Air
6Air Traffic ControllerOne federal employer, one hard test, and a hard age cutoff. Then a median of $148,080 a year.$148kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandAirline PilotExpensive to train, slow to start, and then a median of $232,140 a year at a scheduled airline.$232kTypical pay4 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandDrone PilotA federal certificate you can earn at 16. The certificate is easy, the paid work is the hard part.$123kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandFlight AttendantSafety crew first, service second, paid by the flight hour and living by a seniority list.$64kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyVery highDemandFlight DispatcherPlan and legally share control of an airline flight from a desk, without ever leaving the ground.$57kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandHelicopter PilotFly air ambulances, tours, news cameras, power line patrols and firefighting buckets. Cheap to get licensed, brutally expensive to become employable.$123kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand
Road
5Bus DriverGet a commercial license paid for by your employer and drive a route every day.$48kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyLimitedDemandDelivery DriverDrive a van or light truck, run a route, and get paid without a degree or a license exam.$45kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandMail CarrierA federal job you can start at 18, with a pension at the end and no tuition at the start.$61kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyLimitedDemandTow Truck OperatorRecover wrecks, clear crashes and rescue stranded drivers, often at 3am in the rain.$45kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandTruck DriverMove freight across the country in a tractor-trailer. Good money fast, and a lot of nights away from home.$59kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemand
Rail
3Locomotive EngineerDrive freight and passenger trains. You start as a conductor and get promoted into the seat.$81kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandRail Traffic ControllerYou sit in a control center and decide where every train on your territory goes next.$50kTypical pay1 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandRailroad ConductorYou are in charge of the train: the paperwork, the cars, the crew and every move it makes.$78kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Sea
4DeckhandWork the deck of a tug, ferry or cargo ship. No degree, but you live where you work.$52kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyModerateDemandLongshore WorkerLoad and unload ships on the docks. Getting on the list is harder than doing the work.$40kTypical pay1 to 8 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandMarine 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.$112kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandShip OfficerRun the bridge of a tug, a ferry, a tanker or a container ship. Long trips away, long stretches at home.$92kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Logistics
2Logistics CoordinatorKeep freight, trucks and warehouses moving, and fix it when they stop.$82kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandTransport DispatcherDecide which truck goes where, keep drivers legal, and fix the day when everything goes wrong at once.$50kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand