What are good job opportunity for someone without a college degree

[gavinsiu]

I have a relative who worked with the family framing business for a while but that has been shutdown due to corvid, so he's been looking for work. I was wondering what job ideas for someone without a college degree. Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues. He has considered finishing the degree but is short on money and want to see if he can find a job that offers tuition reinburstments. I was wondering if the forum have some good ideas on jobs without a degree?

Note:
A few most mentioned I might have given the impression that the relative may be some sort of deadbeat. This is not the case here. he has been actively looking for work but is not entirely sure what he wants to do.

Update
After a year of searching and doing free training, the relative was able to find a job. Will see how well this job turns out but it seems more promising than the previous jobs.

[stan1]

Moving from unemployment to a job with tuition reimbursement might be a leap. It might limit his options if what he really needs is relevant work experience on his resume even moreso than a degree.

Some employers will help with education once they see that an employee has potential. Other employers don't do it at all. So he's been unemployed for most of the last 3 years? What is his undergraduate area of study? Was he doing construction framing (of houses) or picture framing (of art work)?

I'd definitely encourage him and see if there are ways to finish his degree since he has 3 years in. An online program that will accept transfer course work is better than no degree. I have several employees who have been working on their degrees for decades using Southern New Hampshire University right now to finish. Is it anyone's preferred choice? No but it helps people achieve an important goal and it checks a box that certain employers will screen for.

[tashnewbie]

I agree with user above.

If he was doing construction framing, there probably are plentiful opportunities available.

What are his marketable skillsets? What does he consider a "good" job?

Does he have any desire to pursue skilled trades?

[Glockenspiel]

Was he doing construction framing for buildings/houses? Does he want to continue doing trade work? Is he handy with tools? Is he a good communicator? Does he have computer skills?

I have seen a lot of advertisements for trades people where companies will pay for your training and education once you're hired. These could be great opportunities paying $30-$50/hour once fully trained. These include HVAC installers, electrician, plumbing, construction, etc.

Does he consider a $30-$50/hr job a "good job"?

[adamthesmythe]

I agree with user above.

If he was doing construction framing, there probably are plentiful opportunities available.

Major, major opportunities now in construction and skilled trades. See for example

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/06/11585765 ... are-scarce

Even if it WAS picture framing a demonstrated degree of manual skill will help

[Glockenspiel]

Even if it WAS picture framing a demonstrated degree of manual skill will help

I agree. The desire to take the job and the experience of working with manual tools and it should be easy to find a job.

[Jack FFR1846]

Three immediately come to mind.

Welding. Schools exist where one can learn the breadth of welding types and skills. One of my sons went through an 8 month program.

HVAC: Again, technical schools specialize in this trade.

Truck Driving: Getting the specific needed license can sometimes be done by the employer. Depends.

Delivery places: Amazon, FedEx, UPS, post office. In my area, all are looking for people. No, he won't become a driver right away as this is a position one needs to work up to.

Moving places near me have signs out looking for people.

[FirstGenInvestor]

Sales

I work for a company related to the construction industry and plenty of our Outside Sales Reps don’t have any college education. Certain industries will of course require a degree, but I’ve had sales jobs at 3 different companies in my career and there have always been reps without college degrees. They might not get to immediately step into a flashy Tech Sales role, but there’s plenty of companies, especially if they can find one construction related, that are willing to hire someone without a degree.

[backpacker61]

It can be cyclical, but there can be abundant opportunities in the oilfield drilling/fracking industry.

A CDL can be a good entry point. If you search on 'Eagle Ford Shale jobs', 'Permian Basin jobs', or 'Bakken Shale jobs', some references will surface, if interested.

[stoptothink]

It can be cyclical, but there can be abundant opportunities in the oilfield drilling/fracking industry.

My brother did not graduate high school then spent 7yrs in the army, got out and started working for Halliburton. He worked all over the world for about 15yrs then was laid off early in '20 and was unable to get another job until summer '22. That was a pretty scary two years. It's very cyclical (he has gotten multiple friends and relatives jobs in the industry, all got out in a few years after being laid off) and the work environment definitely is not for everybody, but he makes fantastic money for someone with no education. He's currently working in the Vernal, Utah area and told me he'll likely make >$300k this year.

[khangaroo]

+1 for construction. I'm in the industry and there is a severe need for labor in all disciplines.

I would recommend looking for a union shop so that he can go through the apprenticeship program and get trained and educated. They're always eager for former college students to join the ranks.

[rockstar]

Police. Fire. Military. Real estate.

My friends that are doing the best without a degree are either police or fire. Great pensions depending where you serve.

[Normchad]

I know a fellow who does auto painting in a collision repair shop. He says guys can make good money doing this if they can shop up everyday, be willing to learn, and stay clean.

My impression was that a six figure income was possible after 3-4 years. I don’t know any more than that though……

[livelovelaugh00]

Plummers make very good money.

[Yooper]

There are lots of non-traditional jobs that don't require college degrees, many well paying. But he'll have to dig around a bit and decide what he'd like to do. I read the following article last fall and it immediately reminded me of this fact: Master Master farriers are ‘aging out’ https://www.freep.com/in-depth/news/loc ... 539289007/ .

[Sandtrap]

I have a relative who worked with the family framing business for a while but that has been shutdown due to corvid, so he's been looking for work. I was wondering what job ideas for someone without a college degree. Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues. He has considered finishing the degree but is short on money and want to see if he can find a job that offers tuition reinburstments. I was wondering if the forum have some good ideas on jobs without a degree?

To OP:
Questions:
1. What is this person's level of ambition?
Financial and life.
From mildly interested in things, able to work 40 hours a week. . . . must have days off. . leave time. . vacations. . .>>> to ruthless unlimited effort (Navy Seal)?

2. What are this person's skill sets? and "Talents"?
Great carpenter
Great computer gamer
great?

3. What are this person's passions in which 100's of hours per week can be devoted to those passions without thought of lack of compensation but for the love and personal rewards. . .?

j

[tibbitts]

I have a relative who worked with the family framing business for a while but that has been shutdown due to corvid, so he's been looking for work. I was wondering what job ideas for someone without a college degree. Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues. He has considered finishing the degree but is short on money and want to see if he can find a job that offers tuition reinburstments. I was wondering if the forum have some good ideas on jobs without a degree?

I'm wondering... when you say shut down due to Covid, wouldn't that have been a couple of years ago? I didn't think construction trades (I'm assuming that kind of framing) were as affected by Covid as other occupations? How long has this person been without work?

[hoofaman]

What skills does this person have?

Someone with the right skills can make 500k working for a big tech company without having a degree

Someone with a masters in xyz might only be able to find a job paying $12/h

[quantAndHold]

This really isn’t answerable without more information. Presumably this person is an adult, and has had jobs before. What skills does he have?

There is really very little out there that is at a high enough level to have benefits, that doesn’t require some skills or training up front, except possibly the military.

Presumably, if he hasn’t been working, his income would be low enough to get financial aid. Maybe he should just finish school.

[machineboy]

The Maritime sector has been hit hard by both Covid and an aging workforce. As long as you can pass a DOT drug test there are lots of jobs available and plenty of opportunity to progress in your career.

[Wannaretireearly]

Options trader? Poker player? General hustler?

[whodidntante]

I just can't recommend crime scene cleanup enough, but here are a few ideas.

Bouncer
Youtuber
Mystery shopper
Automotive logistics
Used car peddler
Private investigator
Purveyor of rare cognac
Online sales for lazy people
Crime scene cleanup
Poker player
Financial advisor
Professional gamer
Home appraiser
Surveyor
Donkey wholesaler
Auto mechanic
Farmland owner
Chicken catcher
Clothing importer
Flight instructor
Personal trainer
Distiller
Jerker of beef
Tax return preparer if you're weird

[Blue456]

Any .gov job with a pension. Start looking here:

https://www.usajobs.gov

[X528]

"Someone with the right skills can make 500k working for a big tech company without having a degree."

What are the right skills? Please elaborate. I would like to learn these skills too.

[WoodSpinner]

OP,

One area that he might consider is RV Repair Technician. Huge demand, not enough technicians, significant opportunity.

[sphinx2020]

Regulated electric and gas utilities have a need for skilled workers and offer apprenticeship programs for various trades. They will occasionally promote blue collar workers into management positions and offer tuition reimbursement programs. I know licensed civil and electrical engineers who wish they had skipped college and went straight into a lineman training program instead!

[Cruise]

Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues.

What kind of personal issues? I was going to recommend police work, but if criminality or mental health issues were involved in his personal issues, better that he look elsewhere.

[ScubaHogg]

Trades seem like the obvious answer (plumber, electrician, HVAC, etc.)

[enad]

There is a shortage of people in the skilled trades i.e. plumber, electrician, carpentry (including general framing), welding, etc ...

[Northern Flicker]

I have a relative who worked with the family framing business for a while but that has been shutdown due to corvid, so he's been looking for work. I was wondering what job ideas for someone without a college degree. Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues. He has considered finishing the degree but is short on money and want to see if he can find a job that offers tuition reinburstments. I was wondering if the forum have some good ideas on jobs without a degree?

One option might be becoming an Americorps volunteer, which includes tuition benefits when done.

[aboose]

I didn't read th whole thread so not sure if it's already suggested, but Starbucks has a very generous tuition reimbursement plan even for their baristas./

[AnnetteLouisan]

Commission sales seems like an obvious one: real estate, cars, furniture, high end clothing. Finishing the degree though is a lot less work than going through life without a degree.

[blueberrypi]

Starbucks, Walmart I believe both cover college tuition at certain schools. Maybe some other big companies as well, not sure. Couldn't hurt to finish the degree even if you decide to go in a different direction. I agree with previous poster about working for a utility. I can't think of a job that will be more in demand in the future with the increase in severe weather and stress on the grid. I recall reading a piece on CNBC Make It where a guy was pulling in 200k in that job, in the midwest.

[Freetime76]

1. If the degree was started much beyond just a semester…, finish it (eventually) before credits expire.
2. If not motivated, can’t help this person.
3. If *motivated* - you can do just about anything .

Sales - you’re evaluated on how much money you bring in. Doesn’t matter if never finished high school or have a law degree. It’s about people, attitude, and selling value of the product,

Real estate agent - becoming a realtor is inexpensive. If you work hard, are good at it, and can stick it out long enough, you can make it. If you dabble only, nevermind,

Handyman. You have to be motivated, I think I mentioned that.

Try a different facet of carpentry.

Lowes, Ace Hardware, Home Depot hire experienced tradespeople.

HVAC/plumbing/electrical (non-union = no dues, no bs)…I know companies that will train, good pay and basically they want someone who will 1. Show up on time. 2. Not quit in a week. 3. Pass a drug test. 4. Stay off the cell phone while on the job, 4. Can learn and be polite. Of course, that person is a unicorn it seems.

Be careful of the “pseudo-trades” … like emergency services type companies, air duct cleaning, home security system sales… these are low pay, commission-based (and it’s low), not best choice in my opinion.

[gavinsiu]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. This person apparently had a hard time in college with some of the teachers. I don't know the full details, but a friend's daughter had the same issue a while back and had to switch colleges. He doesn't have any mental issues. He's been working for a while in his parent's framing business so he probably has some skills with framing, and art restoration, but those might not be high in demand skills. His degree was in music.

I am not sure what he wants to do, but is trying to help him with some ideas. The Starbucks idea is actually not too bad, so are retail things like Ace. He doesn't like the idea of retail, but frankly if I was in his shoe I would git and bear it for a few years on jobs I don't like if it will get me to the next milestone. I feel that he is motivated, but not as motivated as I would be in his shoe. He's not too ambitious on career, he just want a good living I guess. Getting the degree for example may pass some resume requirement hurdles.

He did recently work on a warehouse type job but found this particular job too grueing and kept injuring his back.

[OnTrack2020]

Truck driver. The process to obtain a CDL takes a while in terms of studying for the test. And it would be great if he could get an entry level job for a company that also needs truck drivers and has a CDL trainer on staff--that way the company provides the necessary training on their trucks. I'm not talking long-haul trucking, but rather same-day product delivery.

[Enjoy11]

An entry level job with a big company in which he can train and advance. He’ll probably start on the phones.

Although bouncer and chicken catcher sound good, too.

[Watty]

Note that he has 3 years of college but dropped out due to some personal issues. He has considered finishing the degree but is short on money and want to see if he can find a job that offers tuition reinburstments. I was wondering if the forum have some good ideas on jobs without a degree?

Some jobs with a university will allow you to take classes for free.

One thing that he should look into is that there may be a time limit to how long he has to finish his degree. I don't remember the details but someone I knew in college had left and then returned to college and at that college the credits needed to graduate needed to be within ten years.

He had first attended college ten years ago so he was losing credits for classes he had taken at the same rate that he was earning new credits. He was able to get a special waiver from the college administration so it could use the older credits.

In addition to the age of the credits the requirements for a degree can change over time so that there may different required classes that he would need to take.

[cjcerny]

Post office or TSA. Lots of hours the first few years, but the benefits are great once you get past that. Any college or university job like groundskeeping or facilities maintenance where there is a free tuition benefit for all of your children is also a good gig. Jobs like those usually only pay $17-$20 an hour but the benefits are a lot better than you will find elsewhere. Local or state goverment jobs are also good that way. 18 year old son has a part time lifeguard job with our city and he has a pension.

[quantAndHold]

A friend’s kid does art restoration, but apparently that requires a masters degree.

There are a lot of good suggestions for skilled trades here, but they all require up front training of some sort, and he might want to get a gym membership to get strong enough to keep from getting hurt.

If he can’t do warehouse work, then food service (Starbucks) is probably not going to work either. The most physically demanding jobs I ever had were in food service. Lots of heavy lifting. Worse than working for UPS.

[leeks]

Electrician.

A local company will pay for trade school while working as an apprentice.
I have seen some articles about shortages of electricians.

Indeed.com has 26 "electrician apprentice" or "electrical apprentice" jobs listed in my city.

An excerpt of one listing as an example:
"[company] is seeking motivated, career-minded Electrical Apprentices to join our team! Electrical Apprentices work under the supervision of licensed electricians in the residential, service, and commercial electrical industry. These individuals are offered the opportunity to work in the field while attending school through our Department of Labor approved Apprenticeship Program to further your education and obtain State Certification. [company] offers a very extensive tuition reimbursement program for our apprenticeship program."

Here's an other excerpt from a similar listing, this one listed salary as $32.60/hour for the training program including full benefits.
"Upon successful completion of a 4-year apprenticeship, candidates will receive a Journeyman’s card in the Instrument Electrician classifications and an applied science associate’s degree in technical studies from [local] Community College. During the course of the program, apprentices will be expected to work on the job training on their assigned shift and attend classes at [local] Community College during non-work hours in order to satisfy the educational requirements of the program. All educational expenses will be provided as part of the program. Apprentices will learn process control, electrical techniques and general work processes of the manufacturing environment.

The local HVAC companies are also all advertising right now and offering on-the-job training.

[Gort]

deleted

[Point]

He may find opportunities here, including scholarships for training: https://www.mikeroweworks.org

[Northern Flicker]

Computer-aided manufacturing and/or computer-aided drafting, which primarily consists of using CAD software and/or programming and operating CNC machining/fabrication systems, generally are 1-year certificate programs at a community college or other school. The job market for it is good. Salaries seem to be $65-75K in MCOL areas. My understanding is that there has been concern about a shortage of computer-aided machining specialists due to the sizable fraction of machinists who are 55+ in age and retiring or due to retire in the foreseeable future.

This online course would be a free introduction to it to see if it is a good fit before starting a program:

https://www.coursera.org/specialization ... ufacturing

[tc101]

A pipe burst in a doctor’s house. He called a plumber. The plumber arrived, unpacked his tools, did mysterious plumber-type things for a while, and handed the doctor a bill for $600.

The doctor exclaimed, “This is ridiculous! I don’t even make that much as a doctor!”

The plumber waited for him to finish and quietly said, “Neither did I when I was a doctor.”

[DoubleComma]

I just can't recommend crime scene cleanup enough, but here are a few ideas.

Bouncer
Youtuber
Mystery shopper
Automotive logistics
Used car peddler
Private investigator
Purveyor of rare cognac
Online sales for lazy people
Crime scene cleanup
Poker player
Financial advisor
Professional gamer
Home appraiser
Surveyor
Donkey wholesaler
Auto mechanic
Farmland owner
Chicken catcher
Clothing importer
Flight instructor
Personal trainer
Distiller
Jerker of beef
Tax return preparer if you're weird

Donkey wholesaler might require a degree now, this isn’t 2019 after all.

[whodidntante]

I just can't recommend crime scene cleanup enough, but here are a few ideas.

Bouncer
Youtuber
Mystery shopper
Automotive logistics
Used car peddler
Private investigator
Purveyor of rare cognac
Online sales for lazy people
Crime scene cleanup
Poker player
Financial advisor
Professional gamer
Home appraiser
Surveyor
Donkey wholesaler
Auto mechanic
Farmland owner
Chicken catcher
Clothing importer
Flight instructor
Personal trainer
Distiller
Jerker of beef
Tax return preparer if you're weird

Donkey wholesaler might require a degree now, this isn’t 2019 after all.

Donkey law is not governed by reason.

[bampf]

"Someone with the right skills can make 500k working for a big tech company without having a degree."

What are the right skills? Please elaborate. I would like to learn these skills too.

Not meant to be snarky, but, if you have to ask, you don't have them. And you can't just take a class or two and have them. It is generally a deep and abiding understanding and or passion for technology. Its a little like asking what skills do I need to be a surgeon so I can get $500k. Yes, you don't need a degree. Except you really kind of do unless you are very very good already. You do need a very deep understanding of how things work and the impact on the estate when they don't.

On the other hand you can make $100k quite easily with fairly rudimentary skills in technology.

Happy to discuss more, but, we would be hijacking the thread. Suggest starting another thread or PM as you wish.

[Jeepergeo]

Have him check out Mike Rowe Works. Google it.

Mike Rowe identifies all sorts of jobs that are unlikely to be replaced by AI bots.

[Normchad]

Electrician.

A local company will pay for trade school while working as an apprentice.
I have seen some articles about shortages of electricians.

Indeed.com has 26 "electrician apprentice" or "electrical apprentice" jobs listed in my city.

An excerpt of one listing as an example:
"[company] is seeking motivated, career-minded Electrical Apprentices to join our team! Electrical Apprentices work under the supervision of licensed electricians in the residential, service, and commercial electrical industry. These individuals are offered the opportunity to work in the field while attending school through our Department of Labor approved Apprenticeship Program to further your education and obtain State Certification. [company] offers a very extensive tuition reimbursement program for our apprenticeship program."

Here's an other excerpt from a similar listing, this one listed salary as $32.60/hour for the training program including full benefits.
"Upon successful completion of a 4-year apprenticeship, candidates will receive a Journeyman’s card in the Instrument Electrician classifications and an applied science associate’s degree in technical studies from [local] Community College. During the course of the program, apprentices will be expected to work on the job training on their assigned shift and attend classes at [local] Community College during non-work hours in order to satisfy the educational requirements of the program. All educational expenses will be provided as part of the program. Apprentices will learn process control, electrical techniques and general work processes of the manufacturing environment.

The local HVAC companies are also all advertising right now and offering on-the-job training.

That’s a terrific suggestion. My neighbor is a commercial electrician and sings the praises of the field, the benefits, and the apprenticeship and training programs.