For the past two decades kids in schools have been told that they need to go on to college in order to further their education and increase their earning potential. For several years families, schools and society perpetuated this idea that going to college and earning a bachelor’s degree was the only way to chase the American Dream. 

Then, the Great Recession hit and suddenly people graduating from college were scrambling, not to find their dream job but any job at all. A college degree no longer guaranteed a great paying job and high salary. However, the institutions that kept pushing for college didn’t see that their message wasn’t working. As the times have changed many people are realizing that there are careers that don’t involve college degrees.

Career Alternatives to College

There are plenty of alternative career paths that one can take without going to college that can be lucrative and rewarding.

• Fire Fighting
  • Firefighters need to be able to pass a physical fitness and written test
  • Firefighters also enjoy having an incredibly low unemployment rate and a good balance of work and home life
  • Average Salary: $52,500
  • Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
  • New Jobs by 2030: 30,000
• Restaurant Cook
  • Most cooks can be self taught or learn on the job
  • Cooks can have a lot of creative freedom in their jobs and the field has a ton of upward movement available 
  • Average Salary: $30,000
  • Unemployment Rate: 16%
  • New Jobs by 2030: 560,000
• Electrician
  • Electricians work in a master and apprentice relationship where new electricians can learn from someone who is an expert
  • With extensive experience electricians can specialize in several different fields
  • Average Salary: $57,000
  • Unemployment Rate: 6%
  • New Jobs by 2030: 66,000
• Insurance Sales Agent
  • Being a sales agent allows for people to work in close proximity with others and to be social
  • The insurance industry allows for a wide variety of different fields and specializations
  • Average Salary: $52,000
  • Unemployment Rate: 4%
  • New Jobs by 2030: 36,000
• Semi Truck Drivers
  • Semi truck drivers can work after earning the CDL (commercial driver’s license)
  • Truck drivers also have the ability to set their own routes, make their own schedule and travel to new places
  • Average Salary: $80,000
  • Unemployment Rate: 5%
  • New Jobs by 2030: 118,000

The simple fact of the matter is that there are several career paths that can offer low unemployment, great benefits, good salaries and have a lot of upward mobility that don’t require any college education. The most promising of these fields is the profession of driving semi trucks, while the average salary is $80,000, drivers who own their own trucks can earn more than $200,000.

Semi Truck Financing

If the field of semi truck driving sounds fun and exciting and you want to see if you can make $200,000 a year without taking on insane student debt then trucking may be for you! The best way to start off your journey is to get your CDL and then to talk to a semi truck financing expert.