When it comes to careers, there’s often a misplaced focus on jobs requiring four-year degrees. However, vocational jobs, sometimes overlooked, present excellent opportunities for those preferring hands-on occupations. Training for these positions is accessible through trade schools or apprenticeships, spanning several fields like construction, infrastructure, and government.
Defining Vocational jobs
Vocational jobs are specialized careers in specific fields. They’re considered skilled labor, oftentimes necessitating licenses or certificates for operation. These jobs are obtainable with or without a college degree, though additional education can contribute to career advancement or increased responsibilities.
Training typically happens in a specific school or program, lasting from a few months up to two to three years, dependent on the profession. There are also apprenticeships available, where candidates gain practical work experience while studying their trade.
The spectrum of vocational positions is broad, ranging from law to landscaping, and they often offer competitive salaries. Here, we will look at 18 well-paying vocational jobs based on averages provided by Indeed’s salary data.
Examples of High paying Vocational Jobs
- Landscape Designer: They work with both residential and commercial clients, designing the aesthetics, planning locations for paths, walkways, and the placement of trees, shrubs, and flowers, for exterior spaces. Their average national salary is around $18.87 per hour.
- Legal Assistant: A legal assistant helps attorneys prepare cases, schedule depositions, create subpoenas, and maintain client-contact. Average salary estimates are around $20.63 per hour.
- Welder: Professional welders create and fuse metal structures using a variety of tools. The job can pay around $22.78 per hour, on average.
- Solar Installer: As the name suggests, a solar installer assembles and maintains solar photovoltaic systems. The average national salary is approximately $23.95 per hour.
- Carpenter: These skilled workers build structures from various materials and can make around $24.40 per hour, according to national averages.
- Pilot: With the responsibility of aircraft operation and safety measures, pilots can make around $24.81 per hour.
- Mason: Working with materials like concrete, brick, and mortar, masons can earn an average of $25.30 per hour.
- Marine Technician: Experienced in boat repairs and their components, marine technicians make around $25.45 per hour.
- Electrician: They perform repair, installation, and maintenance of a structure’s electrical system, with an average income around $25.73 per hour.
- Home Inspector: These professionals inspect properties for compliance issues and defects. National averages place their salary around $26.04 per hour.
- Commercial Divers: Divers are employed in a variety of underwater work such as investigations, construction, repair, and removals. Skilled divers have an average salary of about $24.48 per hour, proving that it can be financially rewarding on top of being adventurous.
- Automotive Mechanics: These professionals diagnose, repair, and perform maintenance on cars and light trucks. Offering services that keep our vehicles running optimally, these individuals earn an estimated average of $21.14 per hour.
- Plumbers: As experts in the installation and repair of water and gas piping systems, fixtures, and appliances, the importance of their role is unquestionable. They earn an average hourly wage of $28.78 and often enjoy steady employment due to the constant demand for their expertise.
- HVAC Technicians: Responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing heating, ventilation, and cooling systems, HVAC technicians are a fundamental part of maintaining a controlled climate in buildings. Receiving an average pay of $23.55 per hour, HVAC technicians possess a career with longevity and healthy remuneration.
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs): Providing basic nursing care under the direction of registered nurses and doctors, LPNs are a vital part of any medical team. With an average earning of $24.24 per hour, this rewarding career is always in demand, making it a reliable choice for vocational job seekers.
- Civil Engineering Technicians: These professionals assist civil engineers in planning and designing public works projects like airports, bridges, and highways. They usually earn around an average of $25.23 per hour, making it a financially firm career choice.
- Tractor-trailer drivers: Specializing in operating trucks or vans to deliver goods, their role is pivotal for supply chains and logistics. On average, they earn about $24.97 per hour.
These diverse roles within vocational jobs are more than just skilled labor. They are dynamic occupations, each fostering specialized skills and allowing professionals to create stable careers. Despite offering great benefits and competitive pay, these careers are often overlooked as professions of choice. Overall, pursuing any of these well-paying vocational jobs can lead to a rewarding career, emphasizing that vocational careers are valid, lucrative alternatives to traditional white-collar jobs.
Conclusion
Vocational jobs offer unique advantages. They often require less time at school, allowing faster entry into the workforce. Many provide on-the-job training and, because they lean towards practical skills, they sometimes offer a more direct path to employment post-training.
It’s important to recognize the value of vocational education and skilled labor in our society. These are roles that keep our world functioning, and they provide excellent career opportunities for those who prefer the hands-on approach to their work. It’s evident that vocational jobs offer lucrative career options, challenging the myth that success only comes with a four-year degree.
