High

Percentages of Part-Time Workers .................. 55

Best Jobs with the Highest Percentages of

Self-Employed Workers .................................. 57

25 Best Jobs Overall with High Percentages of

Self-Employed Workers .................................. 59

25 Best-Paying Jobs with High Percentages of

Self-Employed Workers ..................................60

Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________

vi 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs with High Percentages

of Self-Employed Workers ...............................61

25 Jobs with the Most Openings with High

Percentages of Self-Employed Workers ............62

Best Jobs Employing the Highest Percentages of

Women ......................................................... 63

25 Best Jobs Overall Employing High Percentages

of Women ..................................................... 65

25 Best-Paying Jobs Employing High

Percentages of Women ................................... 66

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs Employing High

Percentages of Women ................................... 67

25 Jobs with the Most Openings Employing

High Percentages of Women ...........................68

Best Jobs Employing the Highest Percentages

of Men ......................................................... 69

25 Best Jobs Overall Employing High

Percentages of Men ........................................ 74

25 Best-Paying Jobs Employing High

Percentages of Men ........................................ 75

25 Fastest-Growing Jobs Employing High

Percentages of Men ........................................ 76

25 Jobs with the Most Openings Employing

High Percentages of Men ............................... 77

Best Jobs Lists Based on Levels of Education

and Experience................................................. 78

Th e Education Levels .......................................79

Another Warning About the Data ....................80

Best Jobs Requiring Short-Term On-the-Job

Training ........................................................81

Best Jobs Requiring Moderate-Term

On-the-Job Training .....................................82

Best Jobs Requiring Long-Term On-the-Job

Training ....................................................... 84

Best Jobs Requiring Work Experience in a

Related Job ................................................... 86

Best Jobs Requiring Postsecondary Vocational

Training .......................................................88

Best Jobs Requiring an Associate Degree ............89

Best Jobs Lists Based on Interests ........................91

Descriptions for the 16 Interest Areas .................91

Best Jobs for People Interested in Agriculture

and Natural Resources .................................. 95

Best Jobs for People Interested in Architecture

and Construction .......................................... 96

Best Jobs for People Interested in Arts and

Communication ............................................ 97

Best Jobs for People Interested in Business

and Administration ......................................98

Best Jobs for People Interested in Education

and Training ................................................98

Best Jobs for People Interested in Finance and

Insurance ......................................................99

Best Jobs for People Interested in Government

and Public Administration ............................99

Best Jobs for People Interested in Health

Science .......................................................100

Best Jobs for People Interested in Hospitality,

Tourism, and Recreation .............................100

Best Jobs for People Interested in Human

Service .........................................................101

Best Jobs for People Interested in Information

Technology ...................................................101

Best Jobs for People Interested in Law and

Public Safety ............................................... 102

Best Jobs for People Interested in

Manufacturing ........................................... 102

Best Jobs for People Interested in Retail and

Wholesale Sales and Service ......................... 104

Best Jobs for People Interested in Scientifi c

Research, Engineering, and Mathematics ..... 105

Best Jobs for People Interested in Transportation,

Distribution, and Logistics .......................... 106

Best Jobs Lists Based on Personality Types ....... 106

Descriptions of the Six Personality Types ......... 107

Best Jobs for People with a Realistic

Personality Type .......................................... 108

Best Jobs for People with an Investigative

Personality Type .......................................... 112

Best Jobs for People with an Artistic

Personality Type .......................................... 113

Best Jobs for People with a Social

Personality Type .......................................... 113

Best Jobs for People with an Enterprising

Personality Type ...........................................114

Best Jobs for People with a Conventional

Personality Type ...........................................116

________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents

vii 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Best Jobs Th rough Apprenticeship Training ......118

Th e 50 Best Jobs Th rough Apprenticeship .........119

Best Jobs Th rough Military Training ............... 120

Th e 50 Best Jobs Th rough Military Training ....121

Bonus Lists: Jobs Employing a High

Percentage of People Without a Four-Year

Degree............................................................ 122

Jobs Employing the Highest Percentage

of Workers Without a Four-Year Degree ....... 123

50 Best Jobs Overall Employing a High

Percentage of Workers Without a Four-Year

Degree ........................................................ 126

Bonus Lists: Jobs with the Greatest Changes in

Outlook Since the Previous Edition ................127

25 Jobs with the Greatest Increases in

Job-Growth Projection ................................ 128

25 Jobs with the Greatest Decreases in

Job-Growth Projections ............................... 129

Part II: The Job Descriptions ..........................131

Advertising Sales Agents ................................. 133

Aerospace Engineering and Operations

Technicians ................................................. 134

Agricultural Technicians ................................ 135

Air Traffi c Controllers.................................... 136

Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors .............. 137

Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians .... 138

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging,

and Systems Assemblers ............................... 139

Airfi eld Operations Specialists ........................ 140

Animal Control Workers ................................ 142

Animal Trainers ............................................ 143

Architectural Drafters .................................... 144

Athletes and Sports Competitors ......................145

Audio and Video Equipment Technicians ....... 146

Automotive Body and Related Repairers ..........147

Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers ....... 148

Automotive Master Mechanics ........................ 149

Automotive Specialty Technicians ....................151

Aviation Inspectors ........................................ 152

Avionics Technicians ...................................... 153

Bailiff s .......................................................... 154

Bakers ............................................................155

Bill and Account Collectors .............................156

Billing, Cost, and Rate Clerks .........................157

Billing, Posting, and Calculating Machine

Operators ................................................... 158

Boilermakers ................................................. 159

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing

Clerks ..........................................................161

Brickmasons and Blockmasons ....................... 162

Broadcast Technicians ................................... 163

Brokerage Clerks ........................................... 164

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel

Engine Specialists .........................................165

Bus Drivers, School ....................................... 166

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity .................. 167

Camera Operators, Television, Video,

and Motion Picture .................................... 168

Cardiovascular Technologists

and Technicians .......................................... 169

Cargo and Freight Agents............................... 170

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers .......... 172

Chefs and Head Cooks ................................... 173

Chemical Plant and System Operators ............ 174

Chemical Technicians .....................................175

City and Regional Planning Aides .................. 176

Civil Drafters ............................................... 177

Civil Engineering Technicians........................ 178

Claims Examiners, Property and Casualty

Insurance .................................................... 179

Coaches and Scouts ........................................180

Commercial Divers ........................................181

Commercial Pilots ......................................... 183

Computer Support Specialists ......................... 184

Computer, Automated Teller, and Offi ce

Machine Repairers ...................................... 185

Concierges ..................................................... 186

Construction and Building Inspectors ............. 187

Construction Carpenters ................................ 188

Construction Laborers ................................... 190

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers,

Except Mechanical Door ..............................191

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria .................... 192

Cooks, Restaurant.......................................... 193

Coroners ....................................................... 194

Correctional Offi cers and Jailers ..................... 195

Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________

viii 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Correspondence Clerks ................................... 196

Court Clerks ................................................. 197

Court Reporters ............................................. 198

Criminal Investigators and Special Agents ...... 199

Customer Service Representatives ...................200

Demonstrators and Product Promoters ........... 201

Dental Assistants ...........................................202

Dental Hygienists ..........................................203

Desktop Publishers.........................................204

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers ................... 205

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and

Ambulance .................................................206

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers ................ 207

Electrical and Electronics Repairers,

Commercial and Industrial Equipment .......209

Electrical Drafters ......................................... 210

Electrical Engineering Technicians ..................211

Electrical Power-Line Installers

and Repairers ............................................. 212

Electricians ................................................... 213

Electronic Drafters .........................................215

Electronics Engineering Technicians ................216

Elevator Installers and Repairers .....................217

Eligibility Interviewers, Government

Programs .................................................... 218

Embalmers .................................................... 219

Emergency Management Specialists .................221

Emergency Medical Technicians

and Paramedics ..........................................222

Environmental Compliance Inspectors ............223

Environmental Engineering Technicians......... 224

Environmental Science and Protection

Technicians, Including Health ..................... 225

Equal Opportunity Representatives

and Offi cers ................................................ 227

Excavating and Loading Machine and

Dragline Operators .....................................228

Executive Secretaries and Administrative

Assistants ....................................................229

Farmers and Ranchers ...................................230

Fashion Designers ...........................................231

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors,

and Illustrators ........................................... 233

Fire Inspectors ...............................................234

Fire Investigators ........................................... 235

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Agricultural Crop and Horticultural

Workers ...................................................... 236

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Animal

Husbandry and Animal Care Workers ......... 237

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Aquacultural Workers .................................239

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Construction Trades and Extraction

Workers ......................................................240

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Correctional Offi cers ....................................241

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food

Preparation and Serving Workers ................ 242

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Helpers,

Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand ......... 243

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers........... 245

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Landscaping, Lawn Service, and

Groundskeeping Workers ............................. 246

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers ............. 247

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Non-Retail Sales Workers ............................ 248

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Offi ce

and Administrative Support Workers ...........250

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Personal

Service Workers ...........................................251

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Police

and Detectives ............................................ 252

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Production

and Operating Workers ............................... 253

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Retail

Sales Workers .............................................. 254

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of

Transportation and Material-Moving

Machine and Vehicle Operators ................... 255

Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors ........ 257

Flight Attendants .......................................... 258

Food Batchmakers ......................................... 259

Food Science Technicians ...............................260

________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents

ix 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Food Service Managers ...................................261

Forest Fire Fighters ........................................262

Forest Fire Fighting and Prevention

Supervisors .................................................264

Freight and Cargo Inspectors .......................... 265

Funeral Directors .......................................... 266

Gaming Managers ......................................... 267

Gaming Supervisors .......................................268

Gaming Surveillance Offi cers and Gaming

Investigators ................................................269

Geological Sample Test Technicians ................270

Geophysical Data Technicians .........................271

Glaziers ........................................................ 272

Government Property Inspectors

and Investigators ......................................... 274

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and

Cosmetologists ............................................. 275

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers .......... 276

Heating and Air Conditioning Mechanics

and Installers .............................................. 277

Helpers—Brickmasons, Blockmasons,

Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters ... 278

Helpers—Carpenters ..................................... 279

Helpers—Electricians ....................................280

Helpers—Installation, Maintenance, and

Repair Workers ...........................................282

Helpers—Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefi tters,

and Steamfi tters ..........................................283

Highway Maintenance Workers .....................284

Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll

and Timekeeping ........................................ 285

Immigration and Customs Inspectors .............. 286

Industrial Engineering Technicians ................ 287

Industrial Machinery Mechanics ....................288

Industrial Production Managers ....................289

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators .........290

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers,

and Weighers ...............................................291

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling,

and Wall .................................................... 292

Insulation Workers, Mechanical ..................... 293

Insurance Adjusters, Examiners,

and Investigators ......................................... 294

Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage ............... 296

Insurance Claims Clerks ................................ 296

Insurance Policy Processing Clerks .................. 297

Interior Designers ..........................................298

Interpreters and Translators ...........................299

Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan .......300

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material

Movers, Hand ............................................. 301

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers .....302

Legal Secretaries ............................................303

Library Technicians .......................................304

License Clerks ................................................ 305

Licensed Practical and Licensed

Vocational Nurses........................................306

Licensing Examiners and Inspectors ................ 307

Loan Interviewers and Clerks.........................308

Locksmiths and Safe Repairers ........................309

Locomotive Engineers .................................... 310

Locomotive Firers ...........................................311

Lodging Managers ......................................... 312

Machinists .................................................... 313

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General .....314

Maintenance Workers, Machinery ...................316

Makeup Artists, Th eatrical and

Performance ................................................317

Mapping Technicians ..................................... 318

Massage Th erapists......................................... 319

Mates—Ship, Boat, and Barge ......................320

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters

and Trimmers ..............................................321

Mechanical Door Repairers ............................ 322

Mechanical Drafters ...................................... 323

Mechanical Engineering Technicians .............. 324

Medical and Clinical Laboratory

Technicians ................................................. 326

Medical Assistants ......................................... 327

Medical Equipment Preparers ........................ 328

Medical Equipment Repairers ........................ 329

Medical Records and Health Information

Technicians .................................................330

Medical Secretaries .........................................331

Medical Transcriptionists ............................... 332

Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________

x 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Merchandise Displayers and Window

Trimmers .................................................... 333

Millwrights ................................................... 334

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics,

Except Engines ............................................ 335

Motorboat Mechanics .................................... 336

Motorcycle Mechanics .................................... 337

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators,

and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ................... 338

Municipal Clerks ..........................................340

Municipal Fire Fighters ..................................341

Municipal Fire Fighting and Prevention

Supervisors .................................................342

Nuclear Equipment Operation Technicians ....343

Nuclear Medicine Technologists .....................344

Nuclear Monitoring Technicians .................... 346

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators .................. 347

Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants ......348

Occupational Th erapist Assistants ...................349

Offi ce Clerks, General ................................... 350

Operating Engineers and Other Construction

Equipment Operators ...................................351

Painters, Construction and Maintenance ....... 352

Painters, Transportation Equipment .............. 354

Paralegals and Legal Assistants ....................... 355

Parts Salespersons .......................................... 356

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks ..................... 357

Pest Control Workers ..................................... 358

Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators,

Vegetation ................................................... 359

Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refi nery

Operators, and Gaugers...............................360

Pharmacy Technicians ....................................361

Photographers................................................362

Physical Th erapist Aides .................................363

Physical Th erapist Assistants ...........................364

Pile-Driver Operators .................................... 365

Pilots, Ship.................................................... 366

Pipe Fitters and Steamfi tters .......................... 367

Pipelayers ...................................................... 369

Plasterers and Stucco Masons ......................... 370

Plumbers ........................................................371

Police Detectives ............................................ 372

Police Identifi cation and Records Offi cers ....... 373

Police Patrol Offi cers ..................................... 374

Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers ........ 375

Postal Service Clerks ...................................... 376

Postal Service Mail Carriers ........................... 377

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and

Processing Machine Operators ..................... 378

Postmasters and Mail Superintendents ........... 379

Power Plant Operators ..................................380

Preschool Teachers, Except Special

Education ....................................................381

Private Detectives and Investigators ................382

Production, Planning, and Expediting

Clerks .........................................................384

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail,

and Farm Products ..................................... 385

Radiation Th erapists ...................................... 386

Radiologic Technicians .................................. 387

Radiologic Technologists .................................389

Rail Car Repairers .........................................390

Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators,

and Hostlers ................................................391

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters............ 392

Real Estate Brokers ........................................ 393

Real Estate Sales Agents ................................. 394

Receptionists and Information Clerks .............. 395

Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians......... 396

Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers ........... 397

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors .......399

Registered Nurses ...........................................399

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers .............. 401

Reservation and Transportation Ticket

Agents and Travel Clerks .............................402

Residential Advisors .......................................403

Respiratory Th erapists ....................................404

Roofers .......................................................... 405

Rough Carpenters .......................................... 407

Sailors and Marine Oilers .............................408

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and

Manufacturing, Except Technical and

Scientifi c Products .......................................409

________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents

xi 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and

Manufacturing, Technical and Scientifi c

Products ..................................................... 410

Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical,

and Executive ..............................................411

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers ...... 412

Security Guards .............................................414

Self-Enrichment Education Teachers ...............414

Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe

Cleaners ......................................................416

Sheet Metal Workers .......................................417

Sheriff s and Deputy Sheriff s ........................... 418

Ship and Boat Captains ................................. 419

Ship Engineers ..............................................420

Shipping, Receiving, and Traffi c Clerks ..........422

Skin Care Specialists ..................................... 423

Slaughterers and Meat Packers ....................... 424

Social and Human Service Assistants .............. 425

Social Science Research Assistants ................... 426

Solderers and Brazers .................................... 427

Sound Engineering Technicians .....................428

Statement Clerks ...........................................429

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators .....430

Statistical Assistants ........................................431

Stonemasons .................................................. 432

Storage and Distribution Managers ............... 433

Structural Iron and Steel Workers .................. 435

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters ........ 436

Subway and Streetcar Operators .................... 437

Surgical Technologists ....................................438

Surveying Technicians ...................................439

Talent Directors ............................................440

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders ............... 441

Tapers ...........................................................442

Teacher Assistants ..........................................443

Team Assemblers ............................................444

Technical Directors/Managers ........................ 445

Telecommunications Equipment Installers

and Repairers, Except Line Installers ............ 447

Telecommunications Line Installers

and Repairers .............................................448

Tellers ...........................................................449

Tile and Marble Setters ................................. 450

Tire Repairers and Changers ...........................451

Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers .... 452

Tour Guides and Escorts ................................ 453

Transportation Managers ............................... 454

Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and

Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation .............. 456

Tree Trimmers and Pruners ........................... 457

Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer ...... 458

Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services ........ 459

Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports

Offi cials ......................................................460

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians .........461

Vocational Education Teachers,

Postsecondary ..............................................462

Water and Liquid Waste Treatment Plant

and System Operators.................................. 463

Welders, Cutters, and Welder Fitters ..............464

Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm

Products ..................................................... 465

Index ...........................................................467

1

Introduction

We kept this Introduction short to encourage you to actually read it. For this reason, we

don’t provide many details on the technical issues involved in creating the job lists or

descriptions. Instead, we give you short explanations to help you understand and use the

information the book provides for career exploration or planning. We think this brief and

user-oriented approach makes sense for most people who will use this book.

Why We Created This Book

Several years ago we wrote a book titled Best Jobs for the 21st Century. It was very well

received and has since been revised several times. It covers all major jobs at all levels of

education and training and includes only those with the best combined rankings for

earnings, projected growth rate, and number of job openings. It is a very good book for

those who want to consider jobs at all levels of education and training, but over one-third of

the jobs included require a four-year college degree or higher.

So we decided that the world needs a good book for the many people who want to get ahead

or change jobs, but who do not have a four-year college degree and are not planning to

obtain one in the next few years.

Th is is that book.

Where the Information Comes From

Th e information we used in creating this book comes from three major government sources:

Th e U.S. Department of Labor: We used several data sources to construct the

information we put into this book. We started with the jobs included in the U.S.

Department of Labor’s O*NET database. Th e O*NET includes information on about

950 occupations and is now the primary source of detailed information on occupations.

Th e Labor Department updates the O*NET on a regular basis, and we used the most

recent one available, version 13. Because we also wanted to include earnings, growth,

and number of openings—information not included in the O*NET—we used sources

at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Th e Occupational

Employment Statistics survey provided the most reliable fi gures on earnings we could

Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________

2 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree © JIST Works

obtain, and the Employment Projections program provided the nation’s best fi gures on

job growth and openings. Th ese two BLS programs use a slightly diff erent system of job

titles than the O*NET does, but we were able to link the BLS data to all of the O*NET

job titles we used to develop this book.

Th e U.S. Census Bureau: Data on the demographic characteristics of workers came

from the Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Th is

includes our information about the proportion of workers in each job who are men and

women, are self-employed, or work part time. As with the BLS data, we had to match

slightly diff erent sets of job titles, but we were able to identify CPS data for almost all the

O*NET jobs.

Th e U.S. Department of Education: We used the Classifi cation of Instructional

Programs, a system developed by the U.S. Department of Education, to cross-reference

the education or training programs related to each job.

Of course, information in a database format can be boring and even confusing, so we did

many things to help make the data useful and present it to you in a form that is easy to

understand.

How the 300 Best Jobs Were Selected

Th e “Th is Is a Big Book, But It Is Very Easy to Use” section at the beginning of this book

gives a brief description of how we selected the jobs we include in this book. Here are a few

more details:

1. We began by creating our own database of information from the O*NET, the Census

Bureau, and other sources to include the information we wanted. Th is database covers

about 950 job titles at all levels of education and training. Of these, 638 require up to

but not more than a two-year associate degree—including those requiring short-term

to long-term on-the-job training, work experience in a related fi eld, or postsecondary

vocational training.

2. We eliminated 86 O*NET jobs for which we lacked useful information, plus an

additional 14 jobs that are expected to employ fewer than 500 workers per year and to

shrink rather than grow in workforce size. We also removed 54 jobs because they have

annual earnings of less than $20,920, which means that 75% of workers earn more than

the workers in these jobs.

3. We ranked the remaining 484 jobs three times, based on these major criteria: median

annual earnings, projected growth through 2016, and number of job openings projected

per year.

4. We then added the three numerical rankings for each job to calculate its overall score.

5. To emphasize jobs that tend to pay more, are likely to grow more rapidly, and have more

job openings, we selected the 300 job titles with the best total overall scores.