Having a four year college degrees is often thought to be the only way to find a career that will pay the bills. In reality, there are quite a few great jobs out there that don’t require four years in the classroom beyond high school. One of them just might be right for you.

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

If many of your peers seem to be locked into a regimented career path that calls for years of additional schooling, rest assured that there are numerous other young people who are looking for another way. Some don’t want to be caught in the life-long prison of student loan debt; for others, intellectual pursuits just are not their strong point. Leaders and trend-setters in a variety of industries are recognizing this cohort’s frustrations and desires and are taking action to help. Find Your Grind CEO Nick Gross, for instance, has designed his foundation to provide opportunities and mentorship to those who aspire to succeed without a great college degrees. With the help of this and other organizations, many in your generation are preparing themselves to excel in a wide array of work environments.

COMMERCIAL PILOT

There is no need to space out in a classroom when you can travel the skies as a commercial pilot. In this job that requires a license from the Federal Aviation Administration, you can make over $75,000 per year crop dusting, fighting fires, operating charter flights and doing aerial photography at the helm of a helicopter or small plane.

ELEVATOR REPAIRER AND INSTALLER

If you want to stay a little closer to the ground but still command a yearly salary of over $70,000, you could go into the field of assembling, repairing, maintaining and installing elevators and escalators. No schooling is required, but you will need to have an apprenticeship with an expert and obtain a license.

WEB DEVELOPER

If you love to design eye-popping websites for fun, why not make it into a career? You need to be adept at programming and graphic design, skills you can definitely hone in the classroom. If you’re already a whiz in these areas, it is possible to be self-employed – as long as you have the marketing chops to advertise yourself.

BOILERMAKER

As long as you don’t mind the heat of this physically demanding job that involves fixing and assembling closed containers of oil and other liquids, you can … Read the rest