All careers
424 careers in the United States, grouped by field.
Health
102Doctors
25Allergist and ImmunologistThirteen years of training for one of the calmest schedules in medicine.Typical pay$266kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodAnesthesiologistYou keep people alive and unaware while someone else operates. Twelve years of training, and among the highest pay in medicine.Typical pay$391kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandGoodCardiologistA heart doctor who diagnoses and treats heart disease, often without ever opening the chest.Typical pay$496kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandGoodDermatologistA doctor for skin, hair and nails. Very well paid, and one of the hardest residencies to get.Typical pay$329kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandGoodEmergency PhysicianYou take whatever comes through the door, in the order it arrives. Eleven years of training for a job measured in shifts.Typical pay$336kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandGoodEndocrinologistThe doctor for hormones: diabetes, thyroid, bones, growth. A long training path for a job that is mostly thinking and talking.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodFamily DoctorEleven years of training, then a career looking after the same people from birth to old age.Typical pay$244kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandGoodGastroenterologistThe doctor for everything between the mouth and the other end. Fourteen years of training, and one of the best paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandVery highGeriatricianA doctor for people in their eighties and nineties, where the hard part is fewer pills, not more.Typical pay$244kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandVery highHematologistThe blood doctor. Leukemia, lymphoma, clots, anemia and transfusions, with a microscope on the desk and thirteen years of training behind you.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandVery highInfectious Disease DoctorThe doctor other doctors call when nobody can work out what the infection is. Thirteen years of training for one of medicine's lower paydays.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateInternal Medicine DoctorThe adult body, all of it, and the complicated patients nobody else can sort out. Eleven years of training.Typical pay$257kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandVery highNephrologistThe kidney doctor. Thirteen years of training, then you keep people alive on dialysis and get them to transplant.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateNeurologistThe brain and nerve doctor who does not operate. Strokes, seizures, migraines, multiple sclerosis. Twelve years of training and a shortage almost everywhere.Typical pay$249kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandVery highObstetrician-GynecologistDelivers babies and treats everything from fertility to cancer of the reproductive organs. Twelve years of training, surgery, clinic, and births at 3am.Typical pay$293kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandModerateOncologistThe cancer doctor. Thirteen years of training, some of the hardest conversations in medicine, and a field that gets better almost every year.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandVery highPalliative Care DoctorTreat pain, breathlessness and fear in people with serious illness, and help them decide what happens next.Typical pay$236kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandGoodPathologistThe doctor who names the disease. You read tissue and lab results, and other doctors act on what you write.Typical pay$312kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModeratePediatricianThe family doctor for children, from newborn checkups to teenagers. Eleven years of training, and the lowest pay of any doctor on this list.Typical pay$210kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandModeratePsychiatristA medical doctor for the mind. Twelve years of training, and the only mental health job that can prescribe in every state.Typical pay$282kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandVery highRadiation OncologistA cancer doctor who treats with radiation beams instead of a scalpel. Thirteen years of training for one of the highest paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$421kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateRadiologistYou read the scans other doctors order, and your report is what decides the next move.Typical pay$421kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateRespirologistThe lung doctor, called a pulmonologist in the United States. Thirteen years of training, and you often run the intensive care unit as well.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodRheumatologistThe doctor for joints and the immune system: arthritis, lupus, gout, vasculitis. Thirteen years of training, then a career of long puzzles.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodSports Medicine DoctorYou keep athletes moving and get them back after injury. It is a full medical degree first, then a residency, then a fellowship.Typical pay$266kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModerate
Surgeons
12Cardiac SurgeonOperate on hearts. The longest training on this site, and near the top of the pay scale.Typical pay$414kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateEar, Nose and Throat SurgeonEars, sinuses, voice, swallowing and head and neck cancer. One of the few surgical specialties where you also run a clinic.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodGeneral SurgeonThirteen years of training to become the person who opens someone up and fixes the problem.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModerateNeurosurgeonOperate on the brain, spine and nerves. The longest training of any doctor in the country, the highest pay in medicine, and a tiny number of jobs.Typical pay$749kTo qualify15 to 16 yrsDemandModerateOphthalmologistThe eye surgeon. Twelve years of training, operations measured in fractions of a millimeter, and patients who can see again the next morning.Typical pay$300kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandModerateOral and Maxillofacial SurgeonThe surgeon for the mouth, jaws and face. Dental school first, then four to six more years, and the highest pay of any dental specialty.Typical pay$352kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModerateOrthopedic SurgeonFix broken bones, worn-out joints and torn ligaments. Thirteen years of training for one of the best paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$359kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModeratePediatric SurgeonSurgery on newborns, infants and children. Fifteen years of training for one of the smallest and hardest specialties in medicine.Typical pay$559kTo qualify15 to 16 yrsDemandLimitedPlastic SurgeonRebuild faces, hands and bodies after cancer, burns and accidents. Cosmetic work is only part of it.Typical pay$559kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateThoracic SurgeonOperate inside the chest: lungs, esophagus, airway and chest wall. One of the longest trainings in medicine.Typical pay$414kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateUrologistThe surgeon for kidneys, bladders and prostates. Thirteen years of training, then some of the best pay in medicine.Typical pay$266kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateVascular SurgeonRepair the arteries and veins that keep people alive. Among the longest training and highest pay in medicine.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModerate
Nursing and patient care
8Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)A few months of training to a job every hospital and nursing home in the country is short of. Hard, physical, human work, and the pay is modest.Typical pay$42kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highLicensed Practical Nurse (LPN)Hands-on bedside nursing about a year after high school, with a real license at the end of it.Typical pay$64kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateMedical Office AssistantRun the front of a clinic and help with patients at the back. About a year of training, and clinics everywhere are hiring.Typical pay$46kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highMidwifeLook after people through pregnancy, birth and the year after, and provide their everyday reproductive health care too.Typical pay$134kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highNurse PractitionerA nurse with a graduate degree who can diagnose, order tests and prescribe. Six years of school, six figures, and one of the fastest growing jobs in the country.Typical pay$132kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highPhysician AssistantExamine patients, order tests and write prescriptions, after about seven years instead of a doctor's eleven.Typical pay$136kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highRegistered NurseThe biggest health profession in the country. Two years of college can get you licensed, and the license works in most states.Typical pay$98kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSurgical TechnologistSet up the operating room, guard the sterile field and hand the surgeon the right instrument before they ask. Two years of school.Typical pay$65kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery high
Emergency
1Pharmacy
2PharmacistThe last person who checks a prescription before it reaches a patient. Eight years of school, and one of the highest starting floors on this site.Typical pay$141kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModeratePharmacy TechnicianFill prescriptions, run the counter and keep the pharmacy moving. Under a year of training for a regulated health job.Typical pay$46kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery high
Dental and eye care
10Dental AssistantWork chairside next to a dentist, often after less than a year of training.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandVery highDental HygienistClean teeth, read gums and catch disease early. Around $98,000 a year for a two year degree.Typical pay$98kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highDental Laboratory TechnicianBuild the crowns, bridges and dentures that go in people's mouths. A craft trade with a scanner in it.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedDentistDiagnose and treat teeth and gums, usually in a practice you end up owning yourself.Typical pay$171kTo qualify8 to 10 yrsDemandModerateEndodontistThe root canal specialist. Dental school, then two or three more years learning to save teeth other dentists would pull.Typical pay$228kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandLimitedOpticianTurn an eye prescription into glasses and contact lenses that actually fit. Two years or less to get started, and in many states no license at all.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateOptometristTest eyes, catch disease early, prescribe glasses, contacts and medication. A four-year doctorate, no surgical residency, and clinics in every town.Typical pay$137kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandVery highOrthodontistMove teeth and jaws into place with braces and aligners. A dentist first, then two or three more years of training.Typical pay$289kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandModeratePediatric DentistThe dentist for babies, children and teenagers. Two to three extra years after dental school, mostly spent learning how to handle a frightened kid.Typical pay$228kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandModeratePeriodontistThe gum and dental implant specialist. Three extra years after dental school, and most of the work is surgery.Typical pay$228kTo qualify11 yrsDemandModerate
Mental health
8Addiction CounselorSit with people at the worst point of their lives and help them get out. You can start this one without a degree.Typical pay$59kTo qualify1 to 6 yrsDemandVery highBehavior AnalystWork out why a behavior happens, then change the conditions around it. Six to eight years of school, mostly working with children.Typical pay$118kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highDirect Support ProfessionalHelp people with disabilities live their own lives. You can start within weeks, and the pay is the hard part.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highMusic TherapistUse music as clinical treatment in hospitals, schools and hospices. A real degree, a real internship and a national board exam.Typical pay$78kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodPsychologistYou test, diagnose and treat what is happening in someone's mind. A doctorate, an internship and a national exam stand between you and the title.Typical pay$101kTo qualify9 to 12 yrsDemandVery highPsychotherapistTalk therapy as a job. Most people get here with a master's degree and two years of supervised hours, not a doctorate.Typical pay$101kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highSocial WorkerYou sit with people on the worst day of their lives and find them a way through. Licensed, underpaid and badly needed.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateYouth WorkerYou are the adult who keeps showing up for kids and teens in group homes, after school programs and shelters. Some jobs hire you at 18, the better paid ones want a degree.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandGood
Therapy and rehab
15AcupuncturistTreat pain and illness with needles at specific points on the body. A master's degree, a state license, and usually your own practice.Typical pay$76kTo qualify5 to 8 yrsDemandVery highAudiologistTest hearing and balance, then fit the devices that give it back. A four-year clinical doctorate, and a job in every town.Typical pay$96kTo qualify8 to 9 yrsDemandVery highChiropractorTreat back, neck and joint pain with your hands. Four years of doctoral school, then usually your own clinic.Typical pay$79kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandGoodDietitianThe person hospitals call when food becomes medicine. A master's degree is now the entry ticket.Typical pay$76kTo qualify5 to 7 yrsDemandVery highKinesiologistUse movement as treatment. Test how a body handles effort, then build the program that gets it working again.Typical pay$59kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highMassage TherapistLicensed in about a year, then paid per massage. The work helps people and it wears out your hands, so plan for both.Typical pay$58kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highNaturopathic DoctorA four year medical style doctorate in natural medicine. Licensed in about half the states, and unrecognized in the rest.Typical pay$115kTo qualify8 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedOccupational TherapistHelp people do the ordinary things again: dress, cook, write, drive, go back to work. Six years of school, a license, and work in almost every town.Typical pay$100kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highOrthotist and ProsthetistDesign, build and fit artificial limbs and braces. Part clinician, part craftsperson.Typical pay$81kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highPhysical TherapistGet people moving again after injury, surgery or stroke. Seven years of school for a job that exists in every town.Typical pay$103kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandVery highPodiatristA doctor of the foot and ankle. Own doctorate, own schools, own licensing exam, and only eleven colleges in the country.Typical pay$160kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandLimitedRecreation TherapistYou use activity as treatment: getting someone back to cooking, gardening or shooting hoops after their life changed.Typical pay$62kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateRehabilitation AssistantDo the hands-on half of therapy: the exercises, the practice, the daily work of getting someone moving again. Two years of college.Typical pay$72kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandVery highRespiratory TherapistKeep people breathing: ventilators, oxygen, blood gases and the worst nights in the hospital. Two years of college to get licensed.Typical pay$82kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSpeech-Language PathologistYou help people talk, be understood and swallow safely, from toddlers to stroke patients. A master's degree is the price of entry.Typical pay$98kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery high
Diagnostics and lab
15Cardiovascular TechnologistRun the tests and the equipment that show doctors what a heart is doing. Two years of school.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGoodClinical PerfusionistRun the heart-lung machine during open heart surgery. While the heart is stopped, you are the circulation.Typical pay$160kTo qualify5 to 7 yrsDemandModerateEpidemiologistWork out why people are getting sick, and what would stop it. Mostly data, occasionally an outbreak.Typical pay$87kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highGenetic CounselorRead a family's DNA results, then sit with them and explain what it means for their lives.Typical pay$100kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highHealth Information ManagerOwn the medical record. Who can see it, whether it is correct, how it gets coded and billed, and what happens when a hospital changes systems.Typical pay$124kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highHealth InspectorWalk into a kitchen, a pool or a tattoo shop unannounced and decide whether it is safe for the public. You carry a thermometer and the authority to close the place.Typical pay$90kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandGoodMedical Laboratory ScientistRun the tests that tell doctors what is wrong. Most of a diagnosis starts in your lab, and the patient never meets you.Typical pay$63kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateMedical Laboratory TechnicianRun the routine hospital tests that keep a diagnosis moving. Two years of school, then straight into the lab.Typical pay$63kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandModerateMedical PhysicistMake sure radiation used on patients is exactly right. Physics, a residency, and three board exams.Typical pay$172kTo qualify8 to 12 yrsDemandModerateMedical Records SpecialistTurn what happened to a patient into codes and clean records. Office work, health pay, and no bedside.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highNuclear Medicine TechnologistGive a patient a tiny radioactive tracer, then image how the body is working, not just what it looks like. Two to four years of school and one national exam.Typical pay$101kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModeratePhlebotomistDraw blood, label it right, keep the patient calm. The fastest way into a hospital job in the country.Typical pay$45kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highRadiation TherapistYou run the machine that treats cancer, and you see the same patients every weekday for weeks. A two year degree for six figure pay.Typical pay$105kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedRadiologic TechnologistYou take the x-rays and scans doctors use to work out what is wrong. Two years of school and you are working in a hospital.Typical pay$80kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandModerateSonographerYou run the ultrasound machine and are often the first person to see what is wrong. Two years of school for pay near six figures.Typical pay$97kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Animal health
2VeterinarianEight years of school to treat animals who cannot tell you what hurts. Loved by everyone, and heavy on debt.Typical pay$130kTo qualify7 to 9 yrsDemandVery highVeterinary TechnicianThe nurse of the animal clinic. Two years of school, and you will do more hands-on medicine than you expect.Typical pay$47kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Sport and fitness
4Athletic TherapistThe person on the sideline who decides whether an injured player comes off. In the United States the job title is athletic trainer.Typical pay$63kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highLifeguardGet certified at 15, get paid to watch water, and learn how to keep people alive.Typical pay$34kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highPersonal TrainerGet people stronger, one session at a time. No degree needed, but you have to sell yourself.Typical pay$47kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSports CoachYou run practices, pick the lineup and teach the fundamentals. Most coaching jobs are part time and most coaches have another job.Typical pay$47kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Construction
21BricklayerLay brick, block and stone into walls that outlast the people who built them.Typical pay$62kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandModerateBuilding InspectorCheck that buildings are built to code, and sign off before people move in.Typical pay$75kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedCabinetmakerBuild kitchens, furniture and millwork out of wood, in a shop, with machines and your hands.Typical pay$47kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedCarpenterFrame houses, build forms, hang doors and trim. You can be paid from your first week and never owe a dollar in tuition.Typical pay$61kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandGoodConcrete FinisherPlace and finish the concrete everything else is built on. Paid from your first day, no tuition.Typical pay$57kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedConstruction EstimatorWork out what a building will cost before anybody breaks ground, and put the company's money behind the number.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedCrane OperatorLift steel, concrete and machinery hundreds of feet in the air. Paid apprenticeship, no tuition, high stakes.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateDrywall InstallerHang the boards that make a building into rooms. Paid by the sheet, and fast hands earn the most.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateFloor Covering InstallerCarpet, vinyl, laminate and hardwood, cut and fitted on your knees in somebody else's building.Typical pay$50kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedGeneral ContractorYou do not swing every hammer. You price the job, hire the trades, hold the schedule, and carry the risk.Typical pay$115kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highGlazierCut, lift and set the glass in storefronts, skyscrapers and houses. Paid from your first day of training.Typical pay$57kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandModerateHeavy Equipment OperatorRun excavators, dozers, loaders and graders. Paid to move earth to within an inch of where the drawing says it goes.Typical pay$60kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateHome InspectorCrawl through a house before someone buys it, then write down everything wrong with it.Typical pay$75kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedInsulatorWrap buildings and pipes so heat stays where it belongs. Little schooling, quick hiring, hard on the body.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateIronworkerSteel is the skeleton of everything. You tie it, bolt it, weld it and hang it, usually outdoors and often high up.Typical pay$59kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandModeratePainter and DecoratorPrepare and finish walls, buildings and steel. Easy to start, harder than it looks to be good at.Typical pay$49kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModeratePlastererPut the skin on a building. Interior plaster, exterior stucco, and the decorative work machines cannot do.Typical pay$58kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandModerateRooferTear off, dry in, shingle, flash. Hard money, earned outdoors, from your first week.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 3 yrsDemandVery highScaffolderBuild the temporary structures every other trade stands on. First on site, last off.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 3 yrsDemandModerateStonemasonCut and set natural stone into walls, steps and buildings that will still be standing in a hundred years.Typical pay$57kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedTile SetterCut and set tile and stone on floors, walls and showers. Work that people look at every day for thirty years.Typical pay$56kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood
Electrical and energy
11ElectricianWire houses, factories and data centers. Get paid from your first week of training and never owe tuition.Typical pay$63kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highElectronics Service TechnicianFind out why a machine full of electronics stopped working, and get it running again before the shift ends.Typical pay$74kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedIndustrial ElectricianKeep the motors, controls and power systems of a factory or plant running, and get paid while you learn the trade.Typical pay$63kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highInstrumentation TechnicianKeep the sensors, valves and control systems in a plant telling the truth. Two years of school, industrial pay.Typical pay$68kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPower Line WorkerBuild and repair the high voltage lines that carry electricity to everyone else. Outdoors, dangerous, and paid like it.Typical pay$95kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSecurity Systems TechnicianInstall and fix alarms, cameras, card readers and fire detection. Low voltage, high responsibility.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandVery highSolar Panel InstallerRooftops, racking and wiring. The fastest trade on this site to get into, and the one most tied to policy.Typical pay$53kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodStationary EngineerRun the boilers, chillers and pumps that keep a hospital, a campus or a factory alive. Learn most of it on the job.Typical pay$79kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateTelecommunications TechnicianInstall and repair the cable and fiber that carry phone calls and internet. Paid from your first week, no degree needed.Typical pay$74kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedWater Treatment OperatorRun the plant that makes tap water safe, or the one that cleans what goes down the drain. A licensed job you can start straight from high school.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedWind Turbine TechnicianClimb 250 feet up a tower and fix the machine at the top. One of the fastest growing jobs in the country, and not for anyone afraid of heights.Typical pay$64kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandVery high
Plumbing, pipes and HVAC
5GasfitterRun and test the gas piping behind every furnace, water heater and restaurant range. Get it wrong and a building comes down.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highHVAC (Heating and Cooling) TechnicianInstall and fix the furnaces, air conditioners and refrigeration that every building depends on.Typical pay$61kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandVery highPlumberInstall and repair the pipes that carry water, gas and waste. Paid from your first day of training.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandGoodSprinkler FitterYou install and test the pipes and sprinkler heads that stop a building fire spreading. Paid apprenticeship, no college debt.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highSteamfitter and PipefitterBuild the high pressure pipe systems inside power plants, refineries and hospitals. Paid from your first day of training.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery high
Metal and machining
8BoilermakerBuild and repair the huge steel vessels that hold steam and pressure, in power plants, refineries and shipyards.Typical pay$76kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedCNC MachinistSet up and program CNC (computer numerical control) machines that cut metal parts to a thousandth of an inch.Typical pay$59kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedMachinistCut metal to a thousandth of an inch and make the parts everything else is built from.Typical pay$59kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedMetal FabricatorTurn flat steel and drawings into stairs, tanks, trailers and building frames. Cut it, bend it, fit it, weld it.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedNon-Destructive TesterUse sound, X-rays and magnets to find cracks in pipelines, bridges and aircraft without cutting anything open. High school diploma in, six figures possible.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateSheet Metal WorkerYou cut, form and hang the metal that moves air through every building. Paid to learn from the first week.Typical pay$62kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedTool and Die MakerBuild the precision tools that stamp, cut and mold every mass-produced part in the country.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedWelderJoin metal to metal so it holds. A trade you can learn in under a year, tested by whether the weld passes, not by what you say.Typical pay$54kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Industrial and mechanical
7Appliance Repair TechnicianFix fridges, washers and ovens in people's homes. Almost no school, and you can own the business by 30.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateElevator MechanicBuild and maintain the machines that move millions of people a day, for the best pay in any trade you can enter from high school.Typical pay$110kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highLocksmithOpen what is stuck, secure what is not, and learn a trade you can run out of a van.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedMillwrightInstall, align and repair the heavy machinery that factories and power plants run on, to tolerances measured in thousandths of an inch.Typical pay$66kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedPest Control TechnicianFind what is chewing, biting or nesting, then get rid of it. A licensed trade you can enter straight out of high school.Typical pay$46kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModeratePrinting Press OperatorRun the machines that print packaging, labels, books and signs. Learn it on the payroll, not in a lecture hall.Typical pay$46kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedSmall Engine MechanicMowers, chainsaws, generators, snow blowers and outboards. Short training, fast hands, steady work.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerate
Vehicles and equipment
13Agricultural Equipment TechnicianKeep tractors, combines and sprayers running. Two years of training, a laptop in one hand and a wrench in the other.Typical pay$50kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateAircraft MechanicTwo years of school, a federal certificate, and your signature is what puts a plane back in the air.Typical pay$80kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandGoodAuto Body RepairerPut wrecked cars back to straight and paint them so nobody can tell. Under a year of school, tools are the real cost.Typical pay$55kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedAuto Glass TechnicianCut out a cracked windshield, bond in a new one, and leave the car as strong as it was before.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateAutomotive Service TechnicianDiagnose it, fix it, prove it works. The most common skilled trade in America.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateAvionics TechnicianThe electronics inside an aircraft: radios, radar, navigation and autopilots. High pay for a short path.Typical pay$82kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandVery highBicycle MechanicKeep bikes safe and running. Low pay, real craft, and a trade you can start the week you leave school.Typical pay$43kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedDiesel MechanicKeep trucks, buses and heavy engines running. Paid to learn, and short of people almost everywhere.Typical pay$62kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedHeavy Equipment MechanicKeep excavators, dozers and loaders running. Half diesel engine, half hydraulics, and a laptop plugged into a machine the size of a house.Typical pay$66kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandGoodMarine MechanicFix boat engines, outboards and everything wired into them. About a year of training, then work at a marina or your own service truck.Typical pay$58kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandVery highMotorcycle MechanicFix bikes, scooters, quads and snowmobiles. No degree, no license, and you can be earning inside a year.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodParts TechnicianFind, order and supply the exact component a mechanic needs. The job that keeps every shop moving.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodRecreation Vehicle TechnicianA motorhome is a house, a truck and a boat's plumbing in one box. You fix all of it.Typical pay$52kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandGood
Personal, food and outdoor trades
16ArboristClimb, prune and take down trees for a living. You can start the week after high school and learn on a rope.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateBakerEarly mornings, flour to the elbows, and a product that has to be right before the doors open.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodBarberA licensed trade you can finish in under a year, with your own chair and your own clients at the end of it.Typical pay$38kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateButcherBreak down whole animals into cuts people cook. Learn it on the job, paid, from week one.Typical pay$40kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedEstheticianFacials, peels and hair removal. Licensed in under a year, then you build a client list.Typical pay$45kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highFarrierTrim hooves and shape shoes for horses. No license anywhere in the country, and almost everyone works for themselves.Typical pay$35kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateFloristDesign with flowers for weddings, funerals and ordinary Tuesdays. Low pay, real craft, early mornings.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedHairstylistCut, color and style hair for a living. Licensed in every state, and the people who do well build a book of regulars they keep for years.Typical pay$36kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandGoodJewelerTiny work with gold, stones and fire. Nearly everything you make is for the biggest day of somebody's life.Typical pay$53kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedLandscape HorticulturistBuild and keep the planted world: lawns, gardens, ball fields and street trees. You can start the week after high school.Typical pay$39kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateMakeup ArtistPaint faces for camera, stage, weddings and counters. The film and television side pays well, and getting in takes years of logged days.Typical pay$97kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandVery highNail TechnicianManicures, pedicures and nail art. A few hundred hours of school, a state license, then you build a client list.Typical pay$36kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highPet GroomerBathe, clip and style dogs and cats all day. No license anywhere in the country, and your hands do the talking.Typical pay$35kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandGoodTailorCut, fit and alter clothes so they sit right on a real body. A hand skill you learn by doing.Typical pay$42kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandLimitedTattoo ArtistDraw on skin for a living. An apprenticeship, a state license, and a portfolio that has to be good.Typical pay$75kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateUpholstererStrip a chair to its frame and rebuild it. A small trade where the good ones are never short of work.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Mining, oil and gas
3Driller and BlasterDrill the holes, load the explosives, move the rock. One of the few jobs where a mistake is final.Typical pay$61kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedOil Rig WorkerHard physical work on a drilling or well service rig, two weeks on and two weeks off. No degree needed, and the risk is real.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedUnderground MinerRun loaders and shuttle cars a mile underground. Good money, no degree, real danger.Typical pay$75kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimited
Tech
20Software
5DevOps EngineerBuild the pipes and servers other programmers ship on. Nobody starts here, everybody arrives here.Typical pay$136kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highGame DeveloperBuild the thing you grew up playing. Great work, hard industry, and a portfolio matters more than a diploma.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateMobile App DeveloperBuild the software people carry in their pocket, ship it to an app store, then keep fixing it on devices you have never held.Typical pay$136kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSoftware DeveloperYou write the thing, then spend most of your time working out why it does not do what you meant.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highWeb DeveloperBuild the websites and web apps people actually use. The tech job with the shortest distance between learning something and being paid for it.Typical pay$93kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Data and AI
4Data AnalystTurn a company's messy data into answers people can act on. The most reachable job in the data field.Typical pay$120kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highData ScientistTurn messy company data into numbers a boss can act on, using code and statistics.Typical pay$120kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highDatabase AdministratorKeep a company's data fast, backed up and locked down, so nobody ever notices it.Typical pay$105kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedMachine Learning EngineerBuild the systems that learn from data, and keep them running once real people use them.Typical pay$140kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high
Security and networks
5Cloud EngineerBuild and run the servers, networks and storage that other people's apps live on, without ever touching a physical machine.Typical pay$134kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highCybersecurity AnalystWatch a network for attacks and shut them down. Certifications count as much as a degree here.Typical pay$129kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandVery highNetwork AdministratorKeep the network, the servers and the Wi-Fi running so everyone else can work. Two years of college and a certification or two get you in.Typical pay$99kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedPenetration TesterYou break into computer systems on purpose, with written permission, and then explain exactly how you did it.Typical pay$129kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSystems AdministratorKeep the servers, accounts and backups running so everyone else can do their job. Certifications count as much as a degree.Typical pay$99kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimited
Design and product
4Business AnalystWork out what a company actually needs, then write it down clearly enough to build.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highIT Project ManagerYou do not write the code. You make sure the right thing gets built, on time, by people who do not report to you.Typical pay$175kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highProduct ManagerDecide what a product should do next, then get engineers, designers and the business to agree.Typical pay$167kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodUX DesignerDecide how an app or a website actually works. UX (user experience) design is well paid and nobody licenses it.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Support and testing
2IT Support TechnicianThe fastest way into tech without a degree, and the job most people in tech started in.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedSoftware TesterYou try to break things before customers do, then prove exactly how you broke them.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood
Money and finance
10Accountant (CPA)Count, check and explain the money. A four year degree, one hard exam, and a job in every town.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highActuaryPut a price on risk. A math degree, a long ladder of exams, and one of the best paid desk jobs in the country.Typical pay$130kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandVery highBookkeeperKeep a business's money records straight so the owner, the bank and the tax office all see the same numbers.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateEconomistMeasure how money, work and prices actually behave, then say what a policy or a merger will really do.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedFinancial AnalystWork out what a company or an investment is really worth, and explain it to people betting money on your answer.Typical pay$103kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodFinancial PlannerHelp people decide what to do with their money over a whole life. Half technical, half sitting with someone while they panic.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodInsurance AdjusterDecide what a claim is worth and what the policy actually covers. No degree required in most states, a license in nearly all of them.Typical pay$78kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedInsurance BrokerSell and manage the policies that cover people's cars, homes, health and businesses. Cheap to start, brutal in year one.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateInvestment AdvisorYou manage other people's money and their nerves. Licenses first, then years of slowly earning trust.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodMortgage BrokerTake somebody's income, debts and credit file, find a lender who will say yes, and get paid when the house closes.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Marketing and sales
7Market Research AnalystFind out what people actually buy and why, using surveys and data, then tell a company what to do about it.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highMarketing SpecialistPlan and run the campaigns that get a product in front of people, then prove with numbers whether it worked.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPublic Relations SpecialistYou decide what an organization says in public and who it says it to. No license, so your work samples are the whole interview.Typical pay$75kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highReal Estate AgentFast to get licensed, and paid only when a deal closes. Most people who start quit inside two years.Typical pay$53kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateRetail Store ManagerRun a shop: the staff, the stock, the takings and the targets. No degree needed, and you can be doing it two years out of high school.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodSales RepresentativeSell technical products to businesses. No license, no set degree, and your pay is partly up to you.Typical pay$105kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateSocial Media ManagerYou run the accounts a company talks to the world through. Judged on numbers, not on vibes.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood
People and operations
10Customs BrokerGet imported goods legally into the country. One federal exam stands between you and a licensed career.Typical pay$81kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateExecutive AssistantRun a senior leader's calendar, travel, inbox and information. One of the best paid jobs you can reach without a degree.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedHuman Resources SpecialistHire people, pay them right and keep the company on the correct side of employment law.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highManagement ConsultantCompanies hire you to study a problem they cannot fix themselves, then tell them what to do about it. Long hours, fast learning, good pay.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highOffice AdministratorRun the machinery of an organization: schedules, records, vendors, payroll, the people at the front desk. You can start at eighteen and work your way up.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedPayroll AdministratorYou make sure everybody gets paid the right amount, on time, with the right tax taken off. Get it wrong and the whole company notices.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedProcurement SpecialistBuy everything an organization needs, on time and for the right price. An office career you can start without a degree.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedProject ManagerKeep a big piece of work on schedule and on budget, across a team that does not report to you.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highRecruiterMatch people to jobs for a living. No license and no set degree, but your pay rises and falls with the hires you make.Typical pay$76kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highSupply Chain AnalystWork out how a product gets from a factory to a shelf on time and for less money, then prove it with numbers.Typical pay$82kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Property
2Property ManagerYou run buildings other people own: tenants, rent, repairs, budgets. You can start at 18 and learn on the job.Typical pay$70kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateReal Estate AppraiserYou put a defensible number on what a property is worth, and a lender bets money on your answer.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimited
Lawyers
12Corporate LawyerHandle the deals, contracts and rules that companies run on. Long training, long hours, serious money.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateCriminal Defense LawyerStand between one person and the power of the state. Seven years of school, and the pay is nothing like television.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateEmployment LawyerFirings, harassment, unpaid wages and discrimination. You act for the worker or for the company, and the two jobs look very different.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateEnvironmental LawyerPermits, pollution and land. Most of the work is paperwork that stops a problem before it starts.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateFamily LawyerDivorce, custody and adoption. You handle the worst week of somebody's life, over and over.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateImmigration LawyerHelp people stay, work or become citizens, in a system where a paperwork mistake can end a life here.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateIntellectual Property LawyerProtect inventions, brands and creative work. The patent side is the one law job that wants your science degree.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateLawyerArgue, advise, negotiate and write. Seven years of school and one hard exam stand between you and the license.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModeratePersonal Injury LawyerYou represent people hurt in crashes, falls and accidents, and you usually only get paid if they win.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateProsecutorYou decide who gets charged with a crime and then you have to prove it. Government pay, courtroom experience nobody else gets this early.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateReal Estate LawyerProperty is contracts, title and land law. You are the person who makes sure the deal actually holds.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateTax LawyerWork out what the tax code actually requires, and argue it when the government disagrees. Long training, and one of the better paid corners of law.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 9 yrsDemandModerate
Courts and legal support
10Court ClerkRun the paperwork that makes a courtroom work. A government job you can reach straight out of high school.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateCourt ReporterCapture every word said in a courtroom at over 200 words a minute. Two years of school, no degree needed.Typical pay$72kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedJudgeTwenty years of law first, then you decide. There are only about 27,000 of these jobs in the whole country.Typical pay$154kTo qualify15 to 25 yrsDemandModerateJudicial Law ClerkYou research the law and draft the decisions for a judge. One or two years that change the rest of a legal career.Typical pay$65kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateLegal AssistantKeep a law practice running: files, deadlines, drafts and clients. A two-year degree gets you in the door.Typical pay$63kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedMediatorSit between two sides of a fight and help them settle it themselves, without a judge and without a verdict.Typical pay$76kTo qualify1 to 10 yrsDemandModerateParalegalDo the research, drafting and case preparation that lawyers bill for, without going to law school.Typical pay$63kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedPrivate InvestigatorFind facts for lawyers, insurers and families. Far more records and databases than car chases.Typical pay$51kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandGoodProbation OfficerSupervise people serving sentences in the community, and try to keep them from coming back.Typical pay$66kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateSheriffThe county's own law enforcement office: patrol, the jail, the courthouse and the paperwork nobody else serves.Typical pay$76kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerate
Police and fire
10911 DispatcherAnswer the worst call of someone's life, work out what they need, and send help while keeping them alive on the line.Typical pay$53kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateBorder Patrol AgentA federal law enforcement job patrolling the land between the ports of entry, mostly in the desert Southwest.Typical pay$76kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateCorrectional OfficerKeep order inside a jail or prison. No tuition, paid training, and a job that asks a lot of you.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedFBI AgentInvestigate federal crimes for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). You need a degree, real work experience first, and patience with a long hiring process.Typical pay$94kTo qualify6 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedFire InspectorCheck buildings before they burn, and work out why when one does. Most people come to it after years on a fire engine.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandModerateFirefighterRun toward the thing everyone else runs from, and spend most shifts on medical calls instead.Typical pay$59kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModeratePolice DetectiveTake the cases that patrol officers hand over and work them until they close. You patrol first, for years.Typical pay$94kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModeratePolice OfficerHired first, trained second, paid from the first day of the academy. No degree required in most of the country.Typical pay$76kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateState TrooperYou patrol the highways and the rural areas no town police department covers. The state hires you first and trains you at its own academy, paid.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateWildland FirefighterFight fire in forests and rangeland with hand tools, chainsaws and water. Seasonal, brutal, and the hardest job to walk away from.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate
Military and security
7Coast Guard MemberSearch and rescue, law enforcement and pollution response on American waters. You can enlist straight out of high school.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateCode Enforcement OfficerKnock on doors about unsafe buildings, illegal work, junk lots and zoning. The city's rules only exist if somebody enforces them.Typical pay$81kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateEnlisted Service MemberJoin straight out of high school, get trained and paid from day one, and sign away several years of your choices to do it.Typical pay$38kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodGame WardenA sworn police officer whose beat is the woods and the water. Armed, alone, and usually the only one out there.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedIntelligence OfficerCollect and make sense of information governments need. A long hiring process, a polygraph, and a job you cannot talk about.Typical pay$94kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateMilitary OfficerLead service members, take legal responsibility for them and for the mission, and sign away years of your own choices to do it.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateSecurity GuardWatch, patrol, report. One of the fastest jobs in America to get licensed for, and a doorway into a lot of others.Typical pay$38kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery high
Teaching
6Driving InstructorTeach teenagers to drive from the passenger seat. Cheap to start, and calm is the whole job.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateEnglish as a Second Language TeacherYou teach English to people who already speak another language, in schools, adult centers or abroad. Modest pay, and work that changes someone's whole life.Typical pay$62kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedMusic TeacherTeach piano, guitar, voice or band. You can start with no license at all, or take a degree and teach in a public school.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 5 yrsDemandModerateSchool PrincipalRun a school: the staff, the budget, the discipline, the buses and the blame. You teach first, then you lead.Typical pay$106kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandLimitedSpecial Education TeacherYou teach students with disabilities and you write the legal plan that says what their school has to provide.Typical pay$65kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateTeacherRun a classroom of your own. A state license, a school calendar, and the most openings of almost any job on this site.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery high
Early years and support
2Preschool TeacherTeach three, four and five year olds how to be people. Meaningful work that the country underpays.Typical pay$38kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateTeaching AssistantWork alongside a teacher and with the students who need the most help. The quickest way into a school.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Colleges and universities
2College InstructorTeach the trade you already know at a community or technical college. Your work history is the qualification.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedUniversity ProfessorTeach and research at a university. Ten years of training, and the secure jobs are disappearing.Typical pay$80kTo qualify9 to 14 yrsDemandLimited
Guidance and libraries
3LibrarianHelp people find what is true, run the collection and keep the doors open. A master's degree job that is mostly about people.Typical pay$68kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandLimitedLibrary TechnicianRun the desk, the catalog and the shelves. The job that keeps a library working, reachable with a two-year degree.Typical pay$45kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimitedSchool CounselorCourse choices, college applications, crises and everything in between, for hundreds of students at once.Typical pay$64kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandModerate
Engineers
23Aerospace EngineerDesign the things that fly. Four years of hard math, then aircraft, rockets, satellites or missiles.Typical pay$135kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highAgricultural EngineerEngineering for food, water and land. Machines, irrigation, grain storage and the systems that feed the country.Typical pay$99kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highBiomedical EngineerDesign the machines and implants that keep people alive, then prove they are safe.Typical pay$109kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodChemical EngineerDesign and run the plants that turn raw material into fuel, medicine, plastic and food. Four years of hard math, then real money.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModerateCivil EngineerDesign the roads, bridges, water systems and buildings everyone uses without thinking about them.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodComputer EngineerDesign the chips, boards and machines that software runs on.Typical pay$162kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodElectrical EngineerDesign the circuits, chips, motors and power systems that everything else quietly depends on.Typical pay$121kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highEnvironmental EngineerDesign the systems that keep water drinkable, air breathable and contaminated ground safe. Four years of school, then a license.Typical pay$107kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodFire Protection EngineerDesign the sprinklers, alarms and escape routes that keep a building from killing the people inside it.Typical pay$115kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModerateGeological EngineerWork out what the ground will do before anyone digs into it, and design the mine or tunnel around the answer.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedGeotechnical EngineerEvery building, bridge and dam sits on soil. You are the one who decides whether the soil can take it.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodIndustrial EngineerMake a factory, hospital or warehouse work better. Four years of school and no licensing gauntlet.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highMaterials EngineerDecide what things are made of, and find out why they broke. Four years of chemistry and physics, then good pay in industry.Typical pay$113kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMechanical EngineerDesign anything that moves, heats, cools or carries a load. The broadest engineering degree there is.Typical pay$104kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMining EngineerWork out how to get rock out of the ground safely, cheaply and without wrecking the place, then keep the people underground alive.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedNaval ArchitectDesign ships. Hulls, stability, structure and propulsion, for the Navy, shipyards and offshore industry.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodNuclear EngineerKeep reactors running safely and design the next ones. A small field, a long career, and almost no room for a careless day.Typical pay$134kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedPetroleum EngineerWork out how to get oil and gas out of rock, safely and cheaply. The highest paid bachelor's degree on this site, tied to a price you do not control.Typical pay$145kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModeratePower Systems EngineerPlan and protect the grid: the substations, transmission lines and controls that keep the lights on.Typical pay$121kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highRobotics EngineerDesign machines that sense, decide and move. Half mechanical, half electrical, mostly code.Typical pay$123kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateStructural EngineerWork out whether a building, a bridge or a stadium will stand up, then sign your name to the answer.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodTransportation EngineerDesign the roads, intersections, transit lines and traffic signals that a whole city depends on.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodWater Resources EngineerDesign the systems that move, store, clean and hold back water. Floods, dams, storm drains, drinking water and rivers.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGood
Technologists
6Chemical TechnologistRun the tests that decide whether a batch ships. Two years of college, a lab coat, and steady work in industry.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerateDrafting TechnologistTurn an engineer's sketch into the drawing a crew builds from. Two years of school, no license.Typical pay$66kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateElectrical Engineering TechnologistTurn an engineer's drawing into a working circuit, then test it until you know exactly why it fails.Typical pay$78kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedEngineering TechnologistEngineering work without the engineering degree. Two to four years of college, then drawings, testing and site work.Typical pay$65kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedHealth and Safety OfficerFind the thing that is going to hurt somebody, and get it fixed before it does. Unpopular some days, and the reason people go home whole.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highMechanical Engineering TechnologistBuild, test and fix the designs engineers draw. Two to four years of school, hands on the hardware.Typical pay$75kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited
Architecture and planning
7ArchitectDesign buildings and get them built. A long licensing path with three gates: a degree, logged experience, and six exams.Typical pay$99kTo qualify7 to 10 yrsDemandModerateArchitectural TechnologistTurn a rough design into the drawings a crew can build from. Two years of school, no exams, no license.Typical pay$66kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateGIS AnalystTurn location data into maps and answers. GIS (geographic information systems) work sits behind 911 calls, utility crews and city plans.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGoodLand SurveyorDecide exactly where one person's land stops and the next one's starts, and sign your name to it.Typical pay$75kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModerateLandscape ArchitectDesign the outdoor half of the world: parks, campuses, waterfronts and streets. A licensed profession with its own exams.Typical pay$80kTo qualify6 to 9 yrsDemandModerateSurveying TechnicianMeasure the land before anyone builds on it. You can start straight out of high school and learn on the crew.Typical pay$54kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodUrban PlannerDecide what gets built where. Zoning, housing, transit and the long fights at public meetings.Typical pay$89kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandModerate
Design
2Industrial DesignerDecide what a physical product looks like, feels like and how it works before a factory builds a million of them.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateInterior DesignerPlan the inside of buildings so they work, not just so they look good. Codes and drawings, not cushions.Typical pay$67kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandModerate
Creative
27Design
4AnimatorYour reel gets you hired, not your diploma. Great pay in a small number of cities, and the work comes in waves.Typical pay$102kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedFashion DesignerDesign clothes, shoes and accessories that get made and sold. A portfolio opens the door, not a diploma.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedGraphic DesignerLogos, packaging, websites, posters. The portfolio decides whether you get hired, not the diploma.Typical pay$63kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedIllustratorDraw for a living: books, games, magazines, packaging, anything that needs a picture doing a job.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited
Art and craft
2Ceramic ArtistMake pots, sculpture and tableware out of clay and sell them. Almost nobody does it on one income stream alone.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedVisual ArtistMake the work, then find the people who will pay for it. Almost nobody does this without a second income at the start.Typical pay$75kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited
Writing and media
7AuthorWrite books people buy. No license, no required degree, and almost no guaranteed money.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateBroadcasterTalk to an audience on radio, television or a podcast feed, and hold their attention without seeing them.Typical pay$47kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedCopywriterWrite the words that sell something. Judged on whether they work, not on whether they are pretty.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateEditorTake somebody else's draft and make it clear, correct and worth reading, then put your name nowhere near it.Typical pay$78kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandLimitedJournalistFind out what happened, check it, and tell everyone. A shrinking industry that still decides what the country argues about.Typical pay$62kTo qualify3 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedTechnical WriterExplain complicated products clearly enough that somebody can actually use them. Writing, but paid like tech.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedTranslator and InterpreterMove meaning between two languages in writing or out loud, in courtrooms, hospitals and books.Typical pay$60kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandLimited
Film, TV and music
9Broadcast TechnicianRun and repair the gear that gets a radio or television signal out of the building and into people's homes.Typical pay$60kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedCamera OperatorRun the camera on film sets, live events and news. Hired on your reel, not your diploma.Typical pay$75kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedComposerWrite the music other people perform, stream or put behind a scene. Most of it is paid per job, not per hour.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedFilm DirectorDecide what every shot, performance and cut is meant to do. Nobody hires you for it until you have already done it.Typical pay$90kTo qualify3 to 8 yrsDemandGoodFilm ProducerFind the story, find the money, hire everyone and make sure the thing gets finished. The job nobody teaches in a single class.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 8 yrsDemandGoodMusicianPlay or sing for a living. The hourly rate looks good, the number of paid hours is the problem.Typical pay$99kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedPhotographerGet paid for pictures. No license, no gatekeeper, and no salary either unless you build the business.Typical pay$45kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerateSound EngineerYou record, mix and run sound for music, film, television and live shows. Nobody checks your diploma, they listen to what you have mixed.Typical pay$73kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedVideo EditorTurn hours of raw footage into something people want to watch. The job where the story is actually decided.Typical pay$75kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerate
Performing
3ActorPaid by the hour, hired by the job. No license, no degree required, and no guarantee of work.Typical pay$60kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedChoreographerMake the dances and teach them to the people performing them. Almost everyone does it after years of dancing first.Typical pay$55kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandGoodDancerGet paid to perform. A short career, uneven money, and training that starts long before high school ends.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandGood
Museums and heritage
2ArchivistDecide what a country, a company or a family keeps forever, then make sure people can find it.Typical pay$65kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandModerateMuseum CuratorDecide what a museum collects, keeps and shows. A graduate degree, years of low pay, then a job very few people get.Typical pay$63kTo qualify6 to 10 yrsDemandGood
Air
6Air Traffic ControllerOne federal employer, one hard test, and a hard age cutoff. Then some of the best pay in government.Typical pay$148kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerateAirline PilotExpensive to train, slow to start, and then one of the best-paid jobs in the country.Typical pay$232kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandGoodDrone PilotA federal certificate you can earn at 16. The certificate is easy, the paid work is the hard part.Typical pay$123kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodFlight AttendantSafety crew first, service second, paid by the flight hour and living by a seniority list.Typical pay$64kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highFlight DispatcherPlan and legally share control of an airline flight from a desk, without ever leaving the ground.Typical pay$57kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerateHelicopter PilotFly air ambulances, tours, news cameras, power line patrols and firefighting buckets. Cheap to get licensed, brutally expensive to become employable.Typical pay$123kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandGood
Road
5Bus DriverGet a commercial license paid for by your employer and drive a route every day.Typical pay$48kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateDelivery DriverDrive a van or light truck, run a route, and get paid without a degree or a license exam.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandVery highMail CarrierA federal job you can start at 18, with a pension at the end and no tuition at the start.Typical pay$61kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedTow Truck OperatorRecover wrecks, clear crashes and rescue stranded drivers, often at 3am in the rain.Typical pay$45kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodTruck DriverMove freight across the country in a tractor-trailer. Good money fast, and a lot of nights away from home.Typical pay$59kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGood
Rail
3Locomotive EngineerDrive freight and passenger trains. You start as a conductor and get promoted into the seat.Typical pay$81kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedRail Traffic ControllerYou sit in a control center and decide where every train on your territory goes next.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedRailroad ConductorYou are in charge of the train: the paperwork, the cars, the crew and every move it makes.Typical pay$78kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Sea
4DeckhandWork the deck of a tug, ferry or cargo ship. No degree, but you live where you work.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedLongshore WorkerLoad and unload ships on the docks. Getting on the list is harder than doing the work.Typical pay$40kTo qualify1 to 8 yrsDemandModerateMarine Engineering OfficerRun the engine room of a ship. Four years at a maritime academy, a Coast Guard license, then months at sea and months at home.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highShip OfficerRun the bridge of a tug, a ferry, a tanker or a container ship. Long trips away, long stretches at home.Typical pay$92kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModerate
Logistics
2Logistics CoordinatorKeep freight, trucks and warehouses moving, and fix it when they stop.Typical pay$107kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highTransport DispatcherDecide which truck goes where, keep drivers legal, and fix the day when everything goes wrong at once.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Kitchen
3ChefRun a kitchen: the menu, the orders, the crew and the food. You get there by cooking for years, not by graduating.Typical pay$62kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandVery highCookRun a station in a working kitchen. Hired on attitude, trained on the line, paid from day one.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandVery highPastry ChefBread, cakes, plated desserts and chocolate. Early mornings, low starting pay, and a craft you can practice anywhere.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandGood
Front of house
5BaristaThe most common first job in the country, and a real craft if you decide to take it seriously.Typical pay$31kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodBartenderFast hands, a good memory, and legal responsibility for everyone you serve.Typical pay$34kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodRestaurant ManagerRun the floor, the schedule, the money and the people. You can get here with no degree, and most managers started as servers.Typical pay$69kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highRestaurant ServerTake orders, run food, get paid in tips the same night. The most common first job in America.Typical pay$35kTo qualify0 yrsDemandVery highSommelierYou own the wine list in a restaurant, buy the bottles and sell them at the table. The exams are famously hard and the pay is mostly tips.Typical pay$35kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandVery high
Hotels and travel
5Hotel Front Desk AgentCheck guests in, fix what goes wrong, run the desk overnight. You can start the week after high school.Typical pay$35kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerateHotel ManagerRun the building, the staff and the money, and answer for everything that goes wrong in it.Typical pay$69kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModerateOutdoor Adventure GuideTake people down rivers and up mountains for a living. Low pay, seasonal work, and an office nobody else gets.Typical pay$38kTo qualifyup to 3 yrsDemandVery highTour GuideWalk groups through a city, a park or a museum and make them care about it. Fun work, uneven money.Typical pay$38kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGoodTravel AgentPlan and sell other people's trips. The job the internet was supposed to kill, and did not quite.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Events
2Casino DealerRun a table game for eight hours. Weeks of training, a state background check, and most of your pay comes from tips.Typical pay$34kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedEvent PlannerMonths of spreadsheets and contracts, then three days where everything happens at once.Typical pay$61kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Life and lab
9BiochemistWork out what molecules do inside living cells, then use that to make medicines and tests.Typical pay$127kTo qualify4 to 11 yrsDemandGoodBiologistStudy living things, in a lab or out in the field, and turn what you find into reports people act on.Typical pay$99kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandLimitedChemistFind out what something is made of, or make something that did not exist yesterday. A bachelor's degree starts you; a doctorate decides your ceiling.Typical pay$91kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandGoodFood ScientistWork out why food spoils, how to stop it, and what has to change before a new product reaches a shelf.Typical pay$89kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highForensic ScientistAnalyze evidence in a crime laboratory and then defend your findings under cross examination.Typical pay$72kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highLaboratory TechnicianRun the experiments, keep the instruments honest and record every result. The person who actually does the science at the bench.Typical pay$58kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateMarine BiologistStudy life in the ocean, mostly fish and plankton rather than dolphins, and spend years on seasonal contracts before anything permanent.Typical pay$77kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandLimitedMicrobiologistGrow, identify and outsmart the organisms too small to see, in medicine, food, water and drug manufacturing.Typical pay$88kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandModerateWildlife BiologistCount, track and manage wild animal populations so decisions about land and hunting are based on evidence instead of guesses.Typical pay$77kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimited
Physics, space and numbers
4AstronomerStudy stars, planets and galaxies for a living. Very well paid, very few jobs, and a long road through a doctorate.Typical pay$129kTo qualify9 to 14 yrsDemandLimitedMathematicianWork on the math itself. A tiny job title, a long training, and a skill that every other field wants.Typical pay$127kTo qualify6 to 10 yrsDemandLimitedPhysicistWork out how the universe behaves, then prove it. Almost everyone in this job holds a doctorate.Typical pay$172kTo qualify9 to 11 yrsDemandModerateStatisticianDesign the study, run the numbers, and say honestly how sure you are. One of the best paid math jobs that is not finance.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high
Earth and weather
4GeologistRead the rock. Find the water, the metal or the fault line, and tell people what is under their feet.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateHydrologistMeasure where water goes, how much there is, and what happens when there is too much or too little.Typical pay$97kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedMeteorologistRead the atmosphere with math, radar and models, then tell people what is coming and how sure you are.Typical pay$99kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedOceanographerStudy the ocean: its currents, its chemistry, its floor and the life in it. Long schooling, real ships, and a lot of the work happens on a laptop.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandModerate
Environment and conservation
4EcologistStudy how living things and the places they live fit together, then tell people what happens when that breaks.Typical pay$82kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateEnvironmental ScientistFind out what is in the air, water and soil, then write the report that makes somebody deal with it.Typical pay$82kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateEnvironmental TechnicianTake the samples, run the gear, clean up the spill. Two years of school and you are on site.Typical pay$60kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimitedPark RangerProtect public land and the people on it. Part teacher, part law enforcement, part search and rescue.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited
Farming, forestry and fishing
7AgronomistThe science of soil and crops. You tell farmers what to plant, what to feed it and why the yield dropped.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodAquaculture TechnicianRaise fish and shellfish for food. Outdoors, on the water, in a small industry the country keeps saying it wants to grow.Typical pay$50kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerateCommercial FisherCatch fish and shellfish for a living. No tuition, no degree, and no guarantee of what you make.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimitedFarmerGrow crops or raise livestock and run the business around them. Land is the hard part, not the work.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateForesterManage whole forests: what gets cut, what gets planted, what gets protected. A four-year degree and a truck.Typical pay$76kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedForestry TechnicianThe person who actually does the work in the woods: cruising timber, planting, thinning, and often fighting fire.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedGreenhouse GrowerRun a crop under glass. You control the light, the heat, the water and the bugs, and the plants tell you every day whether you got it right.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood
Social services
4Career CounselorHelp people pick a direction and get hired. Steady hours, modest pay, a master's degree for the better jobs.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandModerateCase ManagerYou are the person who makes a hospital, an insurer and a family all talk to each other about one patient.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandModerateCommunity Health WorkerHelp people in your own neighborhood get the care and support they are entitled to.Typical pay$52kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandVery highRecreation CoordinatorYou run the programs a town actually uses: summer camp, the pool schedule, the senior center, the youth league.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerate
Government
3Foreign Service OfficerAn American diplomat, posted where the government sends you, for a career of two-year and three-year moves.Typical pay$142kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModeratePolicy AnalystWork out whether a law or a program actually does what it promised, and write the memo that decides it.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodTax AuditorCheck that businesses and people paid the tax they owed. A government job with a steady paycheck and a pension.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandGood
Faith and end of life
2Funeral DirectorLook after families on the worst week of their lives, and handle everything they cannot.Typical pay$55kTo qualify3 to 5 yrsDemandModerateReligious LeaderLead a congregation: worship, weddings, funerals, counseling and a great deal of admin. The pay is modest and the calling is the point.Typical pay$38kTo qualifyup to 8 yrsDemandLimited