If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree but want to earn a lot, you could consider becoming an air traffic controller, a nuclear power reactor operator, or a diagnostic medical sonographer.
To get a sense of good options for those who don’t have or want a four-year degree, Business Insider ranked median annual wages of jobs that usually just need an associate degree, a high school diploma or the equivalent, a postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Based on May 2025 pay data, about a dozen jobs that typically don’t need a bachelor’s degree had a median annual wage in the six figures.
Air traffic controllers had a median annual wage of $148,080. BLS said prospective controllers can qualify with an associate degree through an air traffic collegiate training initiative program. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers were another high-paying job, and interested job seekers may need no more than a high school diploma.
Below are the 25 highest-paying jobs that typically don’t require a bachelor’s or more advanced degree. Employment and pay estimates are for 2025, and the education needed for entry reflects 2024.
24 (tie). Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
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24 (tie). Signal and track switch repairers
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23. Gambling managers
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22. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
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21. Detectives and criminal investigators
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20. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
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19. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
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18. Diagnostic medical sonographers
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17. Postmasters and mail superintendents
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16. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
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15. Makeup artists, theatrical and performance
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14. Dental hygienists
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13. Nuclear medicine technologists
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12. Power plant operators
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11. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
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10. Radiation therapists
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9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
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8. Power distributors and dispatchers
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7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
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6. Ship engineers
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5. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
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4. Nuclear technicians
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3. Nuclear power reactor operators
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2. Commercial pilots
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1. Air traffic controllers
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