Sometimes college isn’t a fit. Long classes, followed by strenuous exams and a couple of years of little sleep accompanied by blaring music during study hours, weans people away from the whole university idea. The routine of waking up, going to school, eating, then repeating had its grasp for 18 years. Now, it’s time to chase a different path. Plenty of high-paying jobs require certifications instead of degrees, so not having a degree doesn’t have to mean sticking around at a minimum-wage job for the rest of your years. These 15 jobs hire qualified certification holders daily.
1. Real Estate Agent
Envision your face plastered on a billboard in the middle of your hometown? Classmates drive by the giant poster, looking back on your elementary days, proud that you decided to chase that lifelong wish to sell properties. Real estate agents serve as liaisons between a firm or broker and future homeowners. They negotiate prices, show properties, and finalize sales, bringing customers a step closer to their dream homes. Work for yourself, with another company, or at an agency after attaining a trustworthy certification.
Certified Resident Specialists, Certified Property Managers, Certified Home Marketing Specialists are a few of the certifications future real estate agents can pursue before launching their career. Real Estate Agents continue to add certifications to their titles throughout their careers, bumping up the pay with each. Real estate agents enjoy a median salary of $99,000.
2. Paralegal
Paralegals work in direct correlation with lawyers, preparing them for trial and arranging everything needed in the courtroom. Paralegals dabble in research and legal writing, creating documents related to the law firm's work. Select situations allow them to speak or interview clients, though they never are to give legal advice or hold a position as a stand-in for a lawyer.
Entry-level paralegals take the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam, a certification exam grading the potential paralegal’s understanding and skills of the practice. More advanced paralegals, ones who already cemented a job in the field, opt to take The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam, demonstrating their extensive knowledge and experience in the field. Each test takes between two and two hours with a series of multiple-choice questions. Paralegals take home an average base salary of $60,000 each year with a potential for $90,000 or higher.
3. Court Reporter
Court reporters work in the physical courtroom during trials and hearings, capturing and recording every word, action, and detail uttered in court. Court reporters need to be able to type at an expert speed while understanding what is happening inside the courtroom. This job also uses devices like a stenographer, a 22-keyed typewriter that translates words into stenographic shorthand, or a written language based on pronunciation, not spelling.
Each court reporter undergoes a certification test to evaluate their competency in stenography, starting at a basic level and moving up to the advanced tiers. Courtroom reporters can potentially make about $82,000 a year, though the median is $63,000.
4. Personal Trainer
Personal trainers work in group or one-on-one settings, instructing and coaching clients on physical techniques and practices. A huge part of the personal training profession lies in setting goals and helping the client achieve those goals. A client might also seek nutritional advice from a personal trainer. Personal trainers face a few certifications en route to their end goals. They must take an AED/CPR certification to assist clients in emergencies, and then they decide on a specialty that dictates their certification choice.
Personal trainers take an online administered test generating between 120 and 150 questions relating to their discipline. Disciplines include strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and exercise, along with other nuanced disciplines like bodybuilding or kinesthetic training. A regular certification is the Certified Personal Trainer Certification granted by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Glassdoor reports the median salary for a personal trainer in 2024 is around $70,000.
5. Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy technicians work side by side with the pharmacist, filling in gaps and holes to smooth over the pharmacist’s job. Pharmacy technicians work as a precursor to the pharmacist, refilling, labeling, and turning medications over to patients, before sending them toward the pharmacist. After the pharmacy technician explains information to the patient regarding the medication and side effects, they turn the microphone to the pharmacist for further assistance.
Offices expect pharmacy technicians to earn their right to the job in a few ways. One way includes on-the-job training, hiring candidates and teaching them the system in a real-time setting, or a six-month to two-year educational program. Another way to obtain certification is by earning a certificate from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, which consists of a 90-minute multiple-choice exam and feeding questions related to medications, processing, and legal matters. Salaries move from $33,000 to $52,000 as a pharmacy technician.
6. Medical Assistant
Medical assistants work in close proximity to doctors and patients, meeting with the patient prior to the doctor. The medical assistant assesses the patient and administers preliminary tests before the patient meets with the doctor. The assistant also delivers immunizations or medications to the patient.
Potential medical assistants earn one of two popular certifications to pursue this career. Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA) complete a course proctored by the National Healthcare Association, and Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) complete certification through the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Certified Medical Assistants are a step above CCMAs, completing all the CCMA tasks and helping the doctor and staff with administrative duties and paperwork.
Certified Clinical Medical Assistants jump into entry-level positions starting at $29,000 a year with a potential for $53,000 a year. Certified Medical Assistants earn an entry-level rate of $31,000 with a potential for a yearly salary of $54,000.
7. Certified Nursing Assistant
Certified Nursing Assistants work under nurses as their assistants. Their jobs involve helping patients and picking up duties like taking vitals, greeting patients, bathing them, and performing any preliminary task to simplify the nurse’s visit. Other duties CNAs execute include dressing and redressing wound sites, preparing visitation rooms, or helping patients with requests.
CNAs work under a nurse, but that doesn’t mean they live in the nurse’s shadow. In fact, nurses and patients rely on CNAs for seamless doctor visits. The in-demand profession takes between one and six months for certification, making it a quick, necessary position. The Red Cross presents certifications that vary between locations. Most certification exams include a written or question portion and a hands-on demonstrative portion, where the student applies their medical knowledge to potential medical instances. CNAs earn an average annual salary of $40,000 with ample opportunities for overtime work.
8. Surgical Technologist
Surgical technologists assist surgeons by passing tools and devices to the surgeon during the operation. A surgeon asks for a specific tool while a surgical technologist delivers the materials. The technologist also prepares the room with needed materials, sterilizes everything, greets the patient, and helps label various vials for testing. The certified surgical technologist program takes about a year to complete, followed by a certification test. Surgical techs earn between $63,000 and $90,000 a year.
9. HVAC Technician
HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, so an HVAC technician operates on those systems, finding issues, repairing the issues, and keeping the customer warm or cool, depending on the system. They also schedule various appointments or repairs for the appliances. HVAC Technicians need to undergo an apprenticeship program, which is three to five years, but it is paid and consists of on-the-job training from skilled, employed HVAC technicians. The step after the apprenticeship program encompasses earning a license, certifications from the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), and completing competency exams. HVAC technicians see a median salary of $58,500 each year.
10. Computer Programming
Computer programmers run the world. I went to high school with a kid who learned how to code at a young age. By the time he reached tenth grade, high-tech companies reached out to him to work weekends, solving intense troubleshooting issues for a wad of cash. He skipped college, moving straight into coding for Google at a six-figure position as an 18-year-old.
Computer programmers make a median of $97,800 a year. Degrees aren’t required for a career as a computer programmer. Managers look for candidates knowledgeable in programming languages like Python, JavaScript, and Java over college degrees. Innumerable certifications aid in acquiring a job as a computer programmer. Some examples are AWS Certified Developers and a Python certification.
11. Pilot
Visualize a profession where you control an aircraft, flying through the sky from one location to the next. Want to navigate the plane from Atlanta, Georgia, to Europe? As a pilot, you can. Pilots steer their planes through predestined routes as a main part of the job. Minor tasks look like fueling the aircraft, keeping an eye on issues, and determining a course of action about dangerous flying conditions.
Reaching the end goal of a commercial airline pilot requires gaining several certifications starting with the Private Pilot Certificate. The Private Pilot Certificate focuses on fundamentals inside a single-engine airplane. Next, add the Commercial Pilot Certificate to your belt. The Commercial Pilot Certificate focuses on driving a commercial aircraft and legally earning a wage for flying. To earn a salary from flying, include the Flight Instructor Certificate. Pilots rake in a median of $150,000 each year.
12. Flight Attendant
Hankering for a free way onto worldwide flights without commandeering a plane? Flight attendants work aboard aircrafts, prioritizing the passengers safety and comfort. During the flight, they serve guests food and water, and attend to guest’s other concerns. With fluency in safety, flight attendants instruct safety concerns and directions to follow should a problem arise in the air.
Flight attendant certifications follow the same vein as most places, meaning certification type depends on who they work for. Nonetheless, each flight attendant must obtain certification from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). Certifications illustrate proficiency in aircraft safety and a heightened understanding of the duties required on the job. Flight attendants bathe in perks like free flights, discounted family travel, and a salary shifting between $45,000 and $85,000.
13. Mechanic
Mechanics get their hands dirty by working hour after hour with grease and oil to make clackity machines run smoother. The car whisperers ensure they target all car issues pointed out by the customer and inspect the vehicle for additional or underlying issues. The esteemed Automotive Service Excellence certification denotes a mechanic’s proficiency in vehicles through experience and a succession of exams. Mechanics expect to earn full certification in nine months to five years. A lot of mechanics grow up with an intense interest in vehicles, so they might have a quicker, easier experience in certification. The automotive repair profession earns an average of $56,000 a year.
14. Electrician
I know a former classmate who graduated college with an English degree. Though he despised the jobs he found post-graduation, he ended up working for Lowe’s. He started out as a stocker, quickly scaling toward the electrician position. The company extends a program wherein hired staff works toward certifications for in-demand trade positions.
Electricians work with electrical wiring and systems, detecting issues, performing system maintenance, and maintaining homeostasis. Certifications rely on experience and knowledge, as passing exams determines certification. A career as an electrician has a median salary of around $60,000.
15. Firefighter
As a child, did you picture yourself clad in firefighter gear on the way to save people from a fire or reach out for help in an emergency? Firefighters patrol their cities, responding to emergencies and providing help and assistance in high-stress situations. Firefighters maintain a heavy presence in automobile accidents, helping ambulances and cops with the damage. And they work a lot with fires, as the name suggests, both rescuing people and animals from harm and extinguishing the flames.
Before getting a job as a firefighter, firefighters might receive an EMT certification (Emergency Medical Technician), Firefighter I or II, Certified Fire Inspector, Basic Life Support, Rescue Technician, or a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician Certification. Each certification instructs participants on crucial, life-saving information. Passing the final exams leads to certification. Firefighters average around $50,000 per year.