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. The 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 find information that most interests you.
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 300 Best 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 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 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 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 $17.95 Higher in Canada 800-648-JIST | www.jist.com 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 1300 Best Jobs Without a Four Year Degree Cover.indd 1 1/7/09 9:58:07 AM1/7/09 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 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 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: info@jist.com Web site: www.jist.com Some Other Books by the Authors Michael Farr 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: 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 T his 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. e fi rst list in Part I is called “ e 300 Best Jobs 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. 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. 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 Classi 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— e Best Jobs Lists: Jobs at Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree. Very useful for exploring career options! Lists are arranged into easy-to-use groups. 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. e column starting at right presents all the list titles. Starts on page 17. Part II— 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 e 300 Best Jobs at Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree 19 e 100 Best-Paying Jobs at Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree 29 e 100 Fastest-Growing Jobs at Don’t Require a Four-Year Degree 32 e 100 Jobs with the Most Openings 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 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 rough Apprenticeship Training 118 e 50 Best Jobs rough Apprenticeship .119 Best Jobs rough Military Training . 120 e 50 Best Jobs 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, eatrical and Performance 317 Mapping Technicians . 318 Massage 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