Blue collar is in, 7 high-paying jobs that DON'T require a degree

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Time for you "pretty boy"nukkas to cowboy up, git ur hands dirty and get PAID....... GITTY UP NOW

Plumber apprentice Devyn Maher works on installing pipes for a storm drainage system at the site of the new Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

One reason is a perception that blue-collar jobs pay well, and that college costs are becoming prohibitive.

Against that backdrop, the career site Resume Genius has unveiled a new list of the 10 highest-paying blue-collar jobs.

What qualifies as a blue-collar job?​

And what, exactly, is a blue-collar job? Investopedia defines it as a job done outside the office, typically requiring manual labor or skills in a particular trade.

“These are high-paying jobs with good growth. And they don’t require a degree,” said Nathan Soto, author of the Resume Genius report.

“My brother is a pipe fitter,” Soto said, “and he makes six figures.”

Many jobs on this list fall in energy and transportation fields, Soto said. Most are “safe from automation, for now,” he said, although no one can predict the future of robots and AI.

Here are the 10 highest-paying blue-collar jobs.

Elevator and escalator technician​

These workers install and maintain elevators, escalators and those moving walkways in airports. The median salary is $106,580, as of 2024, and the top 10% of earners make $149,250. The job typically requires a high school diploma.

Electrical powerline installer and repairer​

Line workers service the nation’s power grid. Median salary is $92,560, and the top 10% of earners get $126,610. Job growth is strong, and you generally need only a high school diploma. But it’s a physically demanding job, involving climbing poles and bobbing in bucket trucks.

Aircraft avionics equipment mechanic and technician​

These workers see to the safety of air travel. The job can get noisy. Median salary is $79,140, and the top 10% of earners pull down $120,080. The field generally requires some postsecondary training.

Railroad worker​

Like trains? This job pays a median salary of $75,680, and the top 10% of earners get $100,130. You typically need a high school diploma and on-the-job training. Expect outdoor work and unpredictable hours.

Stationary engineer and boiler operator​

These workers maintain heating, air conditioning and power systems in big buildings and plants. The median salary is $75,190, and the top 10% of earners get $121,200. The job generally requires only a high school diploma, often with an apprenticeship.

Industrial machinery mechanic​

These are the workers who keep factories operating smoothly. The median salary is $63,510, and the top 10% of earners make $85,970. The job typically requires a diploma and an apprenticeship.

Plumber, pipefitter and steamfitter​

These workers install and repair the systems that move water, gas, chemicals and steam in homes and businesses. the median salary is $62,970, and the top 10% of earners make $105,150. The educational requirement is generally a high school diploma, often combined with an apprenticeship.

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Wind turbine technicians often work at great heights.

Wind turbine technician​

Installing and maintaining wind turbines “isn’t for anyone with a fear of heights,” Resume Genius reports. Workers often toil high above remote landscapes. Median salary is $62,580, and the top 10% of earners get $88,090. Job growth is strong. The position generally requires a postsecondary credential.

Electrician​

Here’s another job that typically requires only a diploma, often with a paid apprenticeship. Median salary is $62,350, and the top 10% of earners reap $106,030. It’s a large field, and job growth is strong. Overtime pay can be lucrative.

Solar photovoltaic installer​

These workers install solar panels. You generally only need a high school diploma to get the job, which pays a median salary of $51,860. The top 10% of earners get $80,150. Job growth is healthy. Be sure to wear sunscreen.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue collar is in. 10 high-paying jobs that don't require a degree.

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[D24OHA]

Gotta say, my one neighbor is a pipefitter..... takes 3 - 6 month traveling contracts, definitely clears $150K, had a customer on my route he does the same job, but not traveling, he makes about $100 - $110K.

And had another 2 customers that do elevator work, they definitely made close to $100K, if not more than.

 

[tallblacknyc]

Funny you put up the elevator technician.. One of my boys do this, he's a 2nd generation elevator technician.. His father did it and told him right after high school he should jump on it instead of spending bread to go to college.. Friend didn't listen , ended up going to college, got a degree, was hard to find a job with his major, ended up doing the elevator technician training and over 2 decades Later still got the job but has a higher position.. Definitely makes 6 figures.. Was telling how its a predominantly white field but if bros knew about it would definitely join.. Think he told me they do paid training and start you off at $30 an HR at his company

 

[blackbull1970]

Ford CEO has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with up to 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: ‘We are in trouble in our country

Ford’s CEO Jim Farley thinks America needs a wake-up call.

By Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
January 31, 2026

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ceo-5-000-open-155356284.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGSospfn2rJPKv9zYfa_XBh_e_4Op4xJWBxlA_lJG3S9l99MxwX3Y7ZeBNGXSpbDSij4xFGCrQtfZCGMkJzfKuGwOYTRsOkWMHNVi2C1UtApNTvbojZ-ElFgz5mZq140ID_FpJk7QiZK29-U0l64vxBMNGIQ2DtrVwS0zYuuv62A

Speaking on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Farley said Ford had 5,000 open mechanic positions that it hasn’t been able to fill, despite the possibility of an eye-popping $120,000 salary—nearly double the American worker’s median salary.

And it’s not just Ford, added Farley. The carmaker’s struggle to fill jobs that require training and manual labor are indicative of a general shortage for manual-labor jobs in the U.S., he added.

“We are in trouble in our country. We are not talking about this enough,” Farley told host Monica Langley. “We have over a million openings in critical jobs, emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and tradesmen. It’s a very serious thing.”

While President Donald Trump has centered his economic agenda on bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., there remains a gap between the number of factory jobs open and the number of people willing to fill them.

There were 394,000 manufacturing jobs open as of November, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, despite a 4.4% unemployment rate, which is higher than in previous years. A 2024 study from the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte also found more than half of the 200 manufacturing firms surveyed said recruiting and retaining workers was their top struggle.

Yet, Farley said blue-collar jobs, like those open at Ford, “made our country what it is,” and allowed people like his grandfather—who worked on the company’s flagship Model T and was employee 389 at the company—to have good lives.

Farley said the company is doing better on wages. It got rid of the lowest tier of its wage scale, and agreed to give workers a 25% salary bump over four years as part of its agreement with the United Auto Workers union in 2023.

Still, part of the problem for the shortage of manufacturing jobs is the lack of education and training, according to Farley. He noted, for example, learning to take a diesel engine out of a Ford Super Duty truck takes at least five years. The current system is not meeting the standard, he added.

“We do not have trade schools,” he said. “We are not investing in educating a next generation of people like my grandfather who had nothing, who built a middle class life and a future for his family.”

To be sure, younger people may be leading the charge on filling the gap in manufacturing positions. Gen Z is increasingly straying from the traditional college path and attending trade schools in an effort to avoid cumbersome student loans while also snagging a well paying job.

Enrollment in vocational school jumped 16% in 2024, rising to the highest level since National Student Clearinghouse started tracking data in 2018, Fortune previously reported. However, the top jobs paying more than $200,000 per year still mostly require advanced degrees, according to a study by job platform Ladders.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

CEO of Ford, Jim Farley​