About half of the United States makes less than $50,000 per year. That may come as a shock to some that are just getting started as professionals only to find that their prospects of making a good salary are limited.
Fortunately, there are ways to ensure a good income for yourself. One of the best ways is to pick a profession that requires limited schooling and has high average earnings.
In this post, we share a handful of trade jobs that check those boxes, all of which make for excellent careers.
1. HVAC Technicians
No matter where you live, chances are it gets hot outside. When that heat strikes, you better believe that people are going to hop on the phone and call an HVAC technician.
HVAC technicians go to school for anywhere from six months to two years. There, they learn the ins and outs of how air conditioners and heating units work so they can repair them, install them, and ultimately make effective house calls.
HVAC techs can make over $50,000 per year depending on where they’re based.
2. Plumbers
Just about every house features some sort of plumbing. What’s more, plumbing has a tendency to run into problems from time to time and the average American doesn’t have the skills or the will to climb under a house and remedy the issue.
Hence the importance of plumbers.
Like HVAC techs, plumbers are subjected to a limited trade school program that prepares them to work on residential and commercial jobs. Depending on where you work, you could make over 90K per year in this profession.
3. Construction Managers
Building residential and commercial buildings requires a lot of organization. Most of that structure comes from a construction manager.
While there are trade programs that exist which train people to be managers of construction projects, most professionals start as construction workers and then move their way up into a managerial role.
Schooling that’s required for this trade jobs favorite is limited and in some cases, isn’t necessary at all.
An expert construction manager can pull in well over six figures. That high pay and low schooling requirement has made hopping over to this job one of the hottest engineering trends we’re seeing professionals in that niche embrace.
4. Dental Hygienists
If you’ve ever been to the dentist, you’ve met a dental hygienist. They’re the ones that do your cleaning, assist with X-rays of your mouth, and take notes.
While not a glamorous job, hygienists can easily make 80K+ depending on the state they’re in.
5. Landscape Designers
For those of you that love working with plants, flowers, and lawns, consider a career as a landscape designer. Working with landscapes is a trade you can learn at most trade schools and both residential and commercial customers are always in need of landscaping work.
A good landscape designer can pull in over 80K per year.
Trade Jobs Are Relatively Easy to Get and Can Be Very Lucrative
You hear stories all the time of people with degrees that can’t find work. Rather than investing tens of thousands of dollars in schooling, why not pick up trade jobs that pay just as much money as degree-requiring gigs?
We hope the insight we’ve shared gets the wheels turning in your head and welcome you to explore more of the content we have on our blog for additional insight.
