Highest Paying Jobs that Don’t Require a Degree in Atlanta
Hi everyone, its Tim Trevathan, your favorite Atlanta Realtor. Did you know that by 2030 it is predicted about ⅔ of the jobs in America won’t require a college degree? That’s right! When we think of high paying jobs, we tend to think of things like doctors, lawyers, or engineers – jobs that require degrees and a lot of education.
In fact, I just did a video on the highest paying jobs in Atlanta and all of those required degrees. If you are curious what those are, head over to my video list when this is done and check it out!
But, you can also make good money without a degree. Curious what the 10 highest paying jobs in Atlanta are that don’t require a degree? Stick around to the end of the video to find out!
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Okay, let’s get started. I am assuming you clicked on this video because you want to know the highest paying jobs in Atlanta that don’t require a degree. Maybe you have a degree and are just curious, or maybe you don’t have a degree and are looking for a new line of work. Or, maybe you don’t have a degree, love your job, and are curious if it is on the list. Whatever your reason for watching, I’m glad you are here!
Stacker.com did all the work of sorting through the Bureau of Labor Statistics charts and data to create a list of the 50 highest paying jobs in Atlanta that don’t require a college degree. I’m sharing the top 10 with you today.
10. The 10th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is sound engineer technician. These are the people who make the audio magic happen for film productions, theater events, sporting events, and more. You don’t have to have a college degree, though many people do go through a certificate program. Georgia has about 130 of these positions per the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they are centered around Atlanta as you can see on this map. This makes sense given the huge film industry presence here. Per the BLS, the annual mean salary here in Atlanta is about $67,000.
9. The 9th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is Postmasters and mail superintendents. The city of Atlanta itself isn’t all that big, but the Atlanta metro area is huge and there are a lot of post offices here. There are about 100 postmasters and mail superintendents here in Atlanta making a mean salary of about $84,000 a year. Postmasters supervise a local branch of the post office. A high school diploma is the only educational achievement required, but having a relevant degree can help you stand out if the applicant pool for a postmaster position is crowded. A degree is not required, but the post office does have its own internal training course that postmasters must complete. Unfortunately, postmasters don’t tend to make as much money here as they do in surrounding states with comparable or even lower costs of living. If you want to be a postmaster but your heart isn’t set on living in Atlanta, you may want to look for jobs in Georgia’s neighboring states.
8. The 8th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is power plant operator. The BLS says there are a little over 420 power plant operators in the Atlanta area with an annual mean salary around $88,000. Depending on your position, there can be months or years of on-the-job training before you are a fully qualified operator. A degree is generally not required for entry level positions, but having a degree can be helpful if you ever want to pursue a management role. Power plant operators here in Atlanta don’t make as much as they do out in California or up in the northeast, but cost of living is also a lot lower here in Atlanta.
7. The 7th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is transportation inspector. As the job title implies, transportation inspectors inspect equipment and goods being transported via air, rail or truck. For entry level positions, generally a highschool diploma is required. Other mandatory training or certifications will depend on the exact position. Per the BLS, there are about 450 transportation inspectors in Atlanta and the mean annual salary is about $94,000. Most of these jobs in Georgia are here in Atlanta or down in Savannah near the port.
6. The 6th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is insurance sales agents. There are a lot of people here in Atlanta, needing a lot of insurance policies of varying types. The 11,000 insurance sales agents here do their best to fill that need! Per the BLS, the mean annual salary for insurance sales agents is about $95,000, and insurance sales agents in Atlanta typically make more than those elsewhere in the state. A high school diploma is usually all that is required to get a position, though some companies do require a bachelor’s degree in a related field. You must also be able to pass a state licensing exam after completing a training course.
5. The 5th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay workers. Per the BLS, there are about 360 of these workers in Atlanta and the annual mean salary is $106,000. These vital employees keep the equipment used in power stations in good working repair and Georgia has one of the higher salary ranges in the nation. A degree is not required for most jobs, but as a good understanding of electronics and electrical equipment is needed, employers often prefer employees who have taken courses at technical schools or community colleges. There are also various certification programs you can take to help increase your chances of landing a job.
4. The 4th highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Those in these jobs do exactly what the BLS job title says: they plan and manage the transportation, storage, and distribution activities of their companies. There are around 3,500 of these jobs in Atlanta, and the average mean salary is $110,000. Some jobs do require degrees, but many positions require a high school diploma and experience. Georgia has one of the highest concentrations of these jobs and while there are jobs located all over the state, the greatest concentration of them is here in Atlanta.
3. The 3rd highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is power distributors and dispatchers. The BLS says there are about 360 of these positions in Atlanta, and the annual mean salary is around $116,000. Yet another power station job made the list. Georgia is one of the highest paying states for power distributors and dispatchers, and is certainly one of the highest in the entire Southeast. The majority of the Georgia jobs are in Atlanta and Middle Georgia. Once again, you’ll need a highschool diploma to land a job, and then extensive on-the-job training before you can work independently.
2. The 2nd highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is commercial pilots. You don’t have to have a degree to become a commercial pilot, but you do have to have a commercial pilot license. In Atlanta, the BLS says there are about 610 commercial pilots making an annual mean salary of about $134,000. Commercial pilots here in Atlanta make some of the highest salaries in the country. If you want to become a pilot for an airline one day, you will likely need a degree, but your commercial pilot experience will also be important.
1.The highest paying job in Atlanta without a degree is athletes and sports competitors. So, this job is the only job that made both this list and the 10 Highest paying Jobs in Atlanta list. For obvious reasons: you don’t have to have a degree to be a professional athlete and some professional athletes make millions of dollars per year. The main requirement is being really, really good at your sport. Interestingly, the BLS says the annual mean salary for a professional athlete in Atlanta is only $161,000. The NFL, NBA, and MLB have salary minimums that are significantly over that number. The MLS, however, does not and players can make as little as $36,000, with over half of MLS players making under $100,000. Minor league athletes are also considered professional athletes but obviously make significantly less money than those playing at the highest levels of their sport. So, the $161,000 figure is a bit misleading as the mean annual salary for the pro teams with the exception of soccer and minor leagues (Atlanta has minor league hockey and baseball) is significantly more.
So there you have it, the 10 highest paying jobs in Atlanta that don’t require a degree. Whether or not any of those jobs grabbed your attention, if you are interested in calling Atlanta home, please reach out. I’d love to talk to you and answer your questions about moving to Atlanta.
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